El Caco – Uncelebration
8/10
Have you ever wondered how a bi-polar Weezer would sound? I haven´t felt the need for knowing that either until that was my first thought after running El Caco´s 8th album through a few times.
El Caco has a lot and I mean a lot more anguish and painfulness in their music for some of the songs (hence the bi-polar) but for quite a few of the songs there is the groove and pop flirting melodies in the songs that I associate with Weezer.
It is an album of nine individual songs that stand up well on their own. But the diversity also makes it into a more interesting album. Even if there are so vastly different songs, they somehow seem to interlock with each other in an effortless manner.
With the vocals of Öyvind Osas you have the option to have a vast range of songs, it does not matter if it is the mood of tormented and painful as In Pieces, the harder All in Favour or the insanely groovy Inventor. Osas has the ability to adapt his vocals to fit the song but still keep the identity of El Caco intact as he does just that.
Even the more stoner inspired Pockets keeps the groove more towards pop inspired rock, there is a build up of the song that explodes in the absolutely fantastic and powerful chorus.
What I keep coming back to all the time is the atmosphere that the band keeps creating around every song and all through the album. Or I should probably say atmospheres. It is hard to explain, but the atmosphere is very different but very the same at the same time. Confusing, yes. But also, quite appealing to try and figure out. You are brought up and you are taken down without having any real idea of what the next song will give you. And sometimes both, just in different parts of that given song.
All in all, I stand by my feeling of the bi-polar analysis. If you listen to the song Oxygen Loss that will sum this up for us quite well. A dark and depressed start, splendid vocals during a long verse, and tempo of the lower kind, to then a very powerful and catchy chorus that hits you right in the solar plexus to lift you out of the abyss. You just want to sing along and jump.
It was well worth the wait.
Band: El Caco
Title: Uncelebrate
Label: Indie Recordings
Date of release: 2023-04-21
Rate: 8/10
Stand Out Track: In Pieces
Country of Origin: Norway
Playing Time: 43:29
