A Colores - Instrumental psychedellia that is more than just background music

 

Artist: Tristeza
Album: A Colores
Label: Better Looking Records
Tracks: 12
Length: 59:32
Review by: Luke Kruse

 

Instrumental post-rock is one of my favorite genres.  I cannot help but be a sucker for spine-tingling crescendos, fifteen-minute song lengths, and layers of compressed guitars.  Bands like Explosions in the Sky, Mono, and Godspeed You! Black Emperor ensure that there is no void for this type of music.  On the opposite end of the genre is Tristeza with their newest record, A Colores.  The songs never run past six minutes, there is not a crescendo to be found, and the band focuses on the interplay between instruments rather than adding layer after layer.

 

It is clear from the album’s kaleidoscope of color on the cover that Tristeza is aiming for a psychedelic sound with A Colores.  Mixing elements of jazz, chamber music and conventional rock, this is an album that creates a mood of introspective relaxation.  The keyboards and guitars are always distinctly separate in the mix, the drums create a solid groove, and the bass line is constantly evolving and moving the song in different directions.  The album has a controlled and constant vibe, and while this makes for a bit of homogeneity in the songs, one is never bored.

 

Tristeza should be appreciated for their success in creating an album that throws formulas out the window while still to making an album that is easy to get caught up in.  While the music here could easily be relegated to pleasant background music, a careful listen is recommended to appreciate the intricacies and intriguing passages of music that abound on the record.