We previously featured Yo when he turned his late grandmother, Carmina Alegría, into a posthumous star with the transcendental and cosmic opus, Vovler al aire, so when we heard that the visionary artist was back with an entire album titled, Carmina Alegría, we were curious to say the least, and couldn’t wait to immerse ourselves in his universe once again.
Drawing us in with astral bells and an intimate guitar performance with a choral vocal synth, Yo opens Carmina Alegría with a track called Desaparecer, which exudes an almost meditative, serene energy akin to being in a heavenly realm. The opus expands with fierce electric guitar and rock drums to immerse in an almost psychedelic ascension.
This ends abruptly to invite us into the title track of the album with a poignant and thought-provoking, existential spoken word delivery from Carmina Alegría as she references her lived experience with wisdom and philosophical depth. She is accompanied by a soft rock guitar soundscape and textured drums. The track holds a cinematic allure, almost like the soundtrack to a film montage. The instrumental interlude is delicate and taps into a high emotional quotient before the panned vocals from the Carmina Alegría further draw us in to her world.
Coágulo de un instante returns to a more psychedelic energy with peaceful detailing, sonic undulations, perfect for a future Avatar film. There is a cosmic consciousness that the track exudes, it feels like we are at one with the universe. The build is evocative and the instrumental crescendos manifest in an energy that feels like a spiritual ascension.
Next up is Volver al aire (return to the air) which we previously covered. It boasts a cerebral and spacey bassline, bright bell tones with dimensionality and an astral synthscape. We appreciate the operatic vocals from Yo‘s late grandmother, as well as his soulful delivery.
Siempre (la mano en el fuego) opens with a bright acoustic guitar, rippling harp riffs and anthemic drums that remind us of Woodkid‘s song, I Love You. The woodwind moments feel like elves in a forest, again tapping into the more cosmic nature of reality. The presence of Carmina Alegría is felt with emotional ad-libs as tribal vocals with a high spiritual quotient build with the track.
This leads us to the poignantly titled, Los muertos siempre son verdad – which translates as “The dead are always true”. The track is acoustic with subtle percussion textures, rising cymbal motifs and a peaceful sentiment. This is also the longest track on the album. Again, the piece feels like an emotive score to a film – perhaps something set with an optimistic vibe in the 90s. We appreciate the ebbs and flows, and subtle moment of silence which truly add to the dynamism of the track.
Decirlo a veces sin palabras is next, and means: “Sometimes saying it without words.” Carmina Alegría is felt strongly on this track, with her words of wisdom and poetic prowess. There is an almost haunting, folk-vibe to the track, but again it feels almost divine, like a message from the stars and angels, especially with the operatic harmonies.
Finally, we experience the outro – Levantando las manos with crooning vocals full of emotion from Yo. This comes with a scenic accompanying music video, which also summarises the purpose of the record. As Yo says, “On June 1st, 2025, my grandmother died, and I entered an obsessive, luminous phase: I was going to make her a record. I myself was hospitalized those days, but that doesn’t matter now. My grandmother always told how, when she was young, she sang so well that ‘the people from the radio wanted to make her a star. They even had her stage name ready: Carmina Alegría. Life had other plans, and my grandmother always kept ‘what could have been’… until today. Because today, Carmina Alegría has her record.”