Album Review : Mariachi El Bronx – Mariachi El Bronx
- Written by Richard Wink
Baffling. That is the word that can best describe the Bronx’s decision to indulge in a Mariachi side project. No longer is front man Matt Caughthran snarling like Henry Rollins, instead he croons mournfully like Vicente Fernández. Certainly this is the most unexpected album release of 2009.
What is this album? A light hearted attempt to let off some steam seems to be the answer to that question. One imagines the concept was created after a few rounds of Tequila Slammers during a marathon of Robert Rodríguez movies. Either that or the band merely tapped into California’s vibrant Latino culture and picked something that has been pretty much reduced to restaurant entertainment. The truth is that the band fiddled around with the concept during their infamous ‘Downtown Rehearsals’ and kept writing acoustically whilst on tour. It is incredibly brave for the band to let this music see the light of day, yet the Bronx believed in what they were doing and began performing these songs on stage.
The original Mariachi’s were pretty punk I guess, living from their guitar cases. So it makes sense for the majority of the tracks to be tall tales composed on the road. ‘Cell Mates’ is a delightful cinematic ode to prison life, displaying camaraderie not seen since George Kennedy’s Dragline put that last egg down the throat of his bloated buddy. ‘Sleepwalking’ displays skilled musicianship, following the howling moon. ‘Slave Labor’ is bizarrely poignant, though one can’t help but imagine weary Mexicans jumping into the back of pickup trucks, slogging the next twelve hours for minimum wage. Though there are a few tracks containing dubious content (Parental Advisory Required) ‘Despretador’ is likely to offend more people than the Brass Eye Special.
The disappointing aspect of Mariachi El Bronx is that it is indelibly branded with the label of ‘Novelty Record’, and unfortunately after a couple of listens the album quickly loses its limited appeal. Having said that the album is fun, oddly authentic and really does showcase the improvement in Caughthran’s voice, especially when compared to the more melodic Bronx tracks such as ‘Dirty Leaves’. It is just a shame that the Mariachi band shtick feels a little gimmicky (see: what the band wear on stage). On the up side Mariachi El Bronx will allow the band to do double duty along the festival circuit, so I suppose there are perks for the band to turn themselves insight out. The songs also appear tailor made for lazy afternoon slots under the scorching sun, dreamily floating through the speakers as you stare into the eyes of the career woman of your dreams.