Los Crema Paraiso is a trio of established Venezuelan musicians who embrace rock, jazz, funk and electronica influences while singing in their native tongue and simultaneously retaining their heritage with Bossa Nova and Latin jazz moments. This results in an extremely unusual and eclectic listen with the occasional New Wave cover in English.
Yep, you read that right: in between the self-described high speed Bossa Nova and jazzy modern waltz are Depeche Mode and Tears For Fears covers.
The album starts out with two instrumentals, including the quick tribal drumming of “Intro” before the bipolar “Un Disip en Nueva Yol,” where calm jazzy interludes are met with frantic bursts of squealing guitars and arena rock loudness. From there, “El Currucha” with Andrea Echeverrl is a speedy tune more endemic to the trio’s roots, and sounds like it is being played at 45 rpm instead of 33 rpm. The pace slows down for “Bello e Bola (Mira La Luna),” which has a calm island breeze and sounds like it should be the first song you hear while boarding a cruise ship.
Near the middle, “Varon Domado” brings a lot of loud talking by Rocco Tarpeya that nearly drowns out the unconventional musicianship in the background, which then brings us to the first time we hear English via Carol C’s vocals on “Personal Jesus.” Though it begins much like what we’re all used to, it quickly segues into a more island-flavored version, yet with the familiar thumping drums that make this song immediately recognizable.
Toward the end, the band calms down with the lounge song “To Zing With Your Girlfriend (Paradise Cream)” and the classic “Everyone Wants To Rule The World,” which sounds like how Tears For Fears would have originally penned it had they lived south of the Equator. Near the end, the rushed instrumental “Cucaracha En Balle Gallinas” and the calm “Sleepwalk” round out the affair.
De Pelicula is far from mundane and full of interesting sounds. An ideal listen when you’re surrounded by people of all ages and backgrounds, there’s something for everyone here, and the familiar covers are a real treat for fans of the ’80s.
