MIRADAS

Imagine the wedding scene in Godfather where Michael Corleone marries a young beautiful girl in Sicily. Add some drumming from a speed-freak with nervous twitches, a violinist playing strange circus themes whilst semi-drunk mixed with wild monkey-like cries in the background and you are close to the opening song of "Miradas".

The folk tag these guys got hanging from their shoulders should definitely be taken loosely, as some of the music found here is downright avant-gart-ish, and other times approaching extremely weird psychedelic territory. Then again, you can really hear the folkish melodies, the, at times, soft woodwinds and the violin bringing with them, that special feeling of sitting on a mustard yellow rock in Corleone eating oranges right from the tree, whilst people in traditional festive clothes are twirling - ferociously dancing around yelling: Yeah Yeah to the saxophone player! I am deeply addicted to this record, and it gives me some of the same vibes and wild energy, that I get from Area, which should come as little surprise, when you see that Area guitarist Paolo Tonati is listed here as producer.

This music makes you jump around like a mad frog in nikes while you´re juggling kiwis and hot potatoes - spewing large quantities of chocolate milk all over your cat - who actually seems to like it (your dancing). One thing that is recurring during most of the album in some form, is the appearance of strange and exotic percussions, - in particular Zandamela. This track is a gentle piece of what could be marimbas and other stuff you can hit, but we are no way near a drum feast extraordinaire. It rather sounds meditative like a Japanese stone garden. At some point you loose sight of the drumming patterns, and it shifts into something like rain hitting a tin roof.

However this is not all funny beards and liquorice. This album manages to be completely crazy, and still have its fair share of bone chillingly beautiful sections, that will curl up your toes like pork rinds meeting sizzling hot oil. The final track "Mogadishu" implodes into some beautiful violin playing, that sounds so fragile, it would take a mere sneeze to instantly wipe it clear off the face of the planet. I simply love it! Or like the understated sax of "Poeta" that seems to oooze out of your speakers together with the vocals. The thing is, that all these different musical ideas are very well knitted together by CdL. Such a unique melting together of instruments and alternating tempers. A thing which their Italian brethren too was brilliant at, although this is quite a step from say Le Orme or even the more folkish Delirium. Miles away.

There are no weak songs, no dull moments and about a million different reasons, why this album should be in your collection. If you are into folk music with a twist, and a soul mad as marbles - you should pour this wonderful music into your ear like the finest sauce.