There are many artists who have good intentions and interesting ideas but aren't quite able to pull things together creatively; they come out with albums that offer some intrigue but are erratic and wildly inconsistent. But on
Spider Monkey,
Angel Garcia and
Greg Hernandez -- who comprise the Los Angeles-based
Mezklah -- offer an album that is experimental and full of intrigue but is still fairly accessible. Stylistically, this bilingual Mexican duo is not easy to pin down. Some have described
Spider Monkey as "
Latin alternative," and their eclectic work draws on everything from
rock,
reggae,
funk,
soul,
hip-hop, and
electronica (including
jungle/
drum'n'bass and
trip-hop) to
cumbia,
salsa, and
Mexican folk. But
Mezklah don't sound confused or unfocused -- quite the contrary. The Southern Californians pull all their influences together in a very logical and coherent fashion -- and even if this 2005 release is somewhat self-indulgent at times, it isn't self-indulgent in an elitist, hipper-than-thou, exclusionary way. For all their experimentation,
Garcia and
Hernandez clearly want to communicate and tell a story. They want listeners to comprehend what they're doing -- and for those who are broad-minded and are open to hearing a wide variety of influences, comprehending
Spider Monkey shouldn't be a problem. Plenty of freshness is to be found on this very promising CD. ~ Alex Henderson
![Timeless [25 Year Anniversary Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/5060555213664_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Timeless [25 Year Anniversary Edition]")
