Quien P#%@es SoyAquella – SoyAquella (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

It is fair to say that for most people, the lyrics of a song are more important than the music. That is, of course, a gross generalisation, but you see more people singing along at gigs than playing the air bass, and more people blasting out the chorus than mimicking the clever drum fills.

But, of course, when faced with an album of music sung in Spanish, a language that I don’t speak, as I am when listening to this new one from Uruguayan band SoyAquella, all you can do is appreciate the lyrics for the sound that they make rather than for the direct communication, which is their usual job.

But I think it makes for a better listening experience. It makes you consider the music as a whole and appreciate the way that the elements, all the elements—words and music, sound and structure—work together.

And work they do brilliantly. Quien P#%@es SoyAquella (an album name that my spellchecker isn’t too keen on) is a collection of buoyant and upbeat rock tracks, and I don’t need the words to spell out just how much fun a track like Mama Se Enloquecio is, a song that is a neat blend of bar-room riffs and foot-on-the-monitor rock ‘n’ roll.

But that is just one of the musical flavours that they offer. The title track wanders into some raw, metal soundscapes; Cable Activo blends western bluesy grooves with a hint of sassy Latin moves, Nubes runs on a sort of new wave jauntiness, and Miradas Que Matan echoes with no small amount of sixties psychedelia.

Quien P#%@es SoyAquella covers a lot of ground, but more than that, it reminds us of one thing. Words might be great when you want to make someone think, but music is the language of choice when you want to make someone feel.