Algodón Egipcio – El Día Previo
I’ve had this fantastic record, the debut release and solo project for Cheky of Jóvenes y Sexys, for well over a month, but as is customary for me on this blog, I’ve waiting until it’s had its proper release to say anything about the record (though listeners to Melting Pot on KPFK have already heard several tracks from La Lucha Constante including “El Día Previo”). Algodón Egipcio allows Cheky to showcase more of his own songwriting and sonic landscapes. In contrast to Jóvenes y Sexys’ generally lo-fi acoustic indie-pop with shades of electronic sound, Algodón Egipcio’s sound is a bit more expansive and denser, with layers of guitars, synth styled beats and Cheky’s languid vocals. At times the sound is a bit on the shoegazey side of things, but its generally too upbeat to just sit there staring at your shoes. I’m not sure if this qualifies as chillwave or if there’s too many guitars here for that, but truth be told, I’m fairly tired of trying to fit music into neat labels. I’ve always agreed with Duke Ellington’s assesment of labels, there’s really only two types of music, good music and the other kind…this is very good music and you should listen to it.