Interesting Paradox Is at the Heart of Molotov’s Music

You would be right to feel offended by Molotov’s opening number Monday at the House of Blues. There was very little subtlety in the homophobic tune, whose lyric was gleefully chanted by the crowd.

Yet the music itself was as compelling as rock en espan~ol has ever been, which makes the group from Monterrey, Mexico, the protagonist of an interesting paradox: The quartet handles the crudest material imaginable, but with a playful attitude and a desire to shock for the sake of shocking. Think of a Mexican version of Beavis and Butt-head--but these lovers of the moronic spent their time practicing their instruments instead of watching television.

Molotov’s tight, dizzyingly energetic sound is the only incentive to forgive the sentiments in tunes such as “Perra Arrabalera” (Low-Class Bitch) from the band’s debut album, “Donde Jugaran Las Nin~as,” (Where Will the Little Girls Play?), which has been banned by a few stores in Mexico.

Now that Molotov has launched a successful sonic attack, it will be interesting to see where the band takes it. If its desire to experiment is as uncompromising as its brutally honest attitude, the band is sure to leave a significant mark in the future of rock en espan~ol.