Homónimo – Dedo Caracol

Alterlatino music (or Rock en Español for those of you still stuck in the 80’s) is experiencing a comeback. With Andrea Balency winning the “Best New Artist” at Los IMAS awards and Paté de Fuá pushing the boundaries of what we call rock, Alterlatino music is recapturing public taste. One band making noise in Mexico City is Dedo Caracol. Their debut recording, Homónimo, is a jagged mix of rumbling drums, delayed guitar licks, and soaring vocals. The result is a fusion-esque album as obscure as it is thought provoking.

The album kicks off with a pair of mid-tempo swayers, “Dedo Caracol” and “Am.” The tunes immediately define the tone of the whole album. With poetic lyrics and melancholy piano structures, the songs evoke memories of early Radiohead. The record then takes its first of several left turns with the much anticipated “Contas Plotas Contain,” a song written in Romansh by lead singer Thomas, a native to Switzerland. The Take 5 bass lines and ominous violins add a dark element to the track, but it’s the relentlessness in drummer Chepo’s rhythm that helps define the song. 

After a pair of Swiss down-tempo tracks – the 90’s tinged “Dedicaziun” and the surprisingly sweet “Immer,” – Homónimo hits on its most radio-friendly and least complex, “Mi Vida.” Complete with one-word chorus and lighter-waving melody, the song’s lyrics deal with post break-up haziness. As the singer belts out the line “Adios,” a trumpet plays counterpoint suggestive of military funerals. 

After the English song “I” and the affecting “Vete Ya,” we come to the simple yearning that is “Quiero.” From the weeping nylon guitar intro to the noise heavy finale, the song brings to light the shadows of want. The track “Heaven,” a welcome change, is ironically the dirtiest track on the album with its guitar heavy up-tempo groove. Finally, Thomas’ sorrowful voice adds an eerie resonance to the last song on the album “Y Voy.”

Not afraid of experimentation, nearly every track on Dedo Caracol’s Homónimo flirts with odd time signatures and despondent melodies playing with both lightness and darkness. The album is full of Swiss emotions with Latino drama making it hard to describe the style. That, however, is also what makes the music interesting. Homónimo is not a perfect album. It sometimes felt drawn out and maudlin. This is not music for the harcore metalero or even the Juanes-twisted hipster. Dedo Caracol makes smart music, deep music, and is all in all an exciting find.

Author: Omar Naré