David Julca first came onto my radar in a live performance with his first band, the New Republic, in a dingy English pub in Panama City in 2006. What grabbed my attention in the live setting, even more so than on the band's studio recordings, was his jaw-dropping voice - sheer power and grace on par with Brandon Boyd of Incubus. Hearing how he slid up and rested on an impossibly high note the way a jogger cuts through the clear spring air, I could tell he didn't need the benefit of studio magic like so many big name singers.
Now Julca, a Peruvian who grew up in Panama and is now based in Colombus, Ohio, has a self-produced solo album, an easygoing rock affair with shades of jazz and pop. The songs unfold lazily behind tight melodies and mazy guitar solos. There are occasional feats of strength from Julca's pipes, but I can see why the vocal pyrotechnics do not run rampant: there's no point in belting just for the sake of belting.
Como Se Extraña is clearly a product of Julca's life and experiences. The title track and "Meet Me In Panama" are autobiographical songs about a kid forging an identity in three different home countries. "Si Te Vas" and "Complicado" - probably my favorite cut on the album so far - are tasteful reductions on relationships and breakups. Julca's songwriting does seem a bit more inventive in Spanish than in English, though "Meet Me In Panama" has a cracking opener: "I don't really know if anyone has written a song for you."
The New Republic album is also worth a listen, but it was clear to me that the band’s musical identity was still up in the air. Highlights include "In My Life," "Everything If Anything," and the politically tinged "Action," where a tribute to Panamanian singer Ruben Blades shows the band’s musical conscience.
The easiest part of Julca's style to appreciate remains his singing. It's just so pure, so effortless - the kind of skill that, as with height in basketball, you just can't teach.
Youtube Link: "In My Life" music video from the New Republic, with David Julca singing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7qhqKtF3qw&feature=PlayList&p=C41A281375848945&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=40
Monday, March 23, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Ninette y un Señor de Murcia
"Ninette" is a classic Spanish movie by Goya-winning director Fernando Fernán Gómez (for 1986's "Viaje a Ninguna Parte"). It is a timeless story with commendable acting and humor at every turn. It was also one of the first films for legendary actor Alfredo Landa, who, along with several other cast members, was in the original theater version which debuted in Madrid in 1964, a year before the film.
Ninette has two themes: a ridiculous love and the simply ridiculous. A nondescript man from Murcia (Andres), bored with his desk job, goes to Paris to make the most of his fleeting youth. He takes a room in a boarding house run by a Spanish expatriate couple (Pierre and Bernarda). Wanting to immediately embrace the Paris night scene but unable to convince his friend (Armando; Alfredo Landa) to join him, he stays in the boarding house his first night and is seduced by the owners' young daughter, the attractive Ninette.
The result is a non-quite-wholehearted tryst of comedic proportions. Ninette is controlling, manipulative, and whimsical. "Remember, I am French!" she often explains. The docile Andres does not seem to care for her on more than a physical level but he allows her to dictate his every move. She does not want him to leave the apartment so he invents various illnesses and injuries to the point where the landlords question his sexuality and Armando becomes totally exasperated.
This movie must have made even Franco laugh. Andres remains in Paris for two months and never leaves the apartment. Ninette's father Pierre, a caricature of the Spanish pastoral macho intellectual, becomes his antagonist. In one sensational sequence, Pierre plays the bagpipes and then grills Andres and Armando on the meaning of socialism. "¿Cómo que no hay un problema agrario? Vamos a discutirlo...despacio." (What do you mean, there's no agrarian problem? We are going to discuss this...slowly.)
The fun ends when Ninette announces to Andrés - and then to her parents - that she is pregant and that they are going to get married. After negating to impose his will for so long, Andres has reached the point of no return. But then, it is difficult to pity him since he is responsible for his own demise.
I found out about this movie through a friend who was in a class taught by Alfredo Landa's biographer, Marcos Ordóñez. If you can get your hands on this film you're in for a wild ride.
Ninette has two themes: a ridiculous love and the simply ridiculous. A nondescript man from Murcia (Andres), bored with his desk job, goes to Paris to make the most of his fleeting youth. He takes a room in a boarding house run by a Spanish expatriate couple (Pierre and Bernarda). Wanting to immediately embrace the Paris night scene but unable to convince his friend (Armando; Alfredo Landa) to join him, he stays in the boarding house his first night and is seduced by the owners' young daughter, the attractive Ninette.
The result is a non-quite-wholehearted tryst of comedic proportions. Ninette is controlling, manipulative, and whimsical. "Remember, I am French!" she often explains. The docile Andres does not seem to care for her on more than a physical level but he allows her to dictate his every move. She does not want him to leave the apartment so he invents various illnesses and injuries to the point where the landlords question his sexuality and Armando becomes totally exasperated.
This movie must have made even Franco laugh. Andres remains in Paris for two months and never leaves the apartment. Ninette's father Pierre, a caricature of the Spanish pastoral macho intellectual, becomes his antagonist. In one sensational sequence, Pierre plays the bagpipes and then grills Andres and Armando on the meaning of socialism. "¿Cómo que no hay un problema agrario? Vamos a discutirlo...despacio." (What do you mean, there's no agrarian problem? We are going to discuss this...slowly.)
The fun ends when Ninette announces to Andrés - and then to her parents - that she is pregant and that they are going to get married. After negating to impose his will for so long, Andres has reached the point of no return. But then, it is difficult to pity him since he is responsible for his own demise.
I found out about this movie through a friend who was in a class taught by Alfredo Landa's biographer, Marcos Ordóñez. If you can get your hands on this film you're in for a wild ride.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Capitan Melao - Self Titled
When praise first began to surface for Capitan Melao, it was difficult to find out anything at all about the artist. He seemed to have no distribution, no live performances, and really no promotional vehicle whatsoever. It turns out this is a side project of Stereophonics drummer Javier Weyler, recorded on the road in England and Wales. Weyler did a few gigs by himself but never actively pushed the CD and, since he sings in Spanish but has no real base in his native Argentina, there was no market immediately looking to embrace him.
Its a shame because this album has the kind of sparkle and visionary songwriting that might win a Grammy with the right backing - it is that good. Weyler deserves the ears of anyone who can hear him.
Each song on the album is like a dream, replete with colors and vivid imagery. The melodies unfold slowly and sort of wrap around you like a cocoon, the way your mind drifts to daydreams as you look out the window of a moving car. Most of Weyler's lyrics tell of a fractured love, but the songs are relaxed enough to allow the listener to attach his or her own meaning.
"Estelar" is the song that introduced me to this album and it was probably my favorite song of 2007. Weyler provides a lounge-style groove, while the excellent Natalia LaFourcade overlays the vocals. "A Piel," a song about lust and urges, has a similar feel. "Te Amanezco" is a bit darker, with a very satisfying guitar line starting in the chorus that carries through to the end.
I feel like I listened to music for too long without finding Javier Weyler. I am drawn to his songwriting, his poetic austerity that refines the music to only what's absolutely necessary. There are no guitar lines or breakdowns for their own sake; every action is full of intent. That leaves a listener occasionally wanting for more, but I wouldn't mind if Weyler picks up one day right where he left off.
Youtube link: Capitan Melao with Natalia LaFourcade - Estelar (music video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmxvJDhSaek
Its a shame because this album has the kind of sparkle and visionary songwriting that might win a Grammy with the right backing - it is that good. Weyler deserves the ears of anyone who can hear him.
Each song on the album is like a dream, replete with colors and vivid imagery. The melodies unfold slowly and sort of wrap around you like a cocoon, the way your mind drifts to daydreams as you look out the window of a moving car. Most of Weyler's lyrics tell of a fractured love, but the songs are relaxed enough to allow the listener to attach his or her own meaning.
"Estelar" is the song that introduced me to this album and it was probably my favorite song of 2007. Weyler provides a lounge-style groove, while the excellent Natalia LaFourcade overlays the vocals. "A Piel," a song about lust and urges, has a similar feel. "Te Amanezco" is a bit darker, with a very satisfying guitar line starting in the chorus that carries through to the end.
I feel like I listened to music for too long without finding Javier Weyler. I am drawn to his songwriting, his poetic austerity that refines the music to only what's absolutely necessary. There are no guitar lines or breakdowns for their own sake; every action is full of intent. That leaves a listener occasionally wanting for more, but I wouldn't mind if Weyler picks up one day right where he left off.
Youtube link: Capitan Melao with Natalia LaFourcade - Estelar (music video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmxvJDhSaek
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Natalia LaFourcade - Casa
Natalia LaFourcade is probably the most original female vocalist from Latin America since Zelia Duncan (Brazil, early 1990's). Her style conjures perhaps a Mexican Regina Spektor. She was just 21 years old when Casa was released, yet her songwriting pays homage to a wide body of influences and proves her capable of carrying the base even further. It's like Miles Davis said in his autobiography: in order for a player to advance an art form, he or she must first master all the works that have come before. LaFourcade, like Davis, Coltrane, or Picasso, doesn't need any shortcuts.
One needs only to listen to Casa's title track to fully appreciate all that LaFourcade brings to the table. It begins as bright, acoustic bossa nova, then absorbs a heavier bassline and rhythm guitar as LaFourcade practically screams the final chorus. Her voice is omnipresent. She has the warm tone of Joao Gilberto at his campfire best, with a power and stupefying range that truly set it apart.
The genius of LaFourcade's songwriting is that it can frighten you, calm your nerves, make you smile, and pump you up, and sometimes all at the same time. "El Amor Es Rosa" and "Cuarto Encima" have the rock fury of an American band like Paramore, but "Gusano" and "Saul" would fit in the playlist of a hip lounge in Lomas de Chapultepec early on a Thursday night. Deserving special mention is "El Pato," a brilliant remake of the Brazilian classic that is as brief as it is brilliant.
I still believe that LaFourcade's best will come when she releases an album that plays exclusively to her jazz sensibilities, but until then I'll continue to hail her tremendous talent.
Youtube link:
Music video for "El Pato" - borrows look from El Temporada de Patos, a 2004 Mexican film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPvoRt-_8Ko
One needs only to listen to Casa's title track to fully appreciate all that LaFourcade brings to the table. It begins as bright, acoustic bossa nova, then absorbs a heavier bassline and rhythm guitar as LaFourcade practically screams the final chorus. Her voice is omnipresent. She has the warm tone of Joao Gilberto at his campfire best, with a power and stupefying range that truly set it apart.
The genius of LaFourcade's songwriting is that it can frighten you, calm your nerves, make you smile, and pump you up, and sometimes all at the same time. "El Amor Es Rosa" and "Cuarto Encima" have the rock fury of an American band like Paramore, but "Gusano" and "Saul" would fit in the playlist of a hip lounge in Lomas de Chapultepec early on a Thursday night. Deserving special mention is "El Pato," a brilliant remake of the Brazilian classic that is as brief as it is brilliant.
I still believe that LaFourcade's best will come when she releases an album that plays exclusively to her jazz sensibilities, but until then I'll continue to hail her tremendous talent.
Youtube link:
Music video for "El Pato" - borrows look from El Temporada de Patos, a 2004 Mexican film.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPvoRt-_8Ko
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