ALBUM REVIEW: Ambos Mundos – Cachemira
Heavily influenced by heavy music from the 1960s and 70s from across the world, baked under the Catalonian sun and imbued with Spanish innovation, CACHEMIRA are the product of many long jams in 2015. Ambos Mundos is the band’s sophomore album and it already demonstrates a significant maturation from their first album. With a new sense of purpose and vigour CACHEMIRA explore classic rock and psychedelic music with a strong vocal presence, packing the album full of strong rhythms, squealing blues guitars and a whole lot of soul vocally. This is a delightfully enjoyable expression of love, soul, positivity, passion and fuzzing riffs.
The most noticeable improvement to the band as a whole is the addition of Claudia González on bass and vocals; her involvement has given them a powerful, soulful new voice, building on what CACHEMIRA started on their first album Jungla, whilst bringing a new flair and electric energy that could arguably be considered missing from that record. Ambos Mundos definitely sees the band start a new chapter of exuberant, deliciously extravagant heavy psych rock, as their musicianship has broken the confines of its former shell and expanded into an emphatic display of unhindered expression. Another exciting quality about the record is the infusion of Spanish guitar sensibilities with JIMI HENDRIX style psychedelic blues, as the two sounds collide it certainly creates some ‘Spanish Castle Magic’, as you groove to the funky rhythms and wah pedal-soaked chord pulses. It is with a distinct authenticity and a strong sense of individual style that CACHEMIRA have made a statement of intent with this effort.
Ambos Mundos as a whole is beautifully delicious taste of summer, tantalising and tangy on your tastebuds. Yet amongst its entrancing and swirling reverbs, choruses and delays, there is powerful drive pushing the album forward which makes it stands head and shoulders above the band’s more relaxed debut. Built on the foundations of a strong rhythm section, CACHEMIRA have noticeably used the five-year interval between albums to really strengthen up this area of their sound, which has allowed Gaston Laine’s guitar to become considerably more expansive. With this in mind the band have lusciously layered their songs, with bountiful use of swirling, screeching organ and the aforementioned expansive guitar.
Alongside this, CACHEMIRA utilise their native language of Spanish in a few songs, namely Mujer Vudù (Voodoo Woman) and the album’s title track. Hearing the beautifully melodic Spanish sung over their lavish psych rock is highly enjoyable, as you can imagine yourself relaxing in the Catalonian sun or soaking in the vibes as you make your way through a bustling Barcelona. CACHEMIRA have made a significant effort to create an exciting, powerful and atmospheric vibe on this album, and they have done so seemingly effortlessly. Utilising every effect available to them whilst sticking to their 1960/70s sound, Ambos Mundos runs through your head; it is an album that is equal parts psych rock heaven and stoner rock attitude.
Opening up with a Hendrix style wah chord rhythm, similar to Voodoo Child (Slight Return), the album gets off to a flying start with Don’t Look Back (To The Fire), which demonstrates the flourishing of the band’s new sound like a summer rose in full bloom. Future’s Sight is another song of note; whilst starting out as a raucous psych rock song, this gives way to a more old school prog rock feel, and with the addition of layers of rich vocal harmonies the song takes on a spiritual feel. Dirty Roads is an all out, groove-laden, ball-busting late 60s style rock track, channelling the earthy blues of the band’s influences and revamping them with Spanish soul. Mujer Vudù is a swaggering track, overflowing with confidence, passion and soul as González unleashes all her might vocally. The album closes with the rich tapestry of sound that is its title track, consolidating all the album’s best elements and then completely turning them on their head as they burst into a psychedelic jam of various percussion elements and classical Spanish guitar, even bringing in Arabic sounding vocal melodies and castanets before launching into a bombastic finale of guitar solos and thunderous drums.
CACHEMIRA are finally on the path to achieve their full potential. While glimpses of it were seen on the band’s debut, Ambos Mundos is the proverbial pandora’s box for the band’s music as their sophomore album feels like a true representation of their ambitions. You will no doubt feel the magic of the Mujer Vudù when venturing into the aural rollercoaster that is Ambos Mundos.
Rating: 8/10
Ambos Mundos is set for release on June 24th via Heavy Psych Sounds.
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