Review Summary: A key moment in Argentina's indie rock scene.
By the time Jaime Sin Tierra arrived, the then-called "Movida Sonica" was nearing it's end, with Rock Chabón gaining the edge over the movement, putting focus into the indie scene that was developing at the time for those looking for a break from the Blues Rock-like sounds of most mainstream rock in Argentina.
Hailing from the northern region of the Buenos Aires metropolitan area, Nicolas Kramer and co. aligned themselves more with the indieheads of the era, like Suarez and other contemporaries like Menos Que Cero and the myriad of other artists under labels like Indice Virgen or the then up-and-coming Ultrapop.
Despite this, their first release, "El avión ya se estrelló y yo sigo volando" was lumped together with the decaying Sonica-sphere and, even though I think this album surpasses most releases from the Sonica movement, it's hard to deny that it aligns more with the alt rock conventions of bands like Smashing Pumpkins and shoegaze artists like My Bloody Valentine in the "Isn't Anything" era (which the Movida Sonica took cues from). Songs like opener "Eclipse", the heart-breaking "Alfonsina", the sexually frustrated "VacÃ*o" and the anthemic "Cero de Amor" scream of the stuff you'd hear at evening sets at a lollapalooza circuit. They're extremely catchy, energetic and captivating rock songs that don't overstate their welcome but last long enough to satisfy the listener. The exceptions are the highlights though.
"Marmota" is a beautiful noise-rock track reminiscent of Sonic Youth (who they shared a stage with at one point) and Dinosaur Jr that would've been a guaranteed college radio hit were it not for the language barrier and the lack of reach the band had outside of their home turf. The hypnotizing "Capsula" slows down the pace and feels like what you'd hear if outer space had a soundtrack, with the following track, "El Techo de Mi Cuarto", being an incredibly unorthodox and strange song that shouldn't sound good but does so anyways. "Sangre" has an incredible, punchy bass tone with an iconic bassline to go along with it, as well as featuring Nico Kramer's most emotional performance on the whole album, with "Agua", the track that comes directly, having a hard time deciding what time signature and tempo it wants to be in (which works both for and against it). Closer "Perrito" and the bonus track (aptly titled "Bonus" by fans) ending the project off on an incredibly high note, with "Perrito"s triumphant chorus (and subsequent instrumental fade-out) and "Bonus"s massive, reverberated and distant sound complimenting each other greatly.
The lyrics for the album range from angsty venting ("Marmota" and the aptly-titled "Triste" -triste means "sad" in english), unhealthy relationships ("Marmota", "Eclipse"), heartbreak, ("Agua", "Cero de Amor"), nostalgia/longing for the past ("El Techo de Mi Cuarto", "Capsula") and pure, unfiltered horniness ("VacÃ*o", "Sangre").
The lyrical highlight would probably have to be "Alfonsina". It's about Kramer's infatuation with Alfonsina Storni, a poet from the early 1900s who drowned herself (with legends saying that she simply walked into the ocean from the shore of a beach until she could no longer float) and how he wishes she could come back to life and be with him. It's like ITAOTS, but instead of the singer obsessing over Anne Frank for an entire album, it's mr. Kramer obsessing over ms. Storni.
Overall, El avión ya se estrelló is a highlight of Argentina's rock music from the 90s, a time where the fate of the country was uncertain. It's not perfect, but pretty damn impressive considering it was self produced and done by some dudes from a third world country working with an indie budget.
