This album was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Classical Crossover Album. The always innovative and adventurous Kronos Quartet once again moves beyond the conventional boundaries of artistic genres with NUEVO, an ambitious tribute to the richly diverse musical culture of Mexico. The album is a kaleidoscopic journey through a variegated soundscape, a post-modernist survey of an array of sounds and styles that includes popular and traditional songs, Indian chants, sones, corridos, mariachi, progressive classical, television themes, space-age bachelor pad music, and rock en español. The vibrant performances by the ensemble demonstrate that artists from seemingly disparate musical worlds such as Agustin Lara, Silvestre Revueltas, Alberto Dominguez, Esquivel, and Café Tacuba share not only a common nationality but a sensibility that balks at limitations and celebrates the unfettered expression of individuality. The album is also an excellent showcase of the quartet's remarkable versatility. Whether manipulating their instruments to emulate a scratchy, off-speed 78, adding texture to their sound with exotic instruments and effects to produce evocative sonic portraits, or diving headlong into electronica on a remix by Nortec DJ Plankton Man, the ensemble's inimitable artistry always shines through. NUEVO fits perfectly into the Kronos aesthetic and is a fine addition to a discography that defies easy categorization.
Disc 1: Dark Night Se Me Hizo Fácil Mini Skirt El Llorar Perfidia Sensemayá K'in Sventa Ch'ul Me'tik Kwadulupe Tabú Cuatro Milpas Chavosuite Plasmaht Nacho Verduzco 12/12 El Sinaloense