DEMO

In the 1970s, prog bands, if they were "lucky", were afforded the luxury of recording budgets while tethered by the same entities that dangled that benefit. In the 2000s, most prog bands, especially those who tilt the folk axis, are shackled by day jobs and other such inconveniences, and in this era of self production and promotion, it's sometimes challenging to draw a distinction between a "demo" and a "release", as both are virtual constructs. In the case of the Galician dark forest folk group SANGRE DE MUERDAGO (translated to "Blood of the Mistletoe"), their demo is the only known recording with Brazilian Jorge Olsson de Abreu joining Pablo C. Ursusson for a night of wine and wine driven playing.

Sadly, Jorge died in 2009 before the debut album proper could be recorded, but he remains an inspiration. With Jorge actually a corporeal participant, this inaugural collaboration is somewhat atypical, being more focused on hypnotic strumming and picking, with subtle improvisational shifts and leads. Entirely acoustic as with most of what the band has released, it is raw and unfiltered by rehearsal time or production trivialities. Hence an ambulance siren is one of the first instruments to appear and intensify. Recording device or incidental interruption? It remains that "Solpor" is the creepiest and most captivating (think TENHI) of the three instrumental tracks which offer an imperfect glimpse into an as yet incomplete future.