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.