Connecting the analog and the digital
author: Luisa Pineros
An Argentine and a Colombian make use of electronic tools to process voices, folk instruments and sound landscapes recorded between Ladrilleros, Tokyo, Praia do Forte and Boston. This is a very well executed work, with “primitive and luminous songs” according to Luis Maurette and Alejandra Ortiz. The perfect soundtrack for transient travelers, Lulacruza’s music provides a rhythmic trance, connecting the analog and the digital; with comforting melodies that propose an experience imbued with fields and rainforests. Be transported with songs like “Utría” o “Serpenterio”.
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author: Andres Ospina
Lulacruza paints pictures with their music. The field recordings add so much to the vibe. This album is a good one to listen from beginning to end. Lulacruza is an example of how artists are taking charge of their own artistry in this new age of the music industry. Very Good!
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Essential, Soulful, Brave
author: Naomi Vibbard & Nathalie Bresztyenszky
Seldom does a sound emerge so ripe and innovative. Lulacruza’s Do Pretty! is the divine culmination of the talents of Argentinean/Columbian duo, Luis Maurette and Alejandra Ortiz, weaving haunting female vocals with South American instruments and electronically manipulated field recordings. The album is a dreamy pilgrimage that takes you through sound-scapes that range from up-tempo, South American rhythms to more fluid, contemplative compositions. Ortiz’s lush vocals are a soulful salve and, combined with Maurette’s brilliant electronic layering, capable of producing a physical reaction akin to goose bumps. “Pensar Bonito” and “Utría” will make you want to move while more primordial pieces like “Children” will leave you feeling like the inside of your head has been wiped clean with a cool silk rag. Do Pretty! is brave in its adherence to what is the essential, spiritual essence of music. It’s sophisticated but unpretentious, playful and refreshingly devoid of any cynicism. Bjork lovers will definitely dig this one!
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A strange, complicated, and charming album
author: Phillip Sherbune
Now that the novelty phase of electro-Latino fusion has passed and most of the faux-ethnic, cut-and-paste snoozedelica can safely be moved to the recycle bin, a new generation of artists is finding newer, subtler ways of merging traditional Latin American songwriting with subtly electronic production. Much like their semi-compatriot Juana Molina, Lulacruza favor acoustic guitars, intimate and idiosyncratic percussion, and voices; the Argentine/Colombian duo draws inspiration from Brazil as well as Argentina, with notable traces of tropicalia in the psychedelic swell of tracks like "El Conocimiento." Hazy drones hang over much of the album, whether the noxious, beatless "Children" or the strangely lurching "Cueva, Utero, Trueno," which sounds a bit like unplugged Cabaret Voltaire mashed up with demure pop vocals. Other songs, like "Utría," with its vibraphones, bells, woodblocks, and sinewy female harmonies, are more recognizably pop but no less rich or rewarding. A strange, complicated, and charming album, Do Pretty! does far more.
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