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REVIEW: EXPmental presents Mental Picks Japan



On many occasions, the world of music resembles that of the stock market, and the attention paid to an artist depends on their ability to be ubiquitous, to never hit the brakes. There are those who are 'up' more for the gift of opportunity and persistence than for the true quality of their music, and then we have those who are down. But thanks to labels like EXPmental, they have managed to ensure that some artists, of indisputable quality and musical trajectory, ignored by market trends, can emerge and reemerge in the fairest way, as is the case that concerns us now, their compilation of various authors.


The themes and artists that come together are as vertiginous as they are deep, moving with chord progressions that are like serotonin bombs, and some melodic brushstrokes, which make a brilliant ensemble. The tracks are strong and jump above the prevailing conventions, knowing how to avoid the most recurrent rawness and darkness, looking for the dance but without predictable tricks and without exceeding an understandable level of experimentation suitable for the track.




In addition, this selection maintains a narrative line that shows that his compositions are not nihilistic, but are part of a process that, thanks to the mastery of its compilers, is easy to enter. We can almost say that that punk attitude that runs through each song no longer belongs to young people, since maturity can also be their golden age. For this reason, the best thing about the compilation is not so much what it contains, but what it promises: taking the necessary balance, it is known that what has to come from EXPmental in the future will be even better.


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