Caos del té (Baladistus Dronicus)

What do you do after screaming your lungs out to discount bin microphones, recording yourself in the lowest of fidelities, and letting your ramblings loose via Myspace? Well, you fall back into the cozy darkness of a crowded tearoom, carefully tethering the ballad sensibilities of Patsy Cline with the cheese grating industrial assault of Wish-era Nine Inch Nails. Still in a lo fi technological mood, of course.

Caos del té is the solo project/reincarnation of Marcos Hassan, whose previous bands include I/C/O/C, Words, and Monosodic. The one man army approach works wonders for the fella with a guitar, a drum machine and a phone, singing harsh ballads and upfront noserippers to an audience drowning under waves of Oolong and Lady Grey infusions.

His debut, a self-titled EP, resonates through broken walls and abandoned train stations. Tracks like ‘Micah’ or ‘Palm Tree’ flourish through wails, gently strummed -albeit highly distorted- guitars and an electric troubador style. Tracks like ‘La Luz’ and ‘Flight’ go into a sweeping panoramic shot of disturbed notes and phased drones. “A romance that lasts decades // and only brings you hatred” is the angry shout at the end of ‘The Birdwatcher’, the acidic closer, dissolving the calcite surroundings of Caos del té.

Besides this EP, Caos del Té has done a few covers, from tributes to Lemmy and Juan Gabriel, to renditions of Patsy Cline and Joni Mitchell. A collaboration in the Abel Membrillo tribute is another highlight.

Words: Sam J. Valdés López

Caos del Té Bandcamp. Twitter. Facebook.