Customer Reviews

A Las Cinco En El Astoria

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a fan of La Oreja de Van Gogh since their first album, I was also shocked by Amaia Montero's departure and the impact this would have on LOVG's future. This is an excellent album. You hear the difference that Amaia is no longer with the band but the vocals are still excellent but different. Amaia will be missed but LOVG has done an excellent job in this album. Enjoy. I am looking forward to Amaia Montero upcoming solo album.

I will not pic songs to review becuase the entire album is AMAZING. there is not one song that i didn't like. just like their previous albums, this one is a 5 star, with no disapointing songs or filler songs. a great body of work all in all. you will not regrete this purchase.

LODVG is back, and what a come back, the album is excellent, in short words: Detailed production, beautiful vocals and meaningful messages that generate feelings. Having followed their work for years, I think this album goes another step forward in a road of creative growth. Amaia was a very important part of the group, we all hope she is going to have a successful solo career, but I'm very satisfied with Leire's selection. To a concept that being authentic has been proven dynamic, she brings a current of fresh air, but effortless fits into the aesthetics already set, and shows a slightly different angle of the creative process result . My money was worth every penny, I've been playing it non-stop since i bought it. Great songs with lyrics that have a sense of individuality and a fun production. Thank you guys.

I'm a younger fan of La Oreja de Van Gogh, and was shocked by Amaia Montero's departure. The replacement of the lead singer (Leire Martinez) did not seem promising, until I actually gathered the courage to listen to the album. While I could note the difference between Amaia and Leire's voices, the rest of the music more makes up for the change (which is not a bad thing at all, after a few listens). In 'A Las Cinco en el Astoria', La Oreja de Van Gogh basically sticks to what it does best. It made me realize and appreciate the band beyond just the voice and lyrics. I've listened to it various times daily and can't get enough. 'El Ultimo Vals' is a great starter, and the remainder of the songs are not bad at all. I'm a huge fan of 'Jueves', 'Inmortal' and 'Cumplir un Año Menos'. There's also an allusion to 'Paris' in one of the songs, and hearing Leire sing that one line was particularly meaningful, because at this point, I could care less for the change. They still sound as awesome as they did before, and I'm an even bigger fan because of it.

Knowing that Amaia had departed and that the change brought the LOVG to a critical juncture, I bought this CD with some trepidation, unwrapped it, slid it into my car player, played it, played it again...and was blown away. It was as good, if not better, than what preceded it; I listened to it all summer, never tiring of perceiving something new each time: a perfect chord or sound effect, a turn of phrase, a catch in Leire's voice: sheer aural candy. Leire matches the band flawlessly, miraculously: amazingly good fortune. Then, an earlier reviewer mentioned the Beatles connection: in addition to the "Let it be" ending to La Visita, the subject matter, emotions, and musical styles run the gamut, and that is what is reminiscent of the Beatles--we were willing to follow wherever they led. This album coheres in that rare way in which there are no songs to skip. A rundown:
1-El ultimo vals: The Last Waltz
2-Inmortal: Immortal Love the guitar intro, the stereo separation, the varied tiempo, the sha-la-la at the end. Fun. A song of love, almost obsession...lovers becoming a part of each other.
3-Jueves: Thursday A requiem for the bombing victims in Madrid on March 11, 2004. (Clips can be seen on You-tube.) One of the most touching tributes to victims of terrorism ever, the story of an ordinary couple, how fate takes them to this point, the what if's, the if only's of all tragedies.
4-Mas: More Good rock.
5-Cumplir un ano menos: To celebrate the birthdays backwards (to a time before love ended).
6-Europa VII: Europe 7 From a spaceship departing "a small blue point that is lost in a million sparks," an astronaut records a message to serve as a lesson in the future. She rips the national flag from her space suit and writes on the reverse "I am of humanity."
7-La visita: The Visit Doubts and hopes of a terminally ill person who has a vision. "It could be that the journey isn't bad and that a celestial angel will invite me to dine. It could be that there's no beyond, that the tale ends badly and won't begin again. Today a tall, smiling woman came to see me, saying, 'Take my hand and follow me...'." Ends with a few notes from "Let it be."
8-Sola: Alone Begins with techno, rocks with some good electric guitar. Good poetic images. Ends with "Ven, acercate" from Paris(I think), an earlier hit sung by Amaia.
9-Palabras para Paula: Words for Paula This song is for one of the band member's baby daughter. "I wept when I took you in my arms; I couldn't contain myself because I love you so...If you cry, I'll sing; if you suffer, I'll talk to you; If you die, I'll die, too." A parent can relate to the fierce, yet tender love for a child.
10-Flores en la orilla: Flowers on the shore Fun, touching song of being a fool for love and the longing we've all been left with. Ah, well.
11-Un cuento sobre el agua: A story (written) on the water If you're a Spanish student, try singing along with this one!
12-La primera version: The first version Nothing will ever be the same. Bonus Song Footsteps, puddle splashes, a squeaking door opens. Love song.

LOVG's varied themes and music seem to proceed out of a genuine gift and sensibility. One feels listening that they aren't merely adhering to a formula for another hit and safe sales. I would love seeing them play and sing their hearts out in concert.
P.S. I use a lot of music in my Spanish classes. It is extremely motivating and songs get stuck in the students' heads. Hispanic music is a wide, wonderful world for the exploring and yet another reason for learning Spanish. Couldn't resist the plug.

I'm a Spanish teacher and bought the CD because the group was featured in a Scholastic classroom magazine. The singer is easy to understand and I have plans to use it for listening comprehension (good past tense, for one thing) and it is good for history of the 11 of March attack in Madrid.I think the music is beautiful and varied, and so far my students really like it.

The USUAL scenerio that plays out in the pop world is this:

1) Group with exceptional singer hits it big.
2) Singer splits for solo career.
3) Either singer or group or both promptly bomb big time and disappear.

HAPPILY this is one of those great EXCEPTIONS and EVERYBODY comes out a winner--group, former lead singer and the FANS!

LOVG shows that both the band and Amaia Montero were equally responsible for their prior success. New lead vocalist Leire Martinez fits right in without the group missing a beat (no pun intended!). An excellent choice!

A LAS CINCO EN EL ASTORIA is enjoyable from start to finish! And I'd like to note that LOVG is a band that actually knows what to do with CHANNEL SEPARATION. It's refreshing to hear somebody avail themselves of using both left and right channels independantly to carry mutually distinct sounds, vocals and instuments. Something sadly underutilized since way back in those early days (am I dating myself?) when stereo was displacing monophonic recordings. Best example of channel separarion ever was the Grass Roots "Let's Live For Today." BUT I DIGRESS!

Excellent variety of tempo and style. I must admit the first time I heard INMORTAL I was underwhelmed, but it really grows on you! I'd have to agree with other reviewers who have left this CD firmly ensconced in the player--it's a KEEPER!

NOTE THAT TRACK #12 actually seems to be TWO songs! LA PRIMERA VERSION runs 4:22, followed by sounds of footsteps and door creaking (1:18), then a different, unidentified song running 3:58 (total track length 9:38). I enjoy goofy things like that! Makes listening an adventure.

All in all, I give A LAS CINCO EN EL ASTORIA FIVE STARS! Five stars to LEIRE MARTINEZ, too! Yo amo los ojos de Leire! I was sold by the end of the EL ULTIMO VALS video! :>)

They came with a new album, a new singer, but still the same La Oreja de Van Gogh that does not fail to provide the same unpredictable and flawless sound that keeps them as one of the most successful Spanish bands of this century. Amazing, is the only word that describes this album full of LODVG quality but with a bit of rock that makes the perfect blend for the new singer, whose voice range and power was a good decision to replace former singer Amaia Montero. If you liked the previous album, you would not be disappointed.

Singers are a huge part of a group's sound and appeal, even when the rest of the band is as great as LOVG. So comparisons to the albums with Amaia Montero are inescapable but ultimately we care about today's band, not the 2006 version. This new album is good. I love this group's music and I was glad to hear a beautiful and soulful voice in Leire Martinez. She isn't singing yet with the dynamic range or lyrical sensibility of A.M. (neither by octave nor in mood), but you can hear the present beauty and new potential in these songs. I didn't expect something like Guapa first time out of the gate. This is a strong early album for the new LOVG.

Leire M has a darker yet still very clear voice, different from A.M.'s sweeter and more crystalline sound, but to my ears no less beautiful. Give her another year or two of growth and fans may miss A.M.'s song-writing more than her vocals.

U.S. tour, please!

This is yet another fantastic collection of their music. I have listened to it more than twenty times already but I never seem to tire of their music. I most definitely recommend it.