| CD REVIEW Pendejo! |
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Band : Pendejo! This Dutch Stoner Rock (from Amsterdam and North of Holland) band consists of members (singer/ trumpetist El Pastuso, guitarist Jaap “Monchito” Melman, bassist Arjan “Er Juan” Rijnen, and drummer Jos “Pepellin” Roosen two of which are former Dreadlock Pussy members) who've all some considerate time of their youth in several Latin American countries (Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica and Nicaragua) as well as in Spain, members who've all had previous experiences in previous bands (some of which with some renown). With their commonality in thought, they eventually decided to get together and start a new band with songs done only in Spanish. In fact, they've upped the Spanish thing even more, erecting a separate own website and related MySpace page as if they didn't speak anything else but Spanish (of the own website there's luckily also an English version...which helped greatly in at least making a partly worthwhile decent history-of-the-band. By the way, the bandname is the Spanish word for “stupid”! If I've understood right, the guys made their recorded debut with the self-released 2007 EP La Vaganda No Me Cuesta, which got loving praise in Latin American countries (for the singer's excellent use of Latin American street language), as well as from Spain. By the way, the guys toured in Latin America for the EP (no further details available). Last year the guys again secluded themselves in several Roermond studios to record the 12 songs (some being re-recorded stuff from the EP) for this 51 ½ minutes full-length. The album (mastered by Jacques de Haard of Celestial Season and Hermano repute) certainly had a flying start with release shows supporting Fu Manchu on the two Spanish shows that band did during early February of last. Release in Benelux followed in early March, and later that same month the album was also released through two San Francisco based chain shops...around that time the album also became available as digital download from CDBaby, Amazon, iTunes, and other download outlets. Late June the band put a video clip for their track “La Vagancia” online via MySpace and YouTube, and in August the guys spent a couple of weeks' touring in Spain. Although the band claims to play a hybrid of Rock and Southern Rock, the music of Pendejo! is simply enough definable as Stoner Rock with led-heavy Metallic edges! An added flavouring is provided in some of the songs (album opener “Flotadores”, “Arrecho Vengo”, “Tan Tan Tan”, “Juanita”, “La Ruta”, ) through the addition of the lead singer's trumpet play (lead singer, as in 'he gets the occasional vocal backings'), adding some Latin influences here (by Mariachi-styled play), some Psychedelic touches elsewhere (with less “coherent” play)...but what really elevates this band's music is the singer's clear Spanish (Catalan with Latin-American touch) singing! Overall, a reviewer would be justified in statin that some of the songs on this album can stand their own against material from the best in the genre (Kyuss, QOTSA, etc...), but the occasional trumpet definitely sets the band apart in a category of their own! No wonder the album was picked as “album of the week” by Noche De Rock in October. Check out a couple of songs (hey, 7 out of 12 is more than just a couple, in fact they're ore than half the album!) at myspace.com/pendejo. Currently, there seem to be no shows planned. Keep checking the band's webpages [facebook, ReverbNation, MySpace, and their own, (www.) pedejoband.com] for future gigging possibilities or more audio/ video material. 90/100 Tony. |