"Danza di Calaluna" on speed
Oh, yes, I, being the fine connoisseur de musica, will illustrate some recent conquests here. On a rush of a whim I downloaded the entire Modest Mouse discography and turned on their first album while watering the flowers a few days ago. It is indeed like a crazy mouse got out and starting howling, but it is cute in the same way that such a sight would be. I exposed myself to the Richard D. James album, which vies with Drug Use for worst Aphex Twin album I know. That’s purely in my book. However, it’s got an interesting track, whose name is disputed being that its only officially source is the back of the album itself, written in scribbles. I have seen online everything from Loon-faced Witch to Logan Rock Witch, but at least they agree on Witch. And witch-like it is; Sara, though you’re off having fun in Europe, I will say now that it reminds me of your witch villanelle. It’s got an earthy percussion section, odd for the Aphex I’ve seen so far, and---- slide whistles! And a very creepy synth organ (I am guessing it is synth, because all his stuff is synth). I also had the dumb luck to run into Eco Del Sur at a little jazz festival in town. “I know you!” said the head of the group when I came up to buy their new CD. I’ve become a sort of inadvertent groupie. Anyway, I gave the disc half a listen, and only one track, a Sikuriadas, caught my attention. But once I am off this electronic kick I will scrutinize (and appreciate) it further. A friend of my mother’s I saw at the same festival and I got talking about the music, and realized we both liked Los Intis. Like, wOwOw! She said she had some old stuff, which I didn’t have, and I had some new stuff, which she didn’t. We planned a CD swap. I have to find some blank CDs so I can burn for her the seven albums I have. She already dropped off a bag of CDs. But going through them, only one is actually an Inti album; the rest are cheap compilations with twenty two two-minute tracks, which I have often seen in stores and deftly avoided. Still, Fragments of a Dream was enough. And I put on the first track, and it was none other but my favorite song by my beloved Inti-Illimani (a grupo so good that it’s outside the realm of favorites, second favorites, and so on…)… Danza di Calaluna! But this was Danza di Calaluna on methamphetamines-twice as fast as the live version I know from Viva Italia, with twice the crazy string finger action. Well, maybe not that much faster, and it’s the same action, just at a higher speed--- and a quena instead of a standard flute, it seemed to me, interestingly enough. Didn’t hear a mandolin in there, either. But wOw. It is INSANE. I am listening to it now, and like when I listened to it earlier, my hands are jittery (come on, now--- more than they usually are), I’m tapping my foot, and breathing sharply--- and smiling. The live version is more meticulous and slow, this is so rapid that it almost takes your breath away-the opposite of what usually happens. You can also better appreciate the multiple instrumental parts better on the live one, but this one’s about the heart-pounding rush. I believe it’s an old Italian melody; it sounds very Italian, anyway, with the exotic flourish from the zamponas and their pentatonic half a second at the end. But this song is all about the strings- interwoven, harmonizing, complex guitars, charango, and mando. Los Intis have an incredible ability to create a massive soundscape with just a few acoustic, simple instruments. Their music is whole, complete, even in a track such as Quiaquenita with just a zampona and guitar, or Maria Canela’s interplay between flute and clarinet. I guess it is even the opposite of electronic music, because even classical and Aphex Twin bear their similarities. This is not the music that stands alone, brooding in the darkness, or that gets high with psychedelic sound bites. Danza di Calaluna opens its arms wide, embracing you in warmth and intense joy. And that is exactly like another favorite band of mine, Sigur Ros, only their backdrop is not the warm chaparral of Santiago but the stark Icelandic landscape. But their new album, Med Sum I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust, brings about the same sensation of love and universal acceptance. The opener, Gobbledigook… you know what? I sound like someone from Pitchfork Media. I am not a critic. I just love the music more than I love just about anything, along with nature and my family. As I was saying, Gobbledigook is just the beginning of a pure, wholesome romp through fields of ecstasy. You will step away from this music with a refreshed outlook on life, and it will stick with you for an extraordinarily long time. And it is about time for me to go to bed. Goodnight everybody, and sweet dreams!
O WAIT! I just found a video of Danza di Calaluna! And they threw in an accordion... interesting. If you watch just one of the millions of videos i put up, make it this one! You'll be glad you did!
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