According to Kinski Gallo, lead singer to Monte Negro, 2009 was the worst year for them. It was during that year that the angeleno band cut strings with Sony, were trying to keep their heads glued on through what seemed to them like a musical meltdown, and were digging deep into their pockets for a sign of hope.
Their debut album, Cicatrix, had placed the quartet on the Latin alternative music scene in 2008, with singles like “Arde el corazón (Triangled Love), “Give me love”, “Me duele no estar junto a ti”, and “Pena Colectiva” carrying the melodic rock album. Their Fugitives of Pleasure/Pasajeros EP which was released mid 2009, was toured throughout the Mexican region with a cover of the Cuban classic, “La negra Tomasa”, as an EP highlight. But still, the deep-digging of pockets continued. To add, Monte Negro was faced with another unpredictable: a sudden lineup change. Their drummer, Xavier Lopez, left the band midst their second album recording, leaving Kinski, bassist Rodax Gallo, and guitarist Jason Li Shing to welcome drummer “El Pipe” for the remaining part of the production and as fourth member of the group.
Available via iTunes as of this past Tuesday, their latest work- a double-sided and cleverly titled Cosmic Twins album- is, according to Kinski, documentation of their times of treading water and demonstrates the evolution of a band that has lived and meditated on the road they’ve traveled. He talks to us about how that road-time in 2009 and months of searching for a “certain something” was a blessing in disguise that would ultimately lead them to a more mature and cosmic state of being.
The influences of the road
It’s been such a long process and we’ve worked so hard that it feels liberating to finally have the album reach our fans. When they hear Cosmic Twins they’ll be able to notice that we didn’t rush through it. It’s a more relaxed and laid back album. If you listen to the track “Faux Power”, for example, even the way I’m singing it is different. It’s almost as though you’re a passenger in the back of a car and you let the song take you, just like we did when we were on the road.
When you go out and see different places like Chicago, Mexico, and Puerto Rico, that sort of stuff has an affect on you on a universal level that makes you see the world in a different light. It changes you. You’re on the road for numerous hours with nothing but empty space all around you, and it’s sort of like meditation. You can be on the road just staring out into space, letting yourself and your thoughts go, before you realize that five hours went by and you haven’t said a word. It’s mystical. And that’s exactly what Cosmic Twins is: mystical. It’s musica para volar, music to let yourself fly with.
The Twins
With Cicatrix (2008), we were in a stage of innocence because it was our first record. So we came into our new album, Cosmic Twins, knowing that people always say that second records suck, but I don’t think they’re either better or worse than the first. People can’t compare things like that. Cosmic Twins is simply at a different stage than Cicatrix was, I wasn’t trying to out stage it. I wanted to present something of the moment. I didn’t want to repeat myself by doing another “Give Me Love” (Cicatrix 2008), “Lejos”(Cicatrix 2008), or “Arde el corazón”(Cicatrix 2008). With all the touring we did in the last year and all the time that passed between the two releases, we just had to do our next album in a different way.
We changed the way that we put songs together by creating beats first and then layering them with lyrics. So sonically, it’s also a more complex album because it has lots of layers. “Que Esta Pasando” has a lot of loops, for example, and there are no ska elements to this one like there was with say, “Me duele no estar junto a ti” (Cicatrix 2008). I also sang the songs differently than I did on that album. In “Lost” for example, there’s a tribute to Marvin Gaye in the way that I sing that song. Him and a lot of those dudes played with their voices and I wanted to do that as well, so you can hear the difference in singing in that song specifically.
It’s also a very vulnerable album. You can hear that exposure in “Perderte” which is a song that was supposed to be sung in duet with Ely Guerra. It’s a very beautiful song about being scared of love but still jumping into it because you’re wanting and needing that in your life. I really wanted her to sing it with me because it’s one of those songs that are just meant to be sung by a male and female. I could have had anyone else sing it but that song was for her so I sang it thinking about her and her style.
Also, if you take any of the songs from Cosmic Twins and play them acoustically, they’ll be reggae songs because that’s how I write. But the difference here was that they were given a different voice and a different format. It has more of a Beastie Boys/Massive Attack feel to it, specially “Güero” and “Que esta pasando” which are more “street”. I wanted to add that element of more street culture without being overtly “homie” because I’m not gangster or anything like that, even though I am from the streets. I’m more like Bob Dylan with spoken word, and you hear that in our music.
And you know, I feel very proud of all the songs because they’ve proven that we can write good songs and that we’re not just a hipster band. We’re doing this with a lot of devotion and love, and we’ve proven to everybody that we are one of the best bands in Los Angeles. But that didn’t come over night. We worked very hard and it was a long process that took a lot of dedication.
Cosmic Twins in isolation
There’s a certain way that people should listen to this album. This record was done to be heard through headphones because there are so many layers to it and different elements that can only be heard that way. Put Cosmic Twins on your player, put on your headphones, have some tea, chill out and listen to it. Or even go for a jog, or do something meditational. This album is like wine: you open it but you’re not in a rush to take it. Let it sit and enjoy it. That’s the way this album was influenced and that’s the way that Cosmic Twins should be listened to.
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Cosmic Twins Side A: Elevate
“Como Quisiera” (Pulsar)
“Faux Power” (Unas Por Otras)
“Güero” (The Underdog)
“Sonambu-Loss Parale-Loss” (Brixa Negra)
“Borrowed Time” (Soñando Magueyes)
“Lost” (Orphan Planet)
Cosmic Twins Side B: The Longest Day
“The Longest Day” (Tidal)
“I Might” (Outer-Space Hookers)
“Sunburst” (In Nebulae)
“Que Está Pasando” (Rogue Planet)
“Nada (Entre Sales Y Soles)
“Perderte” (Sonámbulos Sin Sueño)
