Diosdado's 2009 release in some ways marked a sad time for
Snowbyrd, whose drummer, Manny Castillo, died of lung cancer at the age of 40 shortly before it was issued. Seven of the 14 tracks were recorded with Castillo weeks before his diagnosis; the others were taken from their archive of unreleased studio recordings, also recorded with him. The music remained similar to what was heard on their 2006 self-titled debut: confident driving guitar-oriented alternative pop/rock, though without much stylistic distinction. It's a little too rootsy to be power pop and too poppish to have that strong a Tex-Mex flavor, though debts to both styles are evident, "Ozona" even coming close to country with its pedal steel. Some of the pre-2008 archive recordings are very short instrumentals with a more experimental feel, and seem utilized here more like link/intro/outro tracks than proper songs. ~ Richie Unterberger