Posted on: June 21, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Rio En Medio – Bride of Dynamite / 2007 Gnomonsong / 12 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/daniellestechhomsy / http://www.gnomonsong.com / Reviewed 17 June 2007
“You Can Stand” is the first track on Rio En Medio’s “Bride of Dynamite”, and the slower, more soulful sound created by the band during this track is telling. As it sits at the head of the album, the rest of the disc is tempered by the music that is contained within. This is heard in the disc’s second track, “Heaven is High”, just as it is heard throughout the rest of “Bride of Dynamite”. The female vocals may be slow and drawn-out, but the band seems to pull influence from the sixties, specifically the folk and more psychedelic sounds of that decade.
The tracks on “Bride of Dynamite” seem as if they would bog down and feel longer than they truly are, but the compelling instrumentation that is especially prevalent during songs like “Tiger’s Ear” do much for creating a fleeting sound. By the end of “Tiger’s Ear”, one is wondering where the time went; Rio En Medio is successful in changing the perceptions of the band for the better. The more classical / operatic sound of the vocals during “Everyone Is Someone’s” represents a shift in the sound of the band, and while there “is commonality between the track and prior efforts by Rio En Medio, the band goes off on a more distinct tangent starting with that track. This is mirrored and made more clear by the ghostly compositions that are present during “Europe A Prophecy”. The band goes back to the pre-“Every is Someone’s” sound for “Girls on the Run”, but the band does not seem as set into that specific style as before. “Bride of Dynamite” maintains a solid sound, no matter which direction it seems like Rio En Medio is taking the disc. Individuals can hear only a few seconds of any of the tracks from the disc and know exactly who is playing.
“Friday” has the same ghostly sound that is present during earlier tracks, but the drums are miles apart from what has been heard in the earlier songs of “Bride of Dynamite”. During this track, it feels as if Rio En Medio are attempting to capture some of the remaining fans of triphop music. The diametrically opposed sound to the trip-hop of “”Friday” is found in the follow-up track, “I See The Star”. During “I See The Star”, Rio En Medio go into a very Mamas and Papas sound. Rio En Medio succeed time and time again on this album and create something that individuals will have no choice but to listen to.
Top Tracks: Liberte, Kill The Messenger
Rating: 7.0/10

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