Ariel Aparicio: the bEdRoom tapeS

Ariel Aparicio: the bEdRoom tapeS
I was hesitant when beginning to review Ariel Aparicio. With no press release to go on just the album name and cover I assumed this was going to be some sweet singer/songwriter girl (probably from Brooklyn) whose dreams I was going to destroy with a harsh review. I was pleasantly surprised to find out Ariel was actually singer/songwriter dude (from Brooklyn) who is more along the lines of Jay Reatard than Dashboard Confessional.
the bEdRoom tapeS is a short four song EP but it really shows Ariel’s versatility. Opening track “Lucille” features angular guitars similar to Bloc Party but with more distortion. The vocals sound like if James Murphy tried to sing like a dirty southern rocker. The track is fairly catchy, although not exactly lyrically exciting. To give you a hint, most of the lyrics to the song are “break it down, down”.
To me, the EP’s stand out track is “People Who Died”. The track is a fast rock track that sounds like The Stooges covering Johnny Cash‘ “I’ve Been Everywhere”. Lyrically, the song reminds me of Butthole Surfers‘ hit “Pepper” as Ariel furiously talks out the various ways his friends have died.
The oddest track has to be “Torito”. The Spanish language track has glimpses of Latin and salsa music. It is really the only track on the album that shows off any of Ariel’s Cuban heritage.
Overall, I would not call the bEdRoom tapeS amazing but there is something to the EP. The album shows off the versatility of a young artist with a lot of promise.
Rating: 7.9/10
MP3: Ariel Aparicio “People Who Died”
Buy: iTunes

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