La Oreja de Van Gogh Album: “Lo que Te Conte Mientras Te Hacias la Dormida”

When I first listened to this album, I was a bit disappointed and thought La Oreja were repeating themselves. Then I listened to it again, and again, and realized how wrong I was. It's been a month now and I listen to it at least three times every day!

This album requires more attention than El viaje de Copperpot. Lyrics are more complicated and it takes a while to appreciate the real genious of most songs.

THE HIGHLIGHTS

There are so many other good tracks such as:

There are two tracks I don't dislike, but definitely believe they're not as good as the rest:

In the end, La Oreja's third album is their best, but it needs your full attention before showing its true colors.

Title translation:

The songs are extreeeemely cathcy, but it doesn't mean they are shallow or uninteresting, quite the opposite - they are catchy and clever.

The vocalist has a very sweet voice which blends very well withe the music.

I bought the CD because I had listened to a sample, which I found intriguing, in iTunes.

It is nice to listen to the CD while reading or resting, drinking a nice soft drink.

I thought "Viaje de Copperpot" was as good as pop/rock music could be. Incredibly, this CD is at least as good as LODVG's previous outstanding effort. The music on this CD begins with the more-lively tunes, then gradually slows the pace toward the end (with several exceptions). My favorite LODVG song is "20 de Enero," with its early 1980s pop/rock sound and the occasional chimes. Actually, to me, this CD doesn't sound as "pop" as the previous one (Viaje+). It seems a more mature (for the lack of a better word) sound. As always, Amaia's vocals are clear, which is wonderful for those of us who like the songs almost as much for the language (European Spanish) as for the music itself.

I was pleased to note that the "bonus track" was given its own track this time, rather than sharing one like "Tic Tac" in the previous CD.

This CD allows access to the "exclusive zone" on LODVG's Website. That's a nice additional feature to an already excellent disc.

¡Ojalá que pudiera darlo SEIS estrellas!

I'm absolutely hooked on this group. Their creativity is remarkable. The way they connect tempos, rhythms and Amaias voice is Spanish music at its best. Their music is upbeat and although I consider LODVG a pop/rock group with a taste of the 80's - they are filling a void to a vacuum of fun and uplifting music that has been missing from today's contemporary groups. Their lyrics have a touch of naivete- of romance and innocence, of hope and optimism with ingenious sophistication.

This is an A++ album- highly recommend it.

My favorite tracks?

Un Mundo Mejor - sound like a mix of Duran Duran w/the Gogos

Vestido Azul- Classy

Perdoname- Rock with a jazzy flavor

La paz de tus ojos - profound love

LODVG has undoubtedly managed to create the definitive pop album of any Spanish group in 2003! Lo Que Te Conte Mientras Te Hacias La Dormida (which actually translates as "What I Told You While You Pretended To Be Asleep") supplants their excellent previous albums as their finest release yet. It has a wide range of styles and moods, including songs similar to their moody signature ballads from previous albums; but it's also great to see the group testing the waters of styles they hadn't previously explored.

"Geografia" fits the latter category well. Amaia's magically rich vocal skills meld beautifully with a very Latin tempo and arrangement to show that Spanish pop isn't wedded to a particular musical style or locked into purely pop-sounding arrangements.

"Tu y Yo" and "Rosas" hearken back to the well-known ballads of LODVG's previous albums, and fans of those will no doubt be thoroughly pleased with each of these selections.

While I don't dislike any of the songs from this album, three additional favorites I would add to the other songs mentioned above are "20 de enero," "Vestido Azul" and the hidden dance song on track 15 ("Untitled.") Each of these offers the appreciative listener a treat depending on his or her mood at the moment.

Finally, I agree with other reviewers who have recommended LODVG for use in Spanish language classrooms. I have taught many different levels of Spanish to adolescents and adults, and invariably students name LODVG their favorite group in Spanish. Amaia's beautiful voice and excellent intonation really make their songs useful for listening comprehension exercises and vocabulary building!