Damiak: Micalavera
n5MD

Abe Dichi (aka Damiak) has spent his life moving between Mexico, Europe, and the United States (he's currently residing in San Francisco ) so perhaps it shouldn't surprise too much that his debut album Micalavera (‘my skeleton,' roughly translated) reveals an equally broad multitude of styles and sounds. Throughout the electro-acoustic collection, Dichi puts his piano, violin, and guitar training to good effect but complements that with melodica, glockenspiel, field recordings, drums, and electronic sounds.

The album balances aggressive (like a marriage of post-rock and shoegaze, “Tepid Coat” slowly builds in intensity while “Faificun” is bolstered by an impassioned drum punch and scalding electric guitars) with low-key moments (like the delicate outro “Cualidades” and “Iridescent Wings,” a heavily-processed construction of bright glimmerings and meditative tones). Dichi's strong melodic gifts are effectively displayed, and in its rich sonic palette and melancholy compositional emphasis, Micalavera often resembles a vocal-less Múm (“Tenuous Gears,” “Extended Slide”), as both groups share a penchant for creaky rhythms and broad, even eccentric instrumental colour. Uniting those two stylistic tendencies, “Step Behind the Yellow Line” could pass for a Tortoise-Múm collaboration, and is distinguished by Dichi's powerful drumming. Even better is “Tall Hat Greeting,” a particularly affecting foray into wide-screen, post-rock territory, which is rendered most memorable when the sweetly melancholy cry of a melodica sings out over a surging base of rollicking drums and vibraphone patterns.

July 2007