So, to generalize very broadly, I'm not crazy about these "singer/songwriter" types. I mean, Dylan's one thing, and I dig Paul Simon a lot, but none of the more modern crop of earnest songsmith-performers-- all these Mayers and Yorns and Colvins and DiFrancos and their coffeeshop successors waiting in the wings-- aren't clicking with me. Which is why I'm having a tough time understanding why I like Aroah so much.
Aroah, for the uninitiated, is the stage name of bilingual Spanish-American singer/songwriter Irene Tremblay. Maybe it's just the fact that she has a stage name that makes her more appealing, I don't know, but the layers of weirdness pile on when it becomes apparent from listening that Tremblay has probably taken in quite a lot of Ani DiFranco records-- though she never aspires to Ani's histrionics, musically or vocally. I really enjoyed Aroah's debut EP, Cuando Termines Con Todo, Habrá Terminado Contigo EP, and I actually think it's about one head and maybe two shoulders above its full-length follow up, No Podemos Ser Amigos (Español for "We can't be friends").
Part of the reason for the dip in quality is that Tremblay and her collaborators, who consist mostly of members of Spanish post-rock demigods Migala, have backed away somewhat from the deeply atmospheric sound that enveloped the EP, letting more songs dip into acoustic guitar and voice non-arrangements. Mind you, there are still plenty of fantastically rich atmospheres here, they're just not continuous.
Tremblay is also a lot more demure and less accusatory that a lot of her peers, preferring to approach the failed romance that is her bread and butter from oblique angles. And when she does rise to point a finger, as on "The Biggest Idiot in the World", she always remains equivocal, blaming herself as much for a relationship's little eruptions as much as her unnamed Other, ending on the telling line, "We are a pair of the biggest idiots in the world." The biggest shift from her past lyrically is that only three of these songs are in Spanish, which is a much lower proportion than before.
On the musical front, the songs that most clearly echo her debut and broadcast the involvement of Migala are the most successful, beginning with opener "Myriam, la Primera", which is shrouded in dark, roomy drums and dribbly guitars. There's even an instrumental, appropriately titled "Canción Sin Palabras", that allows the album's often moody backing tracks a chance to shine on their own. Everything comes together beautifully on the slinky "Tell Noah About the Rain", a spooky slide through a decaying relationship smothered in vibes and subtly noisy guitar. Migala fronthombre Abel Hernandez even offers up some vocals for closer "Whiskey", which is always welcome-- the guy's like a cross between Lou Rawls and Stuart Staples and his voice is just awesome here.
Unfortunately, amid all the excellent material are a few songs that just don't push as hard sonically, and these are generally the low points of the album. "Flavor of the Month" and "Happiness Avoids Me" are just too singy-strummy to stand up to their neighbors. And I guess maybe that's what I don't like about so much singer/songwriter stuff-- most of it's just not adventurous enough musically. If your whole pitch to a listener lynchpins on a great melody and some killer lyrics, well, you have to deliver, or the song won't. Thankfully, Aroah largely manages to do just that, despite a couple near misses.
