Crushing us under a weighty sonic wallop in tracks like its title cut while employing for more understated methods of attack in songs like “Drama Bomb,” “Más” and “Bloodsuckers,” Juán Tigre are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to turn zany patches of white noise into thick bands of rhythm and rhyme that anyone can fall in love with in their debut album, The Dream Catcher. Though skewed with relatable poeticisms from start to finish, The Dream Catcher is undeniably as instrumentally communicative an album as indie rock fans could hope for this spring, inviting texture and tonality to impart narratives to us where words simply couldn’t do the content justice in tracks like “Grácia,” “In These Veins” and “Memória.” Under the sublimely on-point direction of singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer John Maestas, Juán Tigre get back to the fundamentals of putting the alternative back in alternative rock here, and whether you’re a diehard fan of the genre or not, this is one record that I would definitely recommend picking up if you’re in the mood for something born outside of the mainstream model.
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Despite the hollow nature of the bass parts in the master mix of “Drama Bomb,” and “Grácia,” there’s a tremendous amount of compositional depth just beyond the surface cosmetics in both songs worth analyzing – especially if you’re a fan of multidimensional music in general. Simply put, the physicality in these two tracks and, to a lesser extent, the title cut in The Dream Catcher, is more implied than it is forced upon us through a slew of sonic integers best presented in organic form (guitar, vocals, synthetic components most artists would use to bind them).
In avoiding artificial bombast when producing their debut LP, I think Juán Tigre were able to magnify the energy of their performance in all eight of these songs in a way that wouldn’t have been possible were the mix filled with poppy bells and whistles. I’m not sure how they would broach songs like “Bloodsuckers,” “Más” and “Memória” in a live setting, but given the elaborate nature of the presentation in this disc, something tells me they would be just as uniquely captivating as they are in this instance (if not wholly different in shape).
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There are a lot of really compelling albums hitting record store shelves this spring season, but personally, I’ve yet to come across anything quite like Juán Tigre’s The Dream Catcher. Relentlessly outside of the box and purposely flanked with enough of a melodic accessibility to appeal to passersby and passionate indie fans the same, The Dream Catcher is a gem in a year that is yielding an explosive new era in experimental rock to say the least. Although it’s only the first look we’ve collectively had at their work, my gut tells me this LP is going to serve as but the beginning of an incredible professional journey for Juán Tigre, and more importantly, those of us who appreciate the genuine alternative music devoid of inauthentic elements altogether.
Kim Muncie