oRSo not for the masses
oRSo's latest LP won't bring the Chicago-based project any closer to household recognition. Its deliberately spare, experimental songs aren't in any hurry. There are no easy hooks to be found here, no big choruses, no instrumental or vocal showboating. The only time it rises above a studious drone is during its final minutes, and then only to retreat for a pastoral finish. In truth, "Ask Your Neighbor" is closer to embodying "post-rock" than most groups given that label.
Of course, with a leader like Phil Spirito of slowcore pioneers Rex and revolving personnel including members of Califone, one would not expect oRSo to come out firing trendy synth-pop cannons. The group is in line with its members' lineage, adding warmth to what might otherwise be icily fussy compositions via the gentle sounds of banjos, clarinets, cellos and Spirito's plain-voiced singing. The latter, like many of the instruments, maintains an even tone throughout, at times clashing with its surroundings or otherwise "out of place." This is most likely intentional, and although that doesn't make it easier to listen to, it effectively creates a barely palpable tension.
The delicately plucked strings of "Anniversary," Spirito's harmonizing with Libby Reed during "Not Likely To" and the piano-laced waltz "The Hope" offer a listener something to grab on to, movements as light and ephemeral as dust particles drifting through a shaft of afternoon sunlight. Any hope to appreciate oRSo's craft beyond such tiny pockets of tuneful contemplation lies squarely on one's taste for minimalist experimentation, and even more on one's mood. "Ask Your Neighbor" might be a great record for sitting around by oneself and feeling the tree boughs creak, but throwing it on at a party would be like daring guests to set fire to the drapes, if only to liven things up,
oRSo performs a CD release show with Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter and Marissa Nadler at 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19 at the Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western Ave., Chicago. $10. (773) 276-3600 or emptybottle.com.
Cordero, "De Dónde Eres" (Bloodshot),
Ani Cordero founded her eponymous band with the intention of infusing indie rock with a Latin sensibility... or was it the other way around? So seamlessly are the two disciplines integrated on Cordero's fourth studio album, it's hard to tell. This is the first album with entirely Spanish lyrics by the Atlanta-bred, New York-based Puerto Rican singer/guitarist, whose previous discs took a bilingual approach. In no way does that make "De Dónde Eres" ("Where Are You From") a niche album.
Flavored with horns, spooky atmospheres, spicy rhythms and Ani's beguiling pipes, quieter tunes such as "Guardasecretos," "Veneno" and "El Arco Iris" pulse with the same vital momentum as the quartet's rocked-up material. Longtime fans may notice a smaller representation of louder, trippier influences here, which evinces the songs' intimate inception, written by Cordero on her mother's nylon string guitar while attending to family crises. The rock is still felt, though, such as in the hard-hitting drums by Cordero's husband Chris Verene on opener "Quique" or Eric Eble's post-punk bass slithering through the mysterious "Ruleta Rusa."
"La Musica es La Medicina," with its distorted guitar and vocals, and the joyous, dub-influenced closer "La Vida Sencilla" offer the dynamics indie rock listeners expect from the genre, yet the entire disc offers an exotic alternative to the latest geeky Caucasian dudefest. Cordero's latest is without question a must-have for fans of starry-eyed Latin rockers from Os Mutantes to Zoé, but equally recommended no matter the listener's primary language. It may be a cliché to say so, but here, the music really does transcend all arbitrary borders.
As part of World Music Festival: Chicago 2008, Cordero performs with Little Cow at 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20 at the Empty Bottle ($10, see address above), and at 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21 at Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave., Chicago. Free, (312) 742-1938 or cityofchicago.org/worldmusic.