Customer Reviews

Atlas

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I waited over a month before writing this review. The main reason being, Atlas is so different from the first Kinky album that, on first impression, it may seem a completely different group, and will not meet any pre-conceptions you may have of Kinky. It requires repeated listening. Those electronic music fans (many of kinky fans indeed) may find the change too drastic, and I believe some reviews of the album reflect this. Nevertheless, repeated listening allows to find at the core of the songs the same roots that made the original CD so appealing: Funky bass, strong percussion rhythms, and synth loops, which continue to be innovative and used as a recourse, not as a gimmick. Accordion, horns and timbales are also used less prominently, again as part of the "multilayered" construction of the songs but without the purpose of giving a "Latin flavor" just for the sake of it. Here Kinky seems to have inverted the original idea. Electric guitars and vocals are more prominent, and bass, synthesizers and loops are used as enhancers. In Atlas lyrics are also more elaborate, both in English and Spanish. I disagree with people who claim Kinky's lyrics in English are awkward, forced or badly written. Actually, the one with the oddest, silliest lyrics in the album is co-written by Itaal Shur, collaborator with Santana on "Smooth". Perhaps if this was an American band, nobody would be judging syntax or phrasing construction. How many hit songs are out there whose lyrics barely make any sense anyway? I nevertheless agree that all the Spanish lyrics on Atlas are far more elaborated, complex and interesting, and I just wish everybody could understand Spanish, and therefore appreciate the cleverness of songs like "Minotauro" or the sensuality of "Semillas de Menta".
Is it better or worse than Kinky's first effort? Their differences make them difficult to compare side to side, and much will depend on your personal preference. But both are polished, coherent efforts of one of the most inventive and original bands around.

I recommend Atlas to anybody that thinks commercial radio music sucks nowadays. If you are still reading this far in the review, you probably do.

You know what the greatest thing about Kinky is? Kinky recording efforts pale in comparison with their live acts. Kinky in concert comes alive in ways most bands only dream of, and it is amazing how people who have never listened to a single chord by Kinky (most of the people on the "Unlimited Sunshine Tour" last year) end up jumping and dancing while scratching their heads thinking "who the hell are this guys?"
Do yourself a favor, and go see them.

On first listen, Kinky are about as south-of-the-border and muy caliente as a college band from Indiana - with grinding machines and chirruping effects, they seem determined to sound as Norte Americano as possible. But this band (from Monterrey) is not in cultural denial, and its explosions of percussion, subtly picked guitar and witty pan-linguistic vocals make Atlas the most original spin on indie-pop in years. Sometimes they sound like a Mexican Talking Heads, yoking clever lyrics to pop-electro; elsewhere they're R.E.M. with an accent, or even a lilting, Latino Beatles. Joyful, sophisticated and prone to sudden bursts of vampire-movie keyboards, this really is a band unlike anything you've heard before. Lame yanqui outfits beware: They're here for your jobs.

Wait...is The Headphonist a new release from the band Cake?

No..yes..well, sort-of I suppose. John McCrea of Cake makes a guest appearance on the 2nd cut of Atlas and the result is, well, very Cake-like. Is that bad.? Well, no, if you like Cake -- although it may make you wonder if this is a convoluted marketing ploy to win over Kinky fans in the US. Otherwise it's quite a good song that is not only familiarly Kinky, but they employ a fantastic retro Colombian cumbia organ riff about a third of the way into the song. And that makes me forgive them for trying to borrow Cake for a few minutes on a 45 minute album.

And yes, they do use quite a bit of English on Atlas, unlike the first album. And yes, it can be somewhat distracting (in the sense that you might find yourself asking: Why is this band from Monterrey, Mexico singing in English when it sounds so much cooler when they use their native Spanish?)

Overall the album is classic Kinky and the cuts are good, especially Do U Like It?, Pos Que Se Vengan, Minotauren, and Maria Jose.

If you have the first, buy this one. If you have neither, buy both.

The Grammy nominated quintet from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico secluded itself in the jungles of the Yucatan to write their sophomore album "Altas." After much hype of their self-titled debut which, in its wake included an appearance in the Late Show with David Letterman, national television spots with Smirnoff, Honda, and Motorola, among others, the much anticipated "Atlas" hit the record shelves December 2.

Working again with producer Chris Alison (Coldplay, The Beta Band), Kinky releases an eclectic album with a harder rock edge as a result of collaborating with engineer Thom Russo (System of a Down, Audioslave). "The approach for this album was different from the first in that on this album we wanted to focus on a live, organic band sound" says Gil Cerezo (lead vocals). In addition, "Atlas" benefits from the 180 live shows within the last year that has taken them through Europe, North and South America and results in five English tracks "Sometimes I even dream in English" Gil confesses.

"The Headphonist" features a contribution from John McCrea of Cake, whom they met while sharing the bill on a recent tour. "Presidente", the opening track and first single from "Atlas" is a political commentary questioning the Mexican government.

With "Atlas," Kinky captivates their eclectic live sound musically with their fusion of alternative electronica regional sounds. Meanwhile, they continue to cross cultural borders and destroy language barriers, leaving audiences and listeners alike, as Kinky would put it "queriendo mas y mas y mas y MAS!"

I liked Kinky's last album, but I am loving Atlas. On the previous one there are a handful of good songs, but the majority of the tracks are just some cool grooves that never actually GO anywhere. This one, in contrast, has mostly solid, well-crafted songs and the beats still turn me on like crazy. I finally read some other reviews... so that WAS the singer from Cake! I thought it sounded like him. Anyway, I recommend this one whether you liked the previous release or not.

I never once listened to Kinkys' older material, so I lack the credible references of comparing how their newer work racks up against their newer work. I will say this, that overall I'm quite happy with this CD...I listen to Ozmalti and hell while I'm at even Mana and Molotov(So I've been exposed to some Spanish music).

Anyways, the first track "Presidente" is a sugar-coated dance track with one majorly catchy chorus. "Salta-Lenin-El-Atlas" displays the bands' more immediate Spanish culture while "Airport Feelings" tilts a fair dosage of rock meets electronica.

Sure, this isn't very advance music, nor will the 'Purist' out there find any semblance of earful listening, the music is groovy and in perspective serves its' purpose rather well. It has punch, with a hint of salsa and sure sounds nice with the subwoofer on high.

KINKY regresa con atlas, un disco que logra bastante bien su cometido, ya que antes de lanzar este disco la banda declaro en una entrevista que en su nuevo disco ellos querian captar el sonido de la banda en vivo,y realmente lograron su objetivo, en este disco se puede escuchar a la banda con un sonido bastante organico o mas natural, alejandose un poco de los samplers y loops, tambien las letras son de un contenido mas profundo y parecen tener mas sentido que su trabajo anterior, algunos temas que en lo personal me agradan bastante son: presidente, snapshot, salta-lenin-el-atlas,airport feelings, my god is so quiet. en general el disco es bastante bueno, y recomendable uno de mis favoritos del 2003 y 2004, ya que fue lanzado a fines 2003

I know this is the mantra when it comes to sophomore releases, but it's not my fault that their first album was so incredible that the second one was bound to disappoint.

This album is more of a straight up rock/pop style and doesn't have the eclectic mish-mash of influences that made the first album so intoxicating and fun. The music/melodies on this album are solid, but I really had a hard time swallowing the English lyrics and do not like them AT ALL.

Maybe if you had never heard a record before, and someone played this for you, you would think it was good. But true Kinky fans know that this band is capable of so much more. Buy it if you're a diehard, especially at the cheap price, but don't expect it to surpass their debut.

Kinky's self-titled debut was a joy to listen to. Great melodies and instrumentation and a great groove vibe. This self-produced album has a couple of decent songs but overall it has a very odd feel. Perhaps they should have stuck with Chris Allison who produced the first album. The english lyrics seem forced and out of place. My favorite song is the only instrumental "Do U Like It." If you don't have the first album, get it first.

The only way I can describe Kinky's sound on this disc is this: It's as if Weezer and Lou Reed went to an Ozomatli concert where Desi Arnaz was the opening act.

Afterwards, they all jammed!