When you hear about serpents that grow feet, Genghis Khan, and dreaming with Christ—who has “uñas vinílicas” and “manos acrílicas”—you know you’re in for some heavy psychedelia. Combine that with a dose of noise and then bring it down to an almost acoustic level for a couple of tracks that sound like melancholic lullabies, and you’ll start getting an idea of what Aguas de Marte sounds like.
Aguas de Marte is the second album by Peruvian band Moldes. Back in February we offered a free download of “El Péndulo,” the first single from this album. Well, the band has finished the job, and they deliver: Aguas de Marte is a true cosmic trip. The eight tracks from this album are a showcase for the band’s musical and lyrical capabilities, integrating guitar feedbacks with drones, spacey solos, and even a theremin, which Moldes manages to use with confidence. The album has a rhythm that makes it feel like a true voyage, with soft ballads like “Vinylchrist” following the intensity of tracks like “11:11.” “Remanso,” the closing song, is a quiet tune and uses pre-recorded sounds to bring the voyage to a gloomy end.
Moldes started as an experimental band in Lima, back in 2007, using objects such as mechanical fans and toy engines like musical instruments. They carry the same audacity and melodic force we find in other contemporary Peruvian bands, and this second record definitely signifies an evolution of the band’s sound: destruction and noise that lead to melody and softness, or, as the band puts it: “Los misiles caen para renacer.” Get Aguas de Marte, released by A Tutiplén Records today.
Download Moldes’ Aguas de Marte below:
(Photo By Martin Acevedo)