Customer Reviews

Flamingos

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

`Pequeno' recorded in 1999 remains as the best album Enrique has recorded as of yet. So, when `Flamingos' was announced the expectations were high, he had already presented a couple of the new songs in live performances (`Si' and `...y al final') and somehow the public knew what to expect.

Following the idea of `Pequeno' being a conceptual album divided in three parts (Pequeno, Cabaret and Ambulante), `Flamingos' shows what the concept of this album will be from the cover. Using the metaphor of the boxing, Bunbury delivers 15 of his best songs ever written, almost at the level of those from `Pequeno'.

The comparison between both albums is somehow necessary as the new one follows the idea of the musicals and the cabaret presented in his previous work. Some of the artists Enrique admires and has worked with are present on this album, Carlos Ann, Adria Punti, Shuarma (from `Elefantes') and Jaime Urrutia (former member of `Gabinete Caligari') with whom he sings an excellent duet called `No se fie'. The lyrics are one of the best things the album has, filled with personal anecdotes beautifully told and metaphors all Bunbury style. The band impresses as it did in the last album, the synergy of all the musicians is hard to define, and this album wouldn't definitely be the masterpiece it is hadn't Bunbury had this band. Copi, Ana Belen, Rafa, del Moran, and the rest, each one of them has his moment in this disc.

The album opens with a powerful piece entitled `El club de los imposibles' in which Enrique basically introduces and describes his band, `El huracan ambulante'. Then we have the first single `Si' originally written by Adria Punti, Copi is just unbelievable in this piece and is one of the highlights on his live performances. Then we have `Contar contigo' followed by `Sacame de aqui', an incredible musical piece filled with very interesting metaphors in the lyrics. `Enganchado a ti' is a rhythmic piece delivered by the band in one of its best moments in this album. `Lady Blue' clearly shows the influence that David Bowie has had on Enrique, the guitar riffs and the lyrics are reminiscent of `Heroes'. `Ciudad de bajas pasiones' presents a quite unusual instrumentation and a sharp critique to Mexican politics, when president Fox came up with the `brilliant' idea of banning the popular `corridos' because they encouraged narcotrafic and how easy is to smuggle drugs into an airplane as long as you have enough money to bribe migration.

The best piece of the album is indeed the one that closes it, appropriately entitled `...y al final'. A beautiful vals that talks about a farewell and an undying love, beautiful music and even more beautiful lyrics.

The album presentation is quite regular and no lyrics are present (who needs them anyway?) There is an import version in a different case similar to the one used for `Pequeno' but the design is basically the same. A whole new disc, 15 unbelievable themes and deluxe guests make this album an awesome musical experience and the perfect follow up for one of the best albums in rock history ever.

Un disco, sobrecogedor. Quiza no tan "limpio" como "Pequeño" pero con mérito propio. "el club de los imposibles" te hace girar en un tacón, te hace mirarte frente al espejo y sentirte sensual, famoso, decadente, feliz. Esas trompetas, ese descaro! "contar contigo" y "mundo feliz", introspectivos y soberbios a lo máximo. "hoy no estoy para nadie", saturado de asco existencial.

El único pero es la canción "ciudad de bajas pasiones": intracendente, grandilocuente, sosa.

Consejo: escúchalo en random play.

I have always been a fan of Heroes del Silencio, and had been doubtful of buying Bunbury's music. I bought Pequeño a long time ago and enjoyed. I found it refreshing. BUT Flamingos is a great album, I have listened to it and seen the DVD so many times that my friends think I am obsessed with Bunbury. The truth is that since listening to the songs in Flamingos, I have gone out to find everything that Bunbury has worked on recently. I have been greatly surprised and Bunbury is now my IDOL.

Bunbury is a great artist, very complete. It is too bad that in the genre of Latin Rock there are not more artists like him. Also, it is too bad that here in the United States we don't have access to new Latin Rock bands. In Latin music, we only get the same old bull sh** (salsa and bad pop artists -product of the Estefans).

I do like Pequeno better, but this album worth the money. Bunbury is still the best.

I anticipated many weeks for this album. Each day I would go online to check Amazon.com to see if it had arrived..of course if it did it wouldn't arrive in the U.S. first but still I hopeful. After several weeks of anticipation I finally went across the border to buy it. I was so eager I was willing to pay extra. After all Enrique Bunbury is my favorite artist. I played the cd the following morning before going to work. First song, "El Club de los Imposibles" I heard the first seconds and instantly liked it..a lot..a great song to dance to. Second song.."Si" another great song...this was going to be a happy album I thought...but the next song "Contar Contigo" was slower...and more serious...I knew this was going to be worth it...when I heard the following song.."Sacame de aqui" I immediately fell in love with the album...without a doubt this man had again mastered himself as an artist...now this is what you call a real artist. I have told many people about Enrique Bunbury, people that don't even speak spanish love the album. My family have become fans of Mr. Bunbury. Why? Because he is truly indeed a talented poet/composer/writer. "Flamingos" definitely deserves an award for best album.

Desde la separación de Héroes del Silencio, Enrique Bunbury se ha caracterizado por ser parte de una nueva era de música y estilo, una combinación exquisita de sonidos y tierras inexploradas en lo que se refiere a un mix de varios géneros musicales. Entre sus cambios desde "Radical Sonora" a "Pequeño" y ahora a "Flamingos", ha llegado al punto en donde cada uno de sus discos refleja una época diferente, y todos podrían ser un primer disco sin tomar en cuenta los demás.
Lo que NO deben de esperar de éste disco es un "Radical Sonora" o un "Pequeño". No tiene "Nada en Común".

This is a truly excellent album, it's one of a kind. It's intense and rich in philosophical lyrics. It transports you into a different world. I stronly believe that it's Bunbury's best piece of work aside Heroes del Silencio. In fact, it's the best rock albums I have ever heard, can't get enough of it, better than "radical sonora."

La musica tiene la fuerza de transportar tu mente a sitios diferentes, este cd hace honor a esa frase, cada cancion es un viaje, haciendo las letras de Enrique tuyas, las mesclas con tus recuerdos haciendo este cd un viaje atravez de la compacion, el amor, el pasado, presente y claro, el futuro.

This album opens with six incredible songs that could be all singles by themselves, and what's more remarkable, all from very different styles: "El Club de los Imposibles", "Si", "Contar Contigo", "Sacame de Aqui", "Enganchado a ti" and "Lady Blue".

It continues with a few good songs ("One, Two, Three" being the highlight) and ends with the best song of this album, and one of the best in Bunbury's career, a waltz with Mariachi and The Doors influences: "... y al Final". Incredibly beautiful heartfelt song about the end of a love story.

Overall, the album starts on an upbeat mode, becomes more dramatic but always with a touch of irony, and ends on a bitter-sweet note.

This is in my opinion the best album to date of Bunbury on his solo career. Pequeno has some memorable songs and El Viaje a ninguna parte too, but this one is the most complete and covers a wider range of styles and emotions mixing them successfully.

PS: This is not a Heroes del Silencio album and therefore their fans should not consider it as such. It's not a Rock album even though it's obvious the influence of Rock in many songs.

I will try to write both an english and spanish review:

No cabe la menor duda que lo que Enrique Bunbury desarrolla en su musica es arte, pero quizas un arte excepcional y minimalista, lo que se escapa de Flamingos es un sentido de urbanidad que la musica pop explota en difusion popular. Quizas es la denominacion que Bunbury le ha bautizado a su musica de cabaret " Rock Bastardo" porque sin duda es lo que el artista nos a brindado, el rock de lo natural, la poesia sin disculpas en un disco sublime como lo es surrealista. Las baladas y el desamor no faltan, "Saquame de aqui"; un himno lleno de desesperanzas, y el contagiaso ritmo de "Enganchado a ti" es un tributo a la inmolacion romantica. "Si" el single del disco es preparado y de estudio pero genuino y lo que le falta de instigacion, lo recobra en originalidad. El elemento existencial es imminente, desconturrido e inspirador, porque pocas veces vemos un artista tan comprometido con si mismo que arriesga la critica a consecuencia del desahogo artistico y en este album Bunbury no deja espacio para los complementos, "No se fie" es real, honesto y "a la Gardel", "Hoy no estoy para nadie", "One, two, three" y hasta "Hermosos y maditos" son manifiestos de egoismo prenatal e ideologia anarquista. "Al final" sin compromoter la capacidad de este genio es una oda al desaliento y se siente un poco desconectado al "momentum" que el disco ha desarrollado en las ultimas canciones. Definitivamente que esperar de Bunbury? Un Picaso de compleja soveranidad, sin conviccion y muchas agallas, importando la belleza de las baladas y boleros a un estilo que es de el propio y originalmente anarquista.

English Review
Perhaps it is Enrique Bunbury's sublime interaction with the surreal that makes Flamingos an imminent danger to the pop infested youth, thankfully those of you listening ot this album will be saitsfied with its imperative originality and decisive fusion of tango, rock and roll, and boleros among other genres. Yet what makes Bunbury the spanish Bob Dylan is not his affiliation with the road life, the anarchist sentiment, or his affinity for the bohemian conditioning of his overwhelming lyrics, no! what makes Bunbury an everyday Dylan is his all out honesty, and his sense of originality and genuineness. He is against the studio fixation of the uncapable singer, ( he is one of the best live acts you could ever hear) but it is rather what he calls the brute nature of his art, thus the raspy oversinging in his voice, or his S's turning into random whistles in the middle of songs. That is the beauty of his music; his intuitiveness, his predicliction for the unwanted element of art. Not surprising the songs in this album are full of disenchanment, heartbreak, anger, hope and all together forgiveness. Because Flamingos is a boxing match, a journey through 15 rounds of human emotion and artistic sensibility, one should take the album hands on and un-inhibited. A good bottle of wine, some cigarrets and a lonely afternoon will do, lay back and enjoy the match.