Violeta Castillo, a great new voice from Argentina
30 June, 2011New albums from Soema Montenegro and Luciana Taglipietra as well as two EPs from Violeta Castillo could well ensure that 2011 will be the year of the female voice in Argentina.
Violeta Castillo released Uno and Otro in March of this year, two EPs that showcase Castillo’s own take on pop music, taking in a number of indie, folk and Argentine influences while also adapting them into her own unique vision.
It’s not entirely clear why Violeta decided to release two EPs instead of one album, although it is clear that there is a different style on each, with Uno offering a more dreamy, stand-offish charm and Otro going for the more memorable hooks, of which “Alfiler” is another good example:
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For me though it’s Uno which has the finest charms of the two, starting with the flowering goodness of “La Batalla del Movimiento”, before moving through the country whimsy of “La Madera”, “Alfiler”‘s hazy pop, “Bolsillo Secreto”‘s exquisite harmonies and ending “Trenes”, all in just over 10 minutes. These are songs that sound pleasant at first, but their briefness keeps you coming back until you start to realise just how wonderful these songs are. It takes a brave artist to make songs so short in a world where value-for-money is considered a necessity. The songs of Violeta Castillo are not just brave, they’re an absolute delight from start to finish.
“Sin Frutillas (Proto Demo)”
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You can buy and/or stream both of Violeta’s EPs at Bandcamp. There also a good article in Spanish on Violeta at Indie Hearts.
http://violetcastillo.tumblr.com/
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