Americanos (Gold)

First official vinyl reissue, including two bonus tracks, redesigned back-cover and hand-numbered to 200 copies. The highly collectable debut album by Contraluz, originally released in 1973 on EMI, is the most exemplary hard-psych masterpiece to ever emerge from the prolific Argentinean scene, interspersed with proggy corridors that are scented with folky elements. This is a pure ear-pampering experience for those who crave in-your-face hard sonic assaults and ferocious rhythm-sections, topped up with majestic flutework and glimpses of prog serenity around the edges. The legendary Americanos is packed with sticky tunes, from the homonymous opening track, a straight psych-folk anthem of comparable gravitas to Jaivas’ ‘Todos Juntos’, to the acid-drenched ‘Clave De Sol’ and ‘La Sarna Del Viento’, and the ethereally proggy ‘El Charco’.