Fraktal - Ask the Rabbit (2005)

Otra resubida de Sandy, otro grupo tucumano pero esta vez cantan en inglés, con una onda que resuena a Radiohead, Porcupine Tree, Pineapple Thief y Sigur Ros. Canciones contemplativas y nostálgicas en una muy buena producción. Anímense a escucharlos.

Artista: Fraktal
Álbum: Ask the Rabbit
Año: 2005
Género: Rock alternativo / Rock psicodélico
Duración: 66:49
Nacionalidad: Argentina

Lista de Temas:
1. Blind
2. Chickens & Worms
3. Aneurysm
4. Endless Ether
5. Falling Down
6. I Am Not
7. Past Present
8. Sorry
9. Unreal Crosses
10. This Song Says Nothing
11. My Quittor
12. Hidden Lift
13. Tree / Steps

Alineación:
- Claudio Rodrigues / vocals; guitars
- Federico Farina / lead guitars
- Humberto Salazar / drums
- Luciano Garbero / bass
- Juan Lopez / keyboards

Fraktal es (y digo ES porque tengo la información de que sigue en actividad aunque esté hibernando) un grupo argentino, específicamente tucumano, que canta en inglés en un estilo muy Radiohead pero también con toques de Porcupine Tree y Pineapple Thief, aún podríamos decir que también que a veces hasta recuerda el "Gravity" de Anekdoten pero sin elementos sinfónicos y con sonido más moderno, y un juego de guitarra que quizás esté más cercano al de los brasileños Violeta de Outono, aunque Blackfield y el post-rock meditativo de Sigur Ros son seguramente influencias mucho más importantes para estos músicos. Con un clima muy melancólico, omnipresente en todo el álbum, su música encaja perfectamente con el contenido de las canciones, quizás demasiado negativas y con cierta falta de texturas, me refiero a que quizás falta algún tema que cambie un poco la onda y levante tanta depresión que sugiere la banda. Pero es innegable que lo que hacen lo hacen muy bien, el disco es un hermoso, melancólico y taciturno rock alternativo que roza la psicodelia, no para escuchar en cualquier momento, pero justo para determinados momentos, justamente como sucede con algunos álbums de Pink Floyd o Radiohead. Estos chicos no buscan la salvación sino más bien todo lo contrario, prefieren undirse en el fondo para sacar de allí lo que mejor tienen.
En su música todo está perdido, uno se encuentra desesperado, solo y sin esperanzas, y sin embargo disfruta los 13 temas que componen este álbum tan parejo, tan hipnótico y fascinante.
En este álbum no encontrarán sofisticadas interpretaciones instrumentales, esto no es un espectáculo excepcional virtuosismo artesanal, aquí lo que predominan son los climas y atmósferas, que con una composición bien armada cierran un material significativo y digno de mención. Los temas tienen buenos arreglos, y el juego de instrumentos no tiene aspectos predominantemente significativos pero la instrumentación está bien, aunque en definitiva todo sirve para lanzar este gemido junto con su cadencioso lamento. La voz que llora detrás de los parlantes se parece mucho, quizás demasiado, a la de Thom Yorke. Y sí, quizás una búsqueda donde logren encontrar una mayor personalidad no vendría mal, sobretodo pensando en su segundo disco, porque las canciones para grabarlo las tienen desde hace rato. Calidad y talento tienen... espero que no se hayan ahogado en su propia tristeza.
¿Querés escuchar la sensación que cuadre perfectamente entre la tristeza y el disfrute?. Más o menos a mitad de camino de esas dos emociones aparentemente está este disco. El álbum es la banda sonora de un fascinante suicidio. Esto es un absurdo irritantemente oscuro.
Quizás no es un álbum recomendable para todo el mundo, pero es un interesante álbum que más de uno va a disfrutar.
Aquí traigo algunos comentarios de gente que escribe mejor que yo:

Una versión tucumana de Radiohead
(..) Fraktal nació en 2005 con la banda británica liderada por Thom Yorke como principal referencia e influencia, lo que se evidencia en la melancolía y la oscuridad de sus temas propios, que quedaron registrados en el disco "Ask the rabbit", cantado en inglés. La banda siempre conjugó su música con impecables puestas en escena, y lo mismo se tradujo en sus videoclips. Uno de ellos, el del tema "Chickens & Worms", obtuvo el tercer premio en el Segundo Festival Argentino del Videoclip, incluido en el BAFICI 2005. "En nuestras letras casi no hay lugar para la esperanza ni respuesta alguna. Tratamos de reflejar nuestra visión desolada del mundo. No nos interesa deprimir a la gente, sino compartir nuestra concepción trágica de la existencia", explica la carta de presentación de Fraktal. La integran Claudio Rodríguez (voz y guitarra), Mauro Luque (bajo), Humberto Salazar (batería), Nacho Luna (guitarra), Dana Yalour (teclados), Romina DC (coros) y "Buda" (programación e imágenes).

La Gaceta

El nombre FRAKTAL fue el último de varios nombres que tuvo la banda. Claudio Rodriguez fue el inicio de un largo viaje al que luego se sumó Federico Fariña en guitarra. Hector Valdecantos fue bajista del grupo durante varios años aportando numerosas ideas que formaron parte del perfil final de la banda. Luego de varios bateristas, Humberto Salazar se consolidó finalmente como el baterista oficial de la banda. FRAKTAL fue paulatinamente mutando de una banda de covers (U2, Bjork, Radiohead) hacia una música muy personal y con una potente melancolía y una romántica tristeza existencial. Luciano Garbero se une a la banda como bajista a fines de 2003, aportando inmediatamente su experiencia con numerosas bandas locales. esta ultima formación (CJR-FFF-HS-LG) graba el disco ASK THE RABBIT en el 2004. Luego de varias actuaciones y la presentación del disco en Tucumán, LG decide dejar la banda y comienza un largo periodo de reflexión y búsqueda. Luego de algunos meses, donde FFF estuvo viajando por Europa, se une a FRAKTAL la bajista Soledad Repezza. actualmente FRAKTAL se encuentra componiendo temas para su próximo disco y ensayando para próximas actuaciones. ASK THE RABBIT (nuestro primer CD) Los temas del disco toman su forma final a fines del 2003, entrando a los estudios de grabación en diciembre del mismo año. El proceso final de masterización y mezcla concluye a mediados de 2004. El disco recibe numerosas criticas positivas desde diversos sitios y revistas especializadas. "El nombre es un sin-sentido-real. Una pregunta-respuesta. Cada tema tiene su propia identidad. nunca buscamos un disco temático aunque termino siendo muy homogéneo, sin temas principales y secundarios. En todos los temas buscamos aunar el componente melódico, en busca de un clima envolvente, con letras que reflejen nuestro modo de sentir. Nunca pensamos en que el disco vendría con un manual donde la gente siga ciertas instrucciones sobre como sentir nuestra música. Cada uno debe sentir lo que su sensibilidad le permita hacerlo. Hacemos cierto marketing consciente (e inconsciente) de nuestra desesperanza que no significa que no sea genuina. Mas aun cuando hay toda una moda dirigida a exaltar las bandas que sean festivas. No podríamos transmitir felicidad ni alguna otra manifestación festiva por que no la sentimos. no nos interesa deprimir o aburrir a la gente sino compartir nuestra concepción trágica de la existencia. no hay esperanza. buscamos ser honestos en nuestra propuesta y hacer lo que nos gusta. En nuestras letras casi no hay lugar para la esperanza ni respuesta alguna. Tratamos de reflejar nuestra vision desolada del mundo. A veces tratamos de cuestionar ciertas realidades impuestas".

El Acople

Fraktal - Ask the Rabbit is released on the Viajero Inmovil label and is a very nice CD indeed. Containing 13 very melodic, melancholic tracks will leave you no doubt in a relaxed, thoughtful state of mind. After hearing just a beginning of the first song I became very exited about this album as the beautiful, memorable melody with delicate guitar strokes reminded me very much of one of my favorite bands, Porcupine Tree. I hoped it will continue this way and in fact, the entire album does – while tracks #4 and 5 (Endless Ether, and Falling Down)are, in particular, prime examples of quieter side of above-mentioned PT style of music.
The words of the tracks are very mysterious and combined with a type of music they create kind of a psychedelic atmosphere which is sometimes dark and sad. The vocals (in English) are very quiet (sometimes with a whispered effect) and somewhat integrated deep inside the music so that they add another nice element to this atmospheric disc.
The overall musical craftsmanship of the band is excellent. Songs are a mostly acoustic-electric guitar driven mix with gentle keyboards here and there and very adequate drumming. There are sound samples on the band’s web site so it is easy to get an idea of this bands music. Do not miss this very nice symphonic prog from Argentina.

Proggnosis

Fraktal hail from Argentina and Ask The Rabbit is their debut CD. Unfortunately the group didn't include any background information with the CD and the website, although interesting is rather sparse on biographical content.
The album sleeve imparts the fact that they are a four-piece band - Frederico F Fariña on guitars, Humberto Salazar on drums, Luciano Harbero on bass and Claudio J Rodriguez on lead vocal and guitar. A prog band without keyboards I hear you ask (they are joined by Juan J Lópex on keyboards and sound effects on six tracks), well Fraktal are anything but a characteristic progressive band. The most obvious resemblance throughout is Radiohead of the Kid A / Amnesiac period - disjointed, discordant, fractured and quite gripping.
The whole album has an overall downbeat feel, well one would expect as such considering one side of the CD bag simply contains the words "There Is No Hope"! However, within the somewhat limited range of tempos Fraktal manage to bend themselves round a comprehensive selection of styles and moods.
Opener Blind with its minimal lyrics ("Why me, me? I'm just blind. Sad and Empty, I stay there. See my eyes breathing. What if I lie, I'm just blind") starts acoustically gradually introducing electric guitar in an engaging manner that draws the listener in. For the main part the songs do not follow any regular structure, the compositions are arranged for mood and atmosphere. In that respect they share some similarity with Sigur Ros but bend things further apart, exemplified by Chickens And Worms where the faux crackles and scratches echo elements of the first Portishead album. Elsewhere the acoustic Falling Down and I Am Not blend with the experimental Past Present and Steps and the harder hitting and more energetic tracks such as Aneurysm and Endless ether (where Radiohead comparisons are particularly valid), the contrasts are pronounced.
Ask The Rabbit is one of those albums where the sum is definitely greater than the individual parts - the individual tracks take on new perspectives when played in conjunction with the rest of the album. Subtly layered the album gradually reveals itself with each hearing, divulging rhythms and melodies. It does take a degree of effort and concentration to get the most out of this album but ultimately it is worth it for the delights that tracks such as This Song Says Nothing and Tree offer. For anyone who is not adverse to something that little bit different Fraktal are a band to listen out for.

Mark Hughes

There is little information on the website of Argentinean band FRAKTAL. To all appearances, "Ask the Rabbit" is their debut CD.
This 68-minute album contains 13 tracks, one of which, Past Present, is an instrumental piece. Musically, it radically differs from the rest of the material, as there are only samples of male and childish voices accompanied by slowly moving passages of synthesizers. All of the other tracks are songs with English lyrics and are mainly vocal-based, although the lyrical content of the opening number, Blind, represents just one quatrain repeated a few times running. That said, three more songs: I Am Not, Unreal Crosses and The Tree are based on the words that only symbolically can be regarded as lyrics. The other songs come with decent lyrics, reflecting mainly the conflict between the hero's worldview and the surrounding reality. Musically, the twelve songs have rather much in common with each other, though those featuring heavy guitar riffs and harsh textures appear to be some more diverse and eclectic than the others. I understand that the given example quite obscurely explains the situation, and the presence of harsh textures as such can hardly be the very factor that determines music's diversity, but that's just how things are in this case. Vocals, electric and acoustic guitars, bass and drums dominate at the foreground of this picture, while keyboards very rarely play for high stakes. The primary influence is Porcupine Tree, and the other points of comparisons include (in the line of descent) Pink Floyd, Radiohead and Tool. Nevertheless, the music doesn't have a distinct derivative sense, and it would be incorrect to blame Fraktal for a lack of independent thinking. Precisely half of the songs: Blind, Falling Down, I Am Not, Unreal Crosses, My Quittor and Hidden Lift can be viewed as a modern Space Rock with no significant makeweights of the other styles. The guys took the classic Porcupine Tree sound (think "Signify"), processed it through the 'polishing' prism and mixed the findings with their own vision of development of the genre. The tempo ranges from slow to moderately slow, and while the intense arrangements are absent, the sonic palette is saturated, the overall sound being both rather contrasting and disturbing, due to Rodrigues's melancholically dramatic singing and his positively persevering tendency to disengage his vocal lines from instrumental patterns. (Well, there is one song on the album that is romantically affirmative in its entirety - Falling Down.) Another sizeable part of the content embraces five tracks: Chickens & Worms, Aneurysm, Sorry, This Song Says Nothing and Endless Ether and reflects the more experimental side of the band's creation, the vector being turned to combine the primary style with Space Metal. Each song begins typically for the entire album, but soon explodes with strikingly heavy guitar riffs, getting the dense and powerful sound. The plot develops further as the alternation of contrasting arrangements of three types: quiet, intense and mixed, with a certain dose of psychedelic features, revealing themselves in the instrumental sections. The last track includes two different songs: The Tree and Steps. The first is more than twice as long as the second and is inspired by classic Pink Floyd ballads, such as Us & Them, for instance. The other features only vocals and spacey passages of synthesizer.
Conclusion. This is a decent debut effort, with the accessible, yet, pretty impressive music and lots of memorable tunes. Those considering the aforementioned bands, but especially fans of Porcupine Tree, should find plenty here to enjoy.

Progressor

Another proof that me and John (sinkadotentree) are soul-twins in music. I came across FRAKTAL some while ago and didn’t like it much first (but hey, I didn't give it 1 star without a review like that guy below did!!! ). Just another RADIOHEAD clone I thought. But recently, checking their page at PA, I’ve noticed that the only written review was by John! “Need to re-check them” I thought. And I did.
Another strange occasion I usually have with RADIOHEAD-inspired bands – they please me much more then the band they try to copy. THE AMBER LIGHT and PINEAPPLE THIEF are flawless in this matter, better than FRAKTAL in my book, but these guys from Argentina should be checked as well. They are more Psychedelic, mellow, vocalist’s accent is pretty fitting there, and I can’t keep from mentioning how good their guitar-player is. I totally agree with John: the whole thing is about atmosphere, not about the ever-changing themes or top-notch playing. FRAKTAL create wonderful aura of RADIOHEAD covering classic FLOYD material :) Best songs are definitely “Tree”, “Aneurysm” and “This Song says nothing”, but almost every song has something excellent to offer! I amazed with their level of songwriting, but there’s also a flaw (IMHO) – all the tracks sound a bit samey, I can get why (after all, this is their performing manner!), and the whole album would sound more focused without some tracks, that are too samey and average (I won’t tell you their names! ;) ). I mean 45 minutes instead of almost 65 would be enough for me!!! Nevertheless this is a solid and emotional record, greatly recommended to all RADIOHEAD and Modern Prog aficionados. Check it, it’s a grower!!!

Igor Sidorenko

FRAKTAL are a band from Argentina who create a moody, melancholic yet uplifting brand of music. The singing is in English and he has that same vocal style as Thom Yorke. There isn't much in the way of instrumental outbreaks, it's all about creating atmosphere. I can't express how much this music moves me, i'm a huge fan of this album. The other beautiful thing about this record is the guitar playing. This guy picks away at his guitar making a sound that reminds me of a higher pitched keyboard sound, it's wondrous, heavenly, and used throughout the record.
"Blind" has to be a top three. Strummed guitar to open before that picked guitar comes in with bass and drums. Love this sound it's just so moving. Vocals before a minute.The electric guitar becomes prominant before 3 minutes then he lights it up after 3 1/2 minutes. "Chickens And Worms" opens with what sounds like a scratchy LP. It settles in to a relaxing beat around a minute with vocals. It kicks in before 2 1/2 minutes then settles back. Contrasts continue. Some raw guitar before 5 minutes to end it. "Aneurysm" is uptempo to start which is contrasted with the calm sections with the drugged-out vocals. Vocals also whisper at times. "Endless Ether" is also a top three tune. Great sound to open as it builds. Some guest keyboards on this one. Vocals before a minute. It gets heavier a minute later, then settles again as contrasts continue. "Falling Down" opens with strummed guitar as picked guitar and reserved vocals join in. Drums after a minute but they come and go. Some guest female vocals here.This songs very RADIOHEAD-like.
"I Am Not" is another top three song. This song has strummed guitar to open as well. Vocals and drums join in. Nice bass. I like when the strummed guitar stops and picked electric guitar takes over. Female vocals here as well before 3 minutes. Love this song. "Past Present" is experimental with vocal sounds and other noises. "Sorry" has this good beat with guitar. This is the most aggressive track.Vocals and a great sound follows. "Unreal Crosses" has this gorgeous intro and it's even better when the vocals come in. It's heavier 2 1/2 minutes in then back to earlier sound. This should be in mytop three. Oh oh, i should be picking a top seven not a top three. "This Song Says Nothing" is another excellent tune. Deep bass, keyboards and guitar, it's all so beautiful. "My Quittor" is another good one with drums, guitar then vocals. "Hidden Lift" is very mellow and slow paced to open. It does get haunting at times as well. "Tree/Steps" opens with the sounds of a music box followed by a beat and vocals. Beautiful. Guitar 2 minutes in. Organ and spoken words end it.
Take away the 4 average songs and this would be 5 stars in my opinion. Highly recommended.

John Davie

Si estás necesitando una música que anime a la contemplación y querés perderte (o encontrarte, según el caso) en los amplios y melancólicos espacios de la reflexión, este álbum te puede ayudar mucho en tu tarea, y de seguro te va a ayudar a disfrutarlo... espero.

www.facebook.com/fraktalband
Todo-volumen