Troker: Crimen Sonoro

Troker is a Mexican jazz rock fusion band with their new CD Crimen Sonoro set for release next month. I found it difficult to find information on the band but what I can tell you is this is far from traditional Mexican music. Sure there are upbeat mariachi style horns but when you combine that with heavy guitar riffs and doses of electronica the results are interesting to say the least. I have listened to the album a couple of times now and it has yet to sink in. Don't get me wrong, this is not a 'bad' album by any means and the musicianship is excellent but it has yet to speak to me. For example, the album's second track "Principe Charro" has a distant sounding organ intro soon to be obliterated with chaotic horns in a cacophony of sounds that is just too frenzied and chaotic for these ears. DJ style beats and scratching are also added making this one a real melting pot of sounds and styles. The free form style can also be heard in "Ingratitud" where funky grooves, subtle bits of house music and huge shifts in tempo create another musical collage that is hard to grasp. "Femme Fatal" does start promising with a funky electronica groove and dreamy washes of keyboards creating a mysterious atmosphere. It's these softer moments the band could exploit a little more to offset the frenzied approach that is so often heard.

While my review may seem negative there are parts of this album I really liked. In "Tequila Death" the horn rhythms and heavy riffs are pretty cool and help to reign in the chaos, making a more cohesive piece. The playing in general is adventurous, imaginative and energetic so no faulting the band in that regard.

While I didn't enjoy all forty-seven minutes this album has to offer, perhaps the band try to do too much incorporating so many different styles, there is still much to appreciate here, especially if you dig the more chaotic forms of jazz and fusion. I suppose one must listen to some samples and go from there.

Track Listing:
1. Stranger
2. Principe Charro
3. Ingratitud
4. Femme Fatal
5. Tequila Death
6. Underworld
7. Arsenic Lips
8. El Loco
9. Claroscuro
10. Vengador

Added: October 6th 2014
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 2023
Language: english

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