123 Solal (The Best Of Martial Solal) [Digipak] - Martial Solal

Advantages: Great Modern Tango music
Disadvantages: Only 10 Songs

...Intro: I bought this in Buenos Aires after hearing it played in a shop. The Gotan project cleverly uses a mixture of traditional instruments such as the violin and banadeon to create tango sounds mixted in with both electronica and modern beats to offer a new take on tango music. Background: Initiated by Philippe Cohen Solal and Edouardo Makaroff in 1999, with Christoph H Muller joining immediately, Gotan Project saw the light of day with the release of their first 10 inch in February 2000 on Ya Basta!, Solal's label. The project which gathers on record, as well as on stage, top Argentinean musicians exiled in Paris, is experiencing an incredible international success with the release of their first album "La Revancha Del Tango". To date, nearly 1 000 000 records have been sold in the whole world . Their current live tour is taking... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Great production, awe inspiring agressive/clean singing with TRUE feeling, modern, fresh
Disadvantages: Not quite as good as their stunning debut

...into a rage as the guitars return. 'Nothing Right' is barked in the chorus over riffs a little like Slayers but retaining that 'The Haunted' style. 'Liquid Burns' contains some awesome riffs in the opening minute that blow your mind, then the pace quickens all of a sudden. At just over a minute and 16 seconds or so Dolving comes in over some intense moshpit Thrash Metal. Toward the end of the track some meandering riffs like 'Slayer's' best stuff, burns the fuse on some of the earlier guitar fretwork in a clever way. The song is very punchy fists in the air and shout alongable (If thats a word damn it). 'Fire Alive' is similar in breckneck drive to the track '99' but not quite as wild. It's another of my favourites from this CD, and it's a bonus track too which makes purchasing this package all the more important! Trust me without the bonuses... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Not overlong at 10 tracks, gets better with each listen.
Disadvantages: Opening track not the strongest.

...All the best records take a few listens (at least) to reveal their true nature. On first play this sounded like a typical 2nd album - longer tracks, less up-tempo. A month on this has to be my favourite CD of 2007. Nearly all the 10 tracks have resolved into fantastic, atmospheric (and not always gloomy!) tales of urban life and escape. Great tunes underpin the songs, with the now-trademark steepling guitar riffs standing out most in the choruses. Some not unwelcome echos of The Smiths are to be found in the lyrics, most obviously in the title track, but tracks like Weight of the World and Escape The Nest are really uplifting, the latter also containing the finest moments on the album with its soaring, thrilling chorus. What a live track that promises to be... Recommended! Ok then, what about the digipak? Well if you like a glossy... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful