Contramano 'Unsatisfecho' album

Despite hyper-inflation that forever seemed to deny him ownership of his own cello, Pablo vowed to pursue music. He studied classical cello, playing in a string quartet, then writing and producing his own pop opera, all while making plans for an escape that landed him in New York City on the eve of September 10th, 2001. The ex-pat’s solo project soon became a trio by way of an ad on Craigslist, adding a driving rhythm section. Pablo promptly christened them Contramano, after a Do Not Enter sign on the Buenos Aires street where armed guards stood watch. Contramano’s self-titled debut release, a swaggering mix of chamber pop and punk spirit, was well-received by critics and fans alike. Meanwhile, Contramano was building a reputation for high-energy live performances in and around New York City. Next came a video, opening gigs for Rasputina, a successful tour of the southeastern United States and a new recording studio in Brooklyn, nicknamed The Oven for its stifling temperatures. Everything in place for the recording and release of Contramno’s much-anticipated second album, Unsatisfecho, what happens when third world angst meets New York attitude.

Unsatisfecho, the new release from Contramano, is a breakout album. The punky chamber-pop trio has managed to fuse classical and pop sensibilities for a work with all the dramatic strokes of a concept album, yet plenty of spontaneous attitude. ?A new orchestrated sophistication, only hinted at in their self-titled début, is given full range on Unsatisfecho, and Pablo Cubarle’s masterful cello is perfectly suited for the deeper emotional depths plumbed here. The title comes from combining the English word unsatisfied with the Spanish word insatisfecho, and while most of the album is in English, there are also songs that address Pablo Cubarle’s Argentinian homeland.

Contramano is not a political band, but a socially aware one.

The title track, Unsatisifecho, refers to the state of living in a consumer society gone haywire, among a never-ending quest for more, that’s played out by celebrities on reality shows every day. The feeling of frustration can be found on TV Reality, which deals with our culture’s obsession with fame, to Jugando with Ghosts, dealing with the millions of undocumented immigrant workers living in the U.S, who are often to referred to as ‘ghosts’, struggling to survive without family, country and culture.

What remains unchanged is Contramano’s deft melodies and spot-on songwriting backed by driving rhythms. The band’s pop tendencies prove irrepressible, and quirky touches like lightning-fast changes in tempo and Pablo’s arching vocal stylings are pure Contramano. Unsatisfecho undoubtedly makes Contramano a band to watch.

“Classically trained Argentinean cellist Pablo Cubarle leads Contramano, a largely riff-less punk trio that channels angst through arty-pop prisms in deliriously charming, spirited shows.” - Flavorpill

“Spearmint cello lines, iced-tea guitar strum, cool breeze vocals.” – Village Voice

“The percussion is lively and the vocals are spirited, but the star of this show is most certainly the cello, which dominates the arrangement and lends an airiness and elegance to the lead melodies that probably would not have come off if they had played the same parts on the standard electric guitar.” - Fluxblog

“This Argentine and Spanish transplant trio happily go dumpster diving for new wave leftovers, but they also hang onto their Latin roots and come up with something quirkier” - New York Times

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Contramano - Unsatisfecho