Porter - Atemahawke

Origin: Guadalajara, Mexico
Album Release: 2007
Similar Artists: Sigur Ros, Radiohead, Caifanes, Cafe Tacuba

Influenced by some of modern indie rock most texturized and delicate styles, Porter took a chance and used them to sculpt their second album. The result is a multilayered sound, which combines their original style with a blend of new experimental ones. Ranging from indie pop to experimental rock, which will more than please Radiohead and Sigur Ros fans.

Mexican indie rock group Porter released their second album called Atemahawke earlier this year. Following the outline of their very well received previous debut Donde los Ponys Pastan, the group evolved to a more mature and complex sound. Moving from a straight forward indie rock, to a more subtle but broader appealing post rock/experimental style.

Interchanging their influences from Radiohead and Caifanes to Sigur Ros and Mum, its clear how the band tried a different approach, combining indie rock with soft electronic beats and fading echoes throughout the album. The chemistry between past and present styles has peak moments in almost every song, Host of a Ghost being one of the clearer examples.

One of the bands more appealing and bizarre instruments is lead singer Juan Carlos´s voice. Apparently after several singing lessons, Juan used this instrument shamelessly but not in a bad way. His voice delicately intertwines along every song, embracing every instrument, and leading the way to very strange and magical place, like the scenery in a Tim Burton animated film. The song Estocolmo (Stockholm) is perfect example of the band using this resource, which is an instrumental piece composed almost entirely by Juan’s voice. A cello opens with its deep sound which in a very peacefully and gradual manner is wrapped by Juan´s unique and high pitched voice taking it to a climatic end. The song then cools down with the help of acoustic guitars until the main instrument is gradually dimmed back to silence.

Each song has a unique taste to it, so there is more diversity throughout the album, which gives every listen a very dynamic feeling to it. With indie pop style songs like Este Cosmos (This Cosmos) to ambient instrumentals like Ana Paula Viaje 13 (Ana Paula Trip 13) to a groovy neo-psychedelia in Xoloitzcuintle Chicloso (the first word means a rare almost extinct mayan dog, the second is sticky gooey type of candy) will truly please many music lovers who don’t necessarily stick to a specific music style.

The combination of sounds and styles give Porter’s second album enough adherence so it can manage to stick together as a complete well crafted sequel, in which a more personal style was created. After only three years of being together as a band, they are still young, but taking their time and letting themselves into new and more interesting directions. Time and maturity are their best allies.

7.9/10