Totimoshi
Milagrosa – July 8th release date.
Volcom Entertainment
Overall Rating: 6/10
Two years since their debut release, Totimoshi offers up their mature sophmore effort, Milagrosa. Pllaying heavily into their spanish roots, Milagrosa carries a jamband-esque sound, reminding me at various times of such acts as Goon Moon, the Pixies, Jeff Buckley, or My Morning Jacket (sans Jim James’ odd voice). A poetic vocal melody mixed with the band’s often girtty, driving presense produces an interesting sound that sits on the fence between sludge-rock and early metal, with an unmistakably punk rock feel, very reminiscent of heavy rock outfit Helmet, who’s Page Hamilton coincidentally produced Milagrosa. While my overall feeling after hearing this album was simply “eh..”, it certainly wasn’t horrible or bad by any means…I just feel as if it’s a bit too generic in overall sound, and perhaps that’s supported by the fact that I’ve had to compare it to several other bands in order to describe it; or, perhaps, it is simply not ‘my thing’, and the comparison is forced as a result of something I’ve missed, some genre-bending element that slips beneath my radar. If anything, the album is a solid one, and could be the start of something very impressive. I may listen to it again once in a while, but I have no immediate urge as it hasn’t really given me anything that sticks.
-Kim Worpek