(Mistletone/Shock)

Tastes good with a banano

Before Pablo Díaz-Reixa became El Guincho, he was involved in a three-piece called Coconot. Their second full-length Cosa Astral finishes what El Guincho’s excellent Alegranza! began earlier this year. El Guincho is to Coconot what Panda Bear is to Animal Collective; a musical force in his own right and a driving influence in his band. But beyond that structural coincidence, their approach to music is similar too; sunny tropical drones, bright instrumentation and Beach Boys-esque harmonies. Coconot swims with ease through tropicália, krautrock, dub and pop via the clever use of samples and loops combined with live instruments. The poppier leanings of Coconot are made apparent throughout Cosa Astral, compatible with but angled differently to the dance-inflected Alegranza! The album begins with a fluttering percussion sample that is twisted and slowed down until it becomes a steady beat, the foundation for the vibrant Conservad El Rayo. The line between natural and electronic is a constantly blurred, a delicate balance that precious few other bands can pull off. The electronic element allows them to take on the appearance of a six-piece, a jigsaw puzzle of samples and beats criss-crossing with conventional instruments until it’s no longer apparent which is which. The music takes on a faux-futuristic aspect, highlighted by the fact that the disc art portrays the album as a 45 when it is inherently very much a record of the digital age. This is a thorough pleasure to listen to and is especially perfect for our currently rather warm climate.

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MICHAEL PINCOTT

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