The thing about the music industry is the reluctance of many Groups to stretch themselves out in diverse directions.  Many Artists become content with the first style that clicks for them.  To be boring and repetitive instead of different and unique has become the standard.  But not for the live hip-hop instrument band Los Tumbados. 

Los Tumbados are a group that pushes all musical boundaries, branching out in all directions. It seems that with their self-titled, debut album that experimentation is what they do best.  Look at the CD cover, and you'll see a wide-eyed man with a joint hanging out of his mouth. The experimental trip is already beginning. 

Are people ready for an Acid-like trip through the use of music and lyrics?  Could this be the start of a new trend and style on the horizon? And, is the hip-hop movement ready for such a group?

Somehow, when things in life are too diverse and complex, the general population tends to ignore it because it's not the "same old same old". When Los Tumbados MCs'  "el pinche Tapp" and "Phaser Loco" flip their lyrics with such complexity, doubts begin to creep up and you have to wonder that the people are not ready for it at all. Not only are their lyrics unique, but the group has created an entirely new sound.  Los Tumbados have created their sound with live instruments.  Before people write them off as jumping on the Rock-Rap bandwagon, listen to Limp Bizkit.  Then pop in the Los Tumbados CD, and you'll hear musical diversity.  Yes, Los Tumbados play some hard rocking sounds, but it's definitely not Limp Bizkit.  Also, not every song on the CD has heavy guitar riffs.  They flip the script from track to track, and at times in the middle of the track.  One minute you're wrapped in a rage in "Ele-Ah" and the next, you're tangled in the psychedelic-blues influenced track "Blue Bird".    

So, is this hip-hop? Yes it's hip-hop because the MCs' flow rhymes but it goes beyond that because these MCs' also sing. It would be hard to put Los Tumbados in one category because they fit into many.  If you were to pick up 5 CDs, you still might find more musical genres being put on display in the Los Tumbados CD than on those 5 CDs combined.

"El pinche Tapp" and "Phaser Loco" rap both in Spanish and English. What makes this unique is the fluency in either language that these two brothers spit their rhymes in.  Los Tumbados has a new style that been missing far too long in the music industry.  "El pinche Tapp" and "Phaser Loco" compliment each other.  Their styles are both different enough that it's easy to distinguish them apart.

The first track "Ele-Ah" starts off with a scratch from a turntable, then a guitar riff comes roaring through and finally the bass and drums.  As "Phaser Loco" flows, the sound changes once again to a more hectic faster beat.  And near the end of the song, a punk rock-slam pit near-finish.   These boys aren't done yet as it slows back down. Talk about a track that will take your breath away.  This song captures the unique musical-diversity style of Los Angeles (Ele-Ah) in one track. 
 
 "Sobres" is a quick take of a bank robbery. Leave the car running, because the track moves like a robbery. The movie samples are just funny, and fit the track well.  It seems like they've pulled a heist like this before.

If this new sound wasn't enough, they have included a couple of tracks done by a beat machine. Producer Sad Cat comes wicked on "Diary of a Psychopath".  This track tells the story of a person who is frying on some acid.  The eerie instrumental and the tripped out lyrics will make you remember an acid trip of your own. You then go from "Diary of a Psychopath" to "Spiderman's Girlfriend". What the f#*k?  Got to remember to expect the unexpected with this group.  If anyone is a comic book fan, you'd get the connection. Spiderman's Girlfriend's name is Mary Jane. So this track is about Mary Jane, and they don't mean the person. The title's quite clever, and not straight forward like you'd hear in a lot of today's music. "Spiderman's Girlfriend" features the Voodoo Click (these vatos aren't no joke) and the chorus is an old Latin American nursery song.

Los Tumbados aren't afraid to experiment which gives the album it's own style.  Their use of metaphors to tell their stories is more effective then the standard straightforward way. This is a must have album for all you music freaks. The experience is unbelievable.