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Coconot

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What? Recording as El Guincho, Pablo Díaz-Reixa crafted drum-heavy, carnival-esque sounds on Alegranza (No. 33 on our 40 Best Albums of 2008 list). While that album contains enough moments of repetitious bliss to keep parties across the planet gyrating for years to come, Díaz-Reixa’s main outfit, Coconot, provides the perfect soundtrack for winding down without dropping the beat. The group’s hypnotizing second record, the recently released Cosa Astral, features swaths of gauzy keyboards and Animal Collective-worthy yelping while never forgetting to pack a rhythmic punch in each track.

Who? In a matter of happenstance, Coconot was formed in March 2005 by Díaz-Reixa and former member Alfredo Montes after the two met while traveling Western Africa and shared a discussion about their love of Brazilian music. Current members Jens Neumaier and Cristian Subirà joined Coconot’s lineup when the band recorded their debut, Novo Tropical Errado, in June 2005. After a break to craft music as El Guincho, Díaz-Reixa returned to Coconot — now a trio, following Montes’ departure — to write and record what would become Cosa Astral.

Fun Fact: Díaz-Reixa isn’t the only member of Coconot that’s been a part of other musical projects: Neumaier was the saxophonist/keyboardist for the recently defunct Barcelona-based post-rock act 12Twelve, while Subirà is the brains behind the electro-psych outfit Summer Recreation Camp.

Listen: Coconot, “Verbena de los Delfines”(DOWNLOAD MP3)

Buy: Cosa Astral at Stickfigure Distribution