01 Kamikaze
02 Tarde de domingo rara
03 La barrera del sonido
04 Las chicas de mi barrio
05 Esta noche
06 Las puertas del infierno
07 Biarritz
08 Gato negro
09 Rock & roll
10 Perdoname
11 Alerta
12 El blues de la generacion perdida
13 De carne y hueso
14 Dragon rojo
15 Es solo una cancion
16 El artista del alambre
17 Deprisa
18 Doce palabras
19 Concorde

Juan Aguirre - Dobro, Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Keyboards
Eva Amaral - Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Keyboards, Vocals
Tony Beard - Drums, Percussion
Peter Buck - Guitarra Concheros
Charlie Casey - Guitar, Synthesizer
Melvin Duffy - Pedal Steel, Weissenborn
Andy Gangadeen - Drums, Percussion
Henry Hirsch - Organ (Hammond), Piano
Cameron Jenkins - Keyboards, Mezcla
Pino Palladino - Bass

Over a short period of the time, pop/folk duo Amaral has become one of Spain's most successful acts. Their last two albums, 2002's Estrella de Mar and 2005's Pájaros en la Cabeza were perfect examples of their melancholic, catchy, and radio-friendly sound. Both CDs became the year's biggest sellers in their native country, and also attracted a sizeable international following, particularly in Latin America and parts of Europe. Sitting pretty at the top, Amaral released the double album Gato Negro/Dragón Rojo in 2008. Predictably, the album entered the Spanish charts at number one on the strength of the typically strong single "Kamikaze." Still, after fans and critics managed to listen a few times to these two records in their entirety, it was not long before voices of dissent begun to foment. For starters, almost everyone agrees that Gato Negro/Dragón Rojo suffers from one of the most common syndromes of pop music, that of "overconfident popular band releases double album that really should have been trimmed to a single one, with the leftovers confined to a rarities disc." Indeed, while Amaral have insofar managed to play down their main weaknesses (repetition of both music and subject matter, predictable lyrics) by focusing in putting together a succinct set of well-crafted pop tunes, when the formula is expanded, it ostensibly backfires. Sure, there are a few good songs here and there, especially at the beginning of the album, but as the music drags, the lyrical shortcomings appear more pronounced, pulling most of Gato Negro/Dragón Rojo into blandness. It soon becomes hard to tell the songs apart, as they are all delivered in the same style, with Juan Aguirre's R.E.M. style guitar arpeggios over a driving beat (actually, Peter Buck himself guests on "Doce Palabras") and singer Eva Amaral talking about their neighborhood friends and memories from a better, innocent past, in a warm but rather flat voice. In Gato Negro/Dragón Rojo they sound typically pleasing in parts, but they're worryingly innocuous as a whole. But then again, that may go a long way in explaining their appeal to radio programmers. Perhaps it is time for Amaral to become more adventurous, or at least not to overstretch themselves, so as to make the most of their considerable pop sensibilities. ---Mariano Prunes, Rovi

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1.Kamikaze 
2.Tarde De Domingo Rara 
3.El Universo Sobre Mí 
4.Toda La Noche En La Calle 
5.Biarritz 
6.Perdóname 
7.Moriría Por Vos 
8.Las Puertas Del Infierno 
9.Resurrección 
10.La Barrera Del Sonido 
11.Marta, Sebas, Guille Y Los Demás 
12.Concorde 
13.Cómo Hablar 
14.Estrella De Mar 
15.Alerta 
16.Big Bang 
17.El Blues De La Generación Perdida 
18.Te Necesito 
19.Es Sólo Una Canción 
10.Días De Verano 
21.Gato Negro 
22.Revolución 
23.Esta Noche 
24.Dragón Rojo 
25.Sin Ti No Soy Nada 

    Eva Amaral - vocals, guitar
    Juan Aguirre - vocals, guitar
    Enrique Mavilla - keyboards
    Eduardo Giménez "Coki" - drums
    Octavio Vinck - guitar
    Iván González - bass
    Zulaima Boheto - cello, vocals

Recorded on October 30, 2008, in Madrid, Spain, La Barrera del Sonido documents a triumphant performance by Amaral on the supporting tour for Gato Negro Dragón Rojo (2008), their chart-topping double-length album released a half-year earlier. It's a long concert, spanning 28 songs over the course of two discs, and half of it comes from Gato Negro Dragón Rojo, including the hit singles "Kamikaze," "Tarde de Domingo Rara," and "Perdóname." In fact, after the 30-second introductory airing of the Velvet Underground's "All Tomorrow's Parties" dies down, the concert begins just as Gago Negro Dragón Rojo does, with the one-two punch of "Kamikaze" and "Tarde de Domingo Rara." The band then begins performing older material, starting with one of its greatest hits, "El Universo Sobre Mí," the lead single from Pájaros en la Cabeza (2005). Another five songs from Pájaros en la Cabeza are performed over the course of the concert, along with five from Estrella de Mar (2002) and a meager one each from Una Pequeña Parte del Mundo (2000) and Amaral (1998). The emphasis on new material helps prevent La Barrera del Sonido from overlapping too much with El Comienzo del Big Bang (2005), a 29-song DVD release documenting the band's Barcelona concert performance on September 15, 2005, in support of Pájaros en la Cabeza. Amaral is in fine form on La Barrera del Sonido. The vocals of singer Eva Amaral are crystal clear and commanding, sounding remarkably similar to those heard on the studio albums. If not for the occasional interjections, the vocals could be mistaken for overdubbed studio craft. Guitarist Juan Aguirre also stands out, with his riffs likewise coming across clearly and commandingly, if thankfully a bit rougher around the edges than those heard on the studio albums. Besides the big hits and surging rockers, highlights include slower songs like "Biarritz" and "Rock & Roll," the latter of which brings the show to a wonderful close, as well as extended songs like "Te Necesito" and "Sin Ti No Soy Nada," both of which approach eight minutes in length. When it comes to live albums, which sometimes seem like a dime a dozen in the digital age, La Barrera del Sonido is one of the more reasonable releases. Not only is Amaral in fine form throughout and the recording itself of first-rate quality, the band puts on a crowd-pleasing show that mixes greatest hits with a generous offering of over a dozen songs from Gago Negro Dragón Rojo. ---itunes.apple.com

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