Somehow I never reviewed Viva Belgrado before, even though I have followed them since their debut album Flores, Carne. Somehow I was always a bit late to the show and thought: ok, this time I am too late, but next time I will catch this release on time! Well, the band just released their fourth full length and guess what? I found out in time to write a proper review of the album!
Viva Belgrado is a band from Córdoba, Spain that has been around for a while. After a 2012 demo they gave the world four full lengths and three EP’s/singles. The band started out as a screamo, post hardcore band who sounded like they listened to a lot of post-rock in their practice room as well. Over time they started to push the boundaries of the genre more and more. Cancionero De Los Cielos is still clearly the same band as 10 years ago and some tunes dig back to those days (“Gemini” for example), yet their songwriting is much more diverse.
One of the things that changed is that a lot of mellower influences took hold in their songwriting. Take a track like “Elena Observando la Osa Mayor”, a song built on keys and soft drums. This is far removed from their screamo and post-hardcore roots. It is a calming and sad tune that one wouldn’t expect from a screamo band. It is smack in the middle of the record, leading in a couple of more synth heavy tracks. “Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite” starts more upbeat, but is carried by strong synths. The children's choir at the end of the song came a bit as a surprise. I am not a big fan of those, as I usually feel the end result is way too sappy to my liking. This time it works rather well actually as they are employed in a call-response type of singing with the lead singer.
This should also tell you the album contains a couple of surprises. “Perfect Blue” is a small surprise where the post-rock influences are allowed to step to the foreground instead of lingering in the background as they do more often with Viva Belgrado. The closing of the song with the eighties sounding drums and synths is a throwback to sad eighties pop tunes. Things are spiced up a bit more with the guest vocals by Sara Zozaya on “Nana De La Luna Pena”. Her soft and delicate voice adds a layer of vulnerability to the sound that works really well. Another example are the handclaps that enrich “El Cristo de los Faroles”. This song also contains a jazzy latin part. The bass sounds like a double bass for a while here, although I don’t know for sure if this is indeed used.
With all these influences combined on one record this could have easily been a jumbled mess. The experience and song writing skills of the band prevents this disaster. In fact the transitions sound very natural and those new influences are implemented skillfully. It is a lot to take in, so don’t expect this record to hit home the first time you spin it. This is a record that needs some time to grow. Give a couple of spins, get to know the record and you’ll see you’ll enjoy it more every time you hear it, the record revealing more secrets over time.
