CONFESIONES DE INVIERNO

Dios es empleado en un mostrador, da para recibir.

Undoubtedly, no matter what you ask an Argentinean, he will always tell you that one of the most important pillars in the history of national rock is "Confesiones de Invierno".

Confesiones de Invierno, second album by Sui Generis (duo formed by Nito Mestre & Charly García), is an album full of adventure and magic, mixing from folklore to tango, always in a very adolescent and emotional aspect to captivate everyone who listens to their work. Definitely, as I said in my previous review, towards "Vida" (Sui's debut album), Charly is one of the most prolific musicians in all of rock, not only nationally, but also in history, taking into account bands led by him like "La Máquina de Hacer Pájaros" or "Serú Girán", but that's for another time :)

This album has a great musical accompaniment by many of the figures of the national scene at that time, such as:

Francisco Prati: Drums

David Lebón: Electric guitar, bass guitar

Rodolfo Mederos: Bandoneón

León Gieco: Harmonica in Welcome to the Train

Juan Rodríguez: Drums

Alejandro "Pipi" Correa: Bass

Alejandro Medina: Bass

"Cuando ya me Empiece Quedar Solo" (5/5) is a melancholic and emotional rock tango with a beastly lyric, that can reach anyone. By far, the best song on the whole album, and I would dare to say one of the best introductions to an album in all of national rock.

"Bienvenidos al Tren" (4/5) is an upbeat campfire song, which, as far as I can make out, tells of a young man's planned escape because he is fed up with society, its mediocrity and its taking advantage of poor and innocent people. And so he invites his beloved and a couple of friends and acquaintances to join him on this adventurous journey.

"Un Hada, Un Cisne" (5/5) This lyric could be based on mythological tales, which I will try to summarise in the best possible way: Leda, wife of Tindareus of Sparta, was another of Zeus' human lovers. When she was walking by the Aryan Eurotas, she was raped by Zeus, disguised as a swan. As a result, she laid two eggs from which four children were born: Jelena, Clytemestra, Castor and Pollux, although only Helen and Pollux are considered children of Zeus. Leda is later deified by Nemesis, the goddess of just punishment. In older versions, Leda simply finds an egg containing the germ of Helen, daughter of Zeus and Nemesis. In that story, Nemesis tries to escape from Zeus by metamorphosis, turning herself into different animals in order to escape from the god. But Zeus does exactly the same and compensates for each change with his own, until finally she turns into a goose and he rapes her in the form of a swan. He then lays the egg in a swamp where Leda finds it. In other versions, Zeus, transformed into a swan and pretending to be in danger, takes refuge in the womb of Nemesis and then rapes her. Hermes puts the egg on Leda's thighs so that she will be the one to "light" it ("Ella quería amar a un cisne de agua y sal. Y para ella, el sol nunca volvió a brillar").

"Confessions of Winter" (17/20). Theme of the same name. This song is a guitar, which accompanies Charly. The lyrics talk at first sight, about a relationship that ends, because he has no profession and is left in the street (Me echó de su cuarto gritándome "no tienes profesión"). This character, apparently, is left in the street desolate, cold (It's cold and I lack a coat, and I'm hungry from waiting). After wandering the streets, he gets drunk in a bar and is taken away by the police who end up beating him (I got liquor and got drunk, in the bathroom of a bar..., ...And although I had never drunk, I had to end up in jail, the bail was paid by a friend, the wounds are the officer's). This last phrase was applauded by the audience at the band's farewell concert. The song ends with him saying that he found a good place to stay, a madhouse, and is finally at peace, albeit melancholic.

"Rasguña Las Piedras" (4/5). This song has raised a lot of theories and stories invented by García fans, mainly because of its lyrics. There are several versions about the origin. One version says that it talks about a girlfriend Charly had who was "dead" (catalepsy) and they buried her. Some time later they had to exhume the body and when they opened the coffin they found that it was all scratched up. In other words, she was buried alive. Another version says that it is a hymn to the military coup of 1976 in Argentina. The story of the dead, disappeared and detained in clandestine centres, where they were locked up in isolation cells, with their hands tied and blindfolded, listening hour after hour to how the others were tortured. However, this song was composed a couple of years before the coup. Another is the love story between a boy and a girl, in which the girl was crushed by a wall, and the protagonist narrates what happens and his helplessness at not being able to save her. She scratches at the stones to get out, he listens and tries to do something, but cannot. All these versions were denied by Charly García himself in an interview. He says that the lyrics came to him one day while his ex-partner Maria Rosa Yorio was going to buy something. When she came back, the song was done.

"Lunes Otra Vez" (4/5) The lyrics are as simple as it gets, the stress of work during the week, and the arrival of the weekend break, which you have to take advantage of while it lasts ("Lunes es el día triste y gris de soledad").

"Aprendizaje" (4/5) is a poem made into a song that talks about the important, the necessary, the just education. It speaks of an education that teaches how to be formal and polite, putting into practice the rules of protocol, the norm, the "moral". Of the teachers that the song talks about, it rescues the acquired knowledge, the science, the duty, but it also talks about that nobody who dared to tell the truth. Out of fear, and that fear is foolish.

"Mr. Jones o Pequeña Semblanza de una Familia Tipo Americana" (3.5/5) is a short song that tells, at first glance, of a murderous family that one day the police arrive and arrest them. They excuse themselves by saying that they are "a very normal family".

"Tribulaciones, Lamento y Ocaso de un Tonto Rey Imaginario o No" (5/5). This song, along with the one that opens the album, are 2 of the most heartbreaking and powerful songs in the history of national rock. And at the same time, it was also a song that gave a lot to talk about. "Desde el palacio se veía el mar", at that time the palace was perhaps a multi-room flat on an avenue. Today perhaps it is neither the luxury floor of the building, nor the house in the suburbs... perhaps it is the earphone we put on to listen to music so as not to feel anyone else; or perhaps it is the gossip programme so as not to listen to the political one; or it is the dancing and skating programme so as not to watch the research one; or it is something soft to avoid the harshness of reality.

10/10, 5 stars. Very close to perfection, it is a jewel that seems to have fallen from the sky and given to García's marvellous absolute ear, to make us thrill with his excellent works.

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