9.3
/Brass indie, Indie folk, Alt-folk, Psychedelic rock, Tropicalia pop, Folk indie, Baroque pop, Experimental indie, Chamber pop, Latin music, Alternative, Indie pop/
Comment: Julio y Agosto is a septet from Buenos Aires, Argentina who do provide a multi-faceted issue all what regards stylistic approach and sensual environment around the centre of this 12-track release. The combo uses acoustic instruments only - velevety vocal lines, strumming guitars, violins, exulting brass and woodwind instruments, and metallophones are seamlessly mixed up with each other or growing out from each other therefore resulting in captivating harmonies and dizzy crescendos. Now and then the issue reminds of Beirut, and The Retuses for instance, though, they used to add more exuberant Latin elements and therefore leading up to more key changes and detours regarding their Music Hall/carnival-alike soundscape. On the other side, provided that it is a slightly psychedelic album there cannot simply be bypassed not to be denoted Os Mutantes, the legendary Brazilian Tropicalia ensemble. In a nutshell, it is a superb result ready to perform both at the stages of WOMAD, and alternative rock festivals somewhere in nature in the summertime.
