Artist/ Band: Habitat
Title: Tratando de Respirar En La Furia
Label: Self release
Year of Release: 2010
Offical Artist/ Band Link

The Review:

Argentina's Habitat has just issued their fourth album, the first in four years and the title of which translates to "trying to breathe amidst fury." Starting in 1998, Habitat's averaged an album every three years (and dates back as far as '85, at least). Immediately noticeable is the fact that Habitat is now a duo, not a quintet or quartet. Founder-guitarist Aldo Pinelli also handles all the keyboards, bass and vocal duties, with holdover Roberto Sambrizzi manning the drumkit. From these two players, a large full-band sound resonates. Tratando sounds quite good productionwise, and it's most evident during Pinelli's classical guitar segments.

There are three instrumentals on the album, and it opens with one called "La Luna Roja Y La Montaña Negra" (The Red Moon and The Black Sun). This is a spiffy track that morphs from overture-esque to intimate, and sails the same waters charted by Espiritu, Camel and Minimum Vital in those moments when there is no call for a human voice to float atop the music. Guest flautist Paula Dolcera appears on this piece only, her presence drawing it closer to the earlier fare of XII Alfonso. "El Humo Delator" (The Denouncer Smoke) somewhat lives up to its cryptic title with the occasional use of vocoder, staccato passages and a build-up towards a quasi-militaristic cadence. "Periplo" (Periplus) is the second instrumental: it scores with an analog synth mono-lead and Banks-ish chords, synth choirs, and deft drumming. The end of the track resolves by proceeding into a discordant drone-coda.

After an acoustic detour with "Lenguaje Y Amber" (Language and Amber), more Genesis stylings enter via "Torres" (Towers). A Hackettsian guitar lead plays over a powerful backbeat. Pure, undiluted symphonic prog. Nothing extraordinary, but solidly executed, well done. "Las Musgosas Rocas Del Muelle" (The Mossy Rocks Of The Pier) is the most piano-driven piece; somewhat Beatles-esque, but firmly rooted in '70s Italian sympho-prog like Banco Del Mutuo Succorso. "Desde Una Ventana Del Castillo" (Lookout From The Window Of The Castle) is also pastoral-symphonic fare and complements the first two nicely. The album closer is a cover of Le Orme's "Gioco De Bimba," the short second track from the '72 classic Uomo Di Pezza — however, Pinella and Sambrizzi foil the carbon jinx and put their own spin on it. For symph-prog fans — and especially South American/Italian symph fans — Tratando De Respirar En La Furia is worthy of the recommend banner. The three instrumentals alone kick it up a notch, and none of the tracks suffer for lack of ideas or playing, and the two creators here are very good at what they do.

Reviewed by Elias Granillo Jr on March 19th, 2011

Tracks:

01. La Luna Roja Y La Montaña Negra (6:52)
02. El Humo Delator (4:43)
03. Periplo (3:27)
04. Lenguaje Y Ámbar (3:50)
05. Torres (6:27)
06. Detenido Por El Viento (5:42)
07. Las Musgosas Rocas Del Muelle (3:50)
08. Desde Una Ventana Del Castillo (3:10)
09. Pastores De Renos (9:12)
10. Juego De Niña (Spanish versión of Le Orme's Gioco Di Bimba) (5:17)

Reviewed Discography

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