Cotapos, Cristóbal Ulloa: Fuerza Vital

I think this will be a hard album for fans of even very eclectic prog to get into. It took me many spins. It’s ostensibly the debut solo album by Cristóbal Ulloa Cotapos, a Chilean now living in Barcelona. But that’s true in name only. As he notes, the record “features 18 musicians and 30 different instruments that go from analog synthesizers to chamber instruments and ethnic instruments from The Andes.� I believe him. That sort of crew is necessary to produce the wide range of styles on the album.

When I hear individual tracks, I can think of other songs to compare them too. But I can’t think of another album that is quite like it. At first, this variety of sounds and compositions was jarring, but after multiple listens it somehow makes sense, at least to me.

The album is mostly instrumental, with some vocals on a few tracks toward the middle. The songs range from orchestral space rock (“Naciemento� and “Nadie Debió Hacerlo�) to prog folk (“Domingo�) to carnival music (“Dominguera�) to what could be horror-movie soundtrack material (“Enemigo de la Gravedad�). And then there are several tunes I have a hard time classifying, though some might be called semi-ambient while others might be called semi-fusion.

Fuerza Vital translates to “Life Force.� A plausible guess: Ulloa Cotapos may be trying to present the listener with tunes that represent some of the myriad experiences people face in life, and to conjure up memories of those events. They did for me.

I’m giving this album four stars. I suspect many people will think that’s charitable, and that’s understandable. As I noted, I think to appreciate the album, you’ll have to spend a lot of time with it. Given all the wonderful music being produced, it’s very tempting (and often wise, probably) to move on unless something quickly strikes you about an album.

We are living through a time when there is a grand bounty of interesting music to choose from. This album belongs in that basket.

Track Listing
1. Pareado (1:30)
2. Nacimiento (5:04)
3. Nadie Debió Hacerlo (2:50)
4. La Carne (3:29)
5. Domingo (1:51)
6. Enemigo de la Gravedad (4:14)
7. Dominguera (0:59)
8. Mujer en los Cristales (3:51)
9. Hora Azul (8:46)
10. Santísima Voluntad (2:27)
11. Impulso Final (5:52)

Added: February 2nd 2025
Reviewer: Aaron Steelman
Score:
Related Link: Artists @ Bandcamp
Hits: 182
Language: english

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