Julen Y La Gente Sola Julen Y La Gente Sola

. HIGHLIGHTSJulen y la Gente Sola's debut is one ofthe most remarkable uruguayan albums ofthe last decade. The ten songs includedhere trace a path that unites twee popwith indie rock, filtered by clearinfluences from Montevidean singersongwriters.Their lyrics narrate, with abittersweet look at mundane details, acidhumor and honest sentimentality, storiesabout what it means to be young and lostin a small country.. DESCRIPTIONJulen y la gente sola's self-titled debutalbum has the great virtue of nothindering or clouding the songs that foryears had been becoming hits in theUruguayan underground.It doesn't have the rawness of a liverecord, but it does have its immediacyand freshness. Stripped of baroque orsuperfluous arrangements, the ten songsthat make it up sound exactly like whattheir audience expected, but more clearlycompared to the precarious sound whereJulen used to play. The album also hasanother enormous virtue, and it's theunconsciousness of youth, the search foran identity, without shame, modesty, orcalculation. Lyrically, it's an albumthat hints it was written by peoplebarely in their twenties. At timescheesy, at times rough, but alwaysseemingly honest.Led by Federico Morosini, a prolificsongwriter full of primal enthusiasmcomposing songs back to back with hischeap Creole guitar in his Mother'shouse; supported at first by Juan PabloCampagna on electric guitar and MarceloDuarte on drums, eventually with AgustinaSantomauro as bassist. They stood out forsongs that forged subtle links that hadnever been crystallized in such a solidway between the Montevideo song, theDonosti sound, the twee pop bandsreleased by Sarah Records, the noisynineties indie bands of Matador Records,and the independent scene on both sidesof the Río de la Plata, the Uruguayancollective Esquizodelia and the Argentinelabel Laptra.Julen had an ace up their sleeve and itwas the arrangement of their songs. Whileit may be ea...