[The Cellar Door] El Guincho - Alegranza

The Cellar Door is a sporadic COTP feature that highlights great albums you might have missed the first time around. Probably because we did too...

Way back in October I shamelessly plugged a mixtape put togethor by Barcelona pop/tropical/clubber El Guincho to win a free record and some concert tickets. I had heard Alegranza once at the time and digged the mixtape, but didn't really pay too much attention. Luckily, I got a nice reminder to revisit the album when a package from Beggars showed up at my door yesterday. Inside was a 7" of single and album opener "Palimitos Park", a hand decorated cassette of Alegranza (yes one of those things you put in a tape deck), a CD copy of Alegranza, a sick poster and a hand written note from Beggars. Apparently I had won the contest but they had forgotten to send it out at the time so they hoped the bonus CD would make up for the long-since-passed concert tickets. Well Beggars, it did, you are forgiven (but not necessarily forgotten!).

Alegranza is a beautifully curated mix of looped samples, world sounds and sun-drenched pop hooks; almost the well-traveled, island cousin of Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavillion. I am pretty sure on a few tracks they even both use the same jurassic "ppeuuuu" reverb noise favored by AC (see "Fata Morgana"). The euphonious mix of steel pan, island chanting and Spanish pop melodies should provide the perfect soundtrack to a hot, hot summer spent nowhere near any islands or beaches (mmm city life).

mp3:El Guincho - Fata Morgana
mp3:El Guincho - Kalise