Rolando Bruno Y El Grupo Arévalo - Cosas Raras LP
Cosas Raras is the new album from Argentina’s cumbia hero Rolando Bruno. On Cosas Raras Bruno and his band Grupo Arévalo romp through twelve tracks of their signature “cumbia trash” sound - a rough and ready mix of Peruvian-inspired cumbia, punk, and other vintage throwback musical and visual inspirations from pop culture (like UFOs, street food and horror movies), all spun together into a wild mashup. Cosas Raras is the group’s third album, and finds them traveling even farther afield—exploring Arabic and flamenco influences, Afro disco, Japanese pop, Latin American baladas, and even Dominican merengue. This last genre serves as inspiration for the album’s lead single, “Merentrash,” a fun and very danceable “merenrap” tune with a retro Miami club vibe. In the vein of contemporary experimental underground tropical artists like Chicha Libre, Meridian Brothers, Frente Cumbiero, Acid Coco, Money Chicha, Xixa, and C.A.M.P.O.S., Rolando Bruno Y Su Grupo Arévalo are an important part of the scene, but are not yet as well known in the U.S. at the moment. Cosas Raras is set to change this unwarranted obscurity with its infectious rhythms, psychedelic guitar flourishes and memorable melodies. The album release is an international collaborative effort from Peace & Rhythm, Electric Cowbell and DJ Cajon Records.
Multi-instrumentalist and graphic designer Rolando Bruno was born and raised in Buenos Aires and lived three years in Spain, before returning home to pursue his unique musical sound and accompanying visual style. His current musical project was conceived in 2005, in tandem with his former garage punk group, Los Peyotes. But where Los Peyotes were based on a traditional rock group format, Bruno’s cumbias came together in the solitude of his room, with his “best friend,” his computer, which he uses to create his backing tracks, dubbing it his “Midi Orchestra” with his typical tongue-in-cheek sense of humor.
In 2015 Bruno expanded his approach, putting together a live band and reintroducing himself as Rolando Bruno Y El Grupo Arévalo. His backing band is a “supergroup” of sorts, composed of underground musicians from Buenos Aires, including members of Les Mentettes, Alfonso El Pintor, Los Alamos, and Pecera. El Grupo Arévalo are: Rolando Bruno (Guitar, Vocals), Adrian Rivoira (Bass, Vocals), Julio Molina (Keyboards), Alejandra Moro (Percussion, Vocals), Dalmiro Villanueva (Percussion, Vocals), Martín Sanjo (Guitar), Pablo Rivero (Bongos), and Joaquín Ferrer (Drums). Previous to Cosas Raras, Rolando Bruno Y El Grupo Arévalo released Bailazo (2015) and El Mundo Está Cumbiando (2019).
Since then Rolando Bruno has brought his “cumbia trash” sound to various ports around the world as both a solo act and accompanied by Grupo Arévalo, including countless shows in Argentina and neighboring countries, as well as several extensive tours of Europe and two visits to Japan.
