QUEREMOS ROCK, MODERATTOEMI, México ***
Rating: 64
By Carlos Reyes
If there is such a thing as a guilty pleasure, Moderatto would be my guiltiest pleasure. I'm not afraid at shouting the world my admiration to any artist, but Moderatto goes across the line with their influences and are musically and in appearance not very original. Somehow, Moderatto has won me over even if they are covering songs from fruitless artists like Cristian Castro, Thalia or even Los Tucanes de Tijuana; sum the Christmas album they released last year. They sound a bit too much like Twisted Sister and try too hard to evoke Queen. But in the middle of their pretentious lies an energetic sense of rockstar prosperity that is fun and even complex, a tough one to resist. I didn’t pay attention to their first three albums, but their successful GRRR was pretty awesome and their latest Queremos Rock is flawed, but overall a fine pop album. Moderatto is just like Miranda!, a love it or hate it explosion of attitude, glam, costumes and kitsch. For their first single they decide to risk it with a ballad, “Mil Demonios” which can be too lousy for those misguided by the title of the album. The band performed “Ya lo veia venir” at Los Premios MTV show, this should have been the first single as it is the catchiest track here and is splendidly produced. Don’t be surprised if suddenly you begin to recognize that this is pure Latin pop influenced by the 80s, like a hardcore Timbiriche. Most Mexican rockers resist to admit it, but Moderatto is far superior to the big lineup of mediocre punk rock bands, but of course, they are too commercial to be taken seriously. Or should we take them seriously? I sometimes do, even in their exploded versions of the already exhausted “Oh Mama! (Ella me ha besado)” or “Vamos a la playa.” I can already see some of my friends infuriated and a lot of you hating a song like “Mi Papa” which is pure “Bohemian Rapsidy”, but it doesn’t bother me as I take it as pure entertainment, one that explodes the original material and has fun with it, like the grindhouse movies.