melenas

'Ahora' is the exact opposite of "that difficult third album".

our Spanish quartet reappears, reassembled with a collection of dazzling songs, and revitalised with a splendid new palette of sounds that raises the following question: can you make jangle pop and garage rock with synthesisers? Listening to songs like 'K2' or 'Bang' the answer is a resounding yes, because the glorious throb of the analogue keyboards that dominate 'Ahora' does not betray Melenas' sound, that bubbling vibration that the guitars provided until now, propelling their songs to the pop heaven. The new textures that vintage synths like the Korg Delta or the Yamaha PSR-36 provide maintain that immediacy, and also imprint fascinating new shades of color by stretching the band's sonic identity, transforming it with new nuances, from the crystalline pop of '1986' to the somber but moving undertones of 'Flor de la Frontera'.

musically, the new sonic vibes symbolically delve deep into the album's themes: the concept of togetherness is conveyed in the vocal harmonies, more abundant and elaborate than ever. The concept of time, by means of some astounding sequencers, arpeggiators and mechanical rhythms. Combined with Melenas' knack for pop, these elements turn many of these songs into an exciting mixture of darker, machine-like shades (the cold wave echoes of 'Flor de la Frontera', the kraut rhythm of 'Bang') with heavenly melodies. All this is woven together with a wealth of dazzling electronic arrangements, hand-crafted to perfection but played with the energy of a live band, in a very post-punk conjunction of synthesizers with real bass and drums.