KATEBEGIAK

After suffering an important line-up shuffle (half the group was changed), Enbor recorded their second album in the spring of 80, still on the inevitable Elkar label with a much less evocative artwork. Besides changing drummer, the group had lost part of their multi- vocal (as much as four-part) harmonies (and losing their female singer Amaia Karaega, who still appears on one track), but gained a keyboard player and even hired Itoiz's Carlos Jimenez for a second horn player. Obviously, these changed would dramatically affect the group's sound, giving it instantly a proggier feel, even tilting towards jazz at times.

Starting with the 17-min+ title track, the album takes a solid plunge into progressive jazz-tinged folk, with flutes, saxes, acoustic and electric guitars exchanging roles, trading licks, interacting with each other beautifully. Around the 7th minute, an electric guitar riff changes the song's feel and structure, and the track gains in intensity with solid double/triple harmonies contrasting with Portela's dramatic delivery, resembling somewhat Itoiz's singing.

The flipside contains four songs between 6:30 and 3:30, none of which can match the epic on the first side, but still coming quite close for two of them. The opening Kutsadura is an upbeat song where the saxes are taking the front role. The flute-laden Behin Une Batetan is yet another solid track, even if Enbor doesn't take full advantage or their extended line-up to provide more variety top their sound. Although starting dully, Neska Adiskidea is probably the most dramatic track after the lengthy title track; while the closing Agurra is rather embarrassing and musically sticks out like a sore thumb.

The Basque language being completely unknown to me, I have few means to confirm that the lyrics are (as I suspect) all related to each other in a theme or even a concept and my guess is that if so, the theme must be poignant. While Enbor is yet another good (even excellent) Basque folk group, they can't match Itoiz's solemnity or Errobi's adventurous spirit or Haizea's medieval psychedelia. Nevertheless Enbor is much worthy of your investigation, but you'd better start with this one.

Generally I find Basque folk music to be rich in textures and emotion although sometimes a little light in percussion and elaboration. That applies here as well, but in a bit too great a measure. I don’t know anything about Enbor other than this was their last album and the female singer from the debut was gone by the time this was recorded.

Beyond that this is a fairly plain album musically, with very little energy and not any particularly noteworthy musicianship either. Nothing here is actually poor, it just doesn’t go very far to draw the listener in and keep their attention either.

The first half of the CD was a side-long title track suite on the original vinyl release, although it is actually made up of several loosely joined smaller parts. The band is mostly acoustic except for some electric guitar (there’s also an acoustic guitar). Add Iñaki Urretxaga on some sort of woodwind (flute or something ethnically similar) and piano and you have most of the band’s sound. Amaia Kareaga’s vocals are competent but not exceptional, but his shortcomings are offset somewhat by decent harmonizing backing from the guitarists Joxe Portela and Iñaki Gutierrez.

After the lengthy opening the band seems to have struggled to come up with enough material to complete the album, and indeed the record is just over thirty-six minutes long so there would have easily been room for another song or two if the band had something more to add.

Of the remaining tracks “Kutsadura” is too long on vocals and too short on musical variety, while “Neska Adiskidea” features some mellow and intricate guitar fingering along with horns but little else. Neither of the other two tracks stand out either, and only the closing “Agurra II” features any measure of percussion or acoustic guitar that would hint that this is actually a Basque album (other than the vocals of course).

I actually kind of like this album the way I like to listen to some of the b-list west-coast American folk singers of the seventies once and a while. But not often, and the same goes for this record. A fair effort, but not much more than a collector piece for fans. Two stars that would be 2.5 if that were possible in the current rating system.

peace

Although I generally prefer ENBOR's debut to this second and final production, "Katebegiak" is likely to be of greater appeal for progressive fans if only because of its "side-long" title cut. Unfortunately, while this behemoth does sport some fine, and occasionally pseudo heavy guitars, melodic vocal parts, sprightly flutes, and the requisite adventurousness, it also has some disco style rhythms, and is somewhat distant, like an attractive individual who is difficult to get to know and love. It might be a case of the group being overly ambitious and failing to play to its strengths.

The sublime vocal harmonies that really made the self-titled album are virtually absent throughout the disk. The greater emphasis on the wind instruments and keyboards works best on "Neska Adiskidea", and is more than a little like ITOIZ circa "Ezekiel", while the closer "Agurra II" is probably the folkiest thing done by Enbor. Both point a way to a more unique sound less pressured by the somewhat obtuse jazz orientation which permeated the earlier part of the album.

Katebagiak is overall a slightly inferior package to the previous ENBOR album. I am going to round down from 2.5 stars, with the N.B that this is the more progressive of the two albums, but we all know that doesn't necessarily mean better.