NARANJA MECANICA 1993-1995
		Format CD Country Cuba Recorded 1993-95 Issued 2001 Label Luna Negra Cat no. CDLN-16 Playing time 62:49 Reviewer Rikard A Toftesund

Cuban prog is not an everyday matter. Before the Mexican label Luna Negra started issuing small glimpses of experimental rock in Havana in the early 90s, the only group that was known was Sintesis (famous for the semi-classic "En Busca de una Nueva Flor" from 1978). Since then, both Musica d'Repuesto and Perfume de Mujer have achieved a certain reputation, the former with a digital sounding, instrumental avant-prog influenced by, among others, Miriodor and latter-day Krimson, Perfume with heavy avant-funk-jazz close to Deus Ex Machina.

Naranja Mecanica consists of members from these two plus other bands. They play a very thorough, virtuous and persistent form of technical heavy prog which leaves nothing to your imagination and everything to your senses. Here are clear references to Gentle Giant, Stormy Six ("L'Apprendista"), PFM and especially Jethro Tull around "Songs From The Wood", but the music is a lot more restless and hectic than these artists. At the same time, it is well-written and surpsisingly melodic at times, especially when considering the small gaps between the notes, here is really an amazing drive between distorted guitar, keyboards and flute.

If NM had been a British, American or Scandinavian enterprise with larger technological resources at hand, the group would long since have been at the top of the international progressive heaven, this is music which makes names like Änglagård sounding slightly under-developed. If you can ignore the somewhat primitive keyboard sounds, the compact production and the appalling cover, NM is something for fans of all the above mentioned artists.

© 2002 Tarkus Magazine

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