metamorfosis, mi amor, metamorfosis
"Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable." ~ Cesar A. Cruz
My favorite artist released a new album called Autopoiética! It actually came out more than a week ago (November 9th), but I'm never very good at keeping up with these things. My deep aversion to social media and unnecessary notifications of any kind means I'm constantly playing catch-up.
I just got through a first listen of the album, and the best word to describe my initial impression has got to be bewilderment. The album art is a picture of what I assume is Mon's rear end, with her face (?) superimposed. Songs with theremin and voice modulation ("Tenochtitlán") share album space with traditional reggaeton beats ("NO+SAD"). "Block 16" is, quite literally, the sound of anxiety. The album's never boring, for sure, but the struggle of supporting a genre-defying, innovative artist like Mon is that you have to get used to new sounds for every release. This album is the strangest one yet; it sounds like it was conceived in a different universe.
Many of the tracks tested my patience, but what better way is there to show love besides your undivided attention? Naturally, Mon slipped a track in there for traditionalists like me, a salsa gem called "Amantes Suicidas". I can't help but dance along with lines like these:
No me gustaría que este fuera el final
(I don't want this to be the end)
Pero si quieres irte, no te voy a suplicar
(But if you want to leave, I won't beg you)Honestamente, me da igual
(Honestly, it doesn't matter to me)
Que si te quedas o te vas
(If you leave or stay)
A mí la vida me ha enseñado a estar bien sola
(Life has taught me to be fine alone)
Honestamente, me da igual
(Honestly, it doesn't matter to me)
Que si te quedas o te vas
(If you stay or leave)
A mí la vida me ha enseñado a no llorar
(Life has taught me to not cry)
The title of this blog post comes from "Metamorfosis", which is my second favorite song from the album, another catchy upbeat song. I guess some of us just like to dance.
P.S. "Pornocracia" is also great, but my Spanish teacher is going to scrub my mouth with soap if she sees this. Pido perdón, señora...