“Listen to the Faces,” Lezayr says, they’ve been murmuring since 2002, and in July 2011 they finally spoke up. It’s been a long journey for local Spanish alternative rock band Lezayr – from the time it was just an idea in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, to playing packed shows around Fresno these days – but they finally released their highly anticipated debut album.
Upon possessing the artfully packaged album, it is immediately recognized that someone drowned it with passion, in the best sense possible. This is no simple demo, time and dedication went into it. Upon playing the 11 track album, that impression is only reaffirmed.
“Listen to the Faces” opens with “Don’t Want To,” an alternative rock track that grabs ones attention as soon as it plays, as if Lezayr wanted to put their most aggressive note out first. They quickly show the counterpart to that aggressiveness with “Nonsense,” the second track and first ballad of the album.
“Nonsense,” perhaps people may relate to, as it is a story about an unsuccessful relationship. “Never knew how to understand you at all, I don’t remember if we were happy,” singer, Alex Ayala, sings in the first verse.
Before one’s mind even begins to think, “Oh that’s too soft,” the first Spanish track of the album, “Contigo,” is like a slap in the face. Of the entire album, “Contigo” is the track that completely embodies the atmosphere of a live Lezayr show, with a catchy chorus and danceable guitar riffs.
As Lezayr writes songs that have to do with different human emotions, everybody can relate to at least one song on the album; whether it is about sorrow, as in “Three Years Of Agony,” or about a guy meeting a girl at a bar, as in the chuckle-worthy, “A–hole.”
“Listen to the Faces” adequately expresses influences from English alternative just as Spanish alternative music, which is most evident in “Salida Perdida.” That is, perhaps, the highlight of the entire album.
Overall, “Listen to the Faces” is a good and decent debut album for Lezayr. It seems to be a mash-up of every corner of Lezayr, showing their every face. With all of the same energy and emotion, they have done what few do; they’ve captured the same essence of a live show. They have proven they are no passengers on this journey, they are driving and making their own way, leaving audiences wondering what will come next.t
