SANGRE DE MUERDAGO

On "Xuntas", SANGRE DE MUERDAGO mount their cauldron back on simmer - always simmer - and their rooted stew of somber yet uplifting earth scented and centered folk, classical, and psych. The juxtaposition of reverent harmonies - on about half the tracks - and simple wholesome arrangements on acoustic and classical guitar, flute, strings, and even harp and hurdy gurdy luxuriate the sound in a manner that can only be achieved with less. In some paradoxical way, Pablo may have acquired this gift through his participation in the Spanish punk scene decades ago, or, perhaps more likely, it's innate.

I'm slightly more partial to the vocal numbers here, with the title cut and especially "Como un Bico" soaring in their gentility, but "Unha das peores" achieves similar goals without voice, while the curt "Maria solina" is distinct in its use of what sounds like human whistle, and the closing number deploys a "music box" just in case you still aren't relaxed enough to attain blissful slumber.

Hopefully before too long artists like SANGRE DE MUERDAGO and the audience they nurture can reunite. A vaccine alone cannot touch the healing that occurs when we are really together, to celebrate this music of the spirit.

Still, gentility rules in Pablo Ursusson's world, the general uniformity building strength with each advancing track, initiated by the sweetly melancholic instrumental "Medianoite" (Midnight) and attaining its apex on "Longue Noite de Pedra" with its real and simulated nature effects; a lullabye-like melody; and transformative flute figure; and "A Danza Das Ánimas", masterful in its own right, but with an official video I recommend you seek out.

With Ursusson hitting all the pan Celtic erogenous zones up to that point, the last 5 numbers include 3 hurdy gurdy-heavy pieces that, while fine in their own right, break the hypnotic spell like a duck's foot trying to extinguish a fire. The effect is of a more exclusive club of hurdy gurdy fanciers than I think I would want to join, if in fact they would have me.

11th hour alterations notwithstanding, "Noite" comes highly recommended as music for any time of night (or day) that invites contemplation.

Pablo Ursusson remains the central figure and continues to shoulder most of the vocal duties but Emma Skemp takes on shared lead as well as atmospheric non verbal accompaniment, with spine tingling effect on "Xordas" (which translates to "deaf"), the title cut, and "Mensaxeiros Do Pasado". She also adds flute and drums. Georg Barner augments the male harmonies while playing the Swedish nyckelharpa, viola, and hammered dulcimer, and Bubu retains classical guitar duties, so this feels more like a band than ever before. "O Conxura" picks up the pace from its languid origins to a more vivacious flute led section, perhaps conveying the underlying "joie de vivre" inherent in this type of production. It's not so much a singing from the rooftops for others to hear as an unsung salve for the soul.

it's clear that SANGRE DE MUERDAGO is taking the long road and gathering followers as they convey themselves upon it, always taking time to savor where they were, where they might be going and most importantly, where they are now.

In spite of its scattered origins, this is a cohesive work that could serve as an introduction to the group as well as to a newer more accessible and much more succinct sound and style. It is here that comparisons to a similarly prolific Italian group CORDE OBLIQUE become unavoidable. The heartfelt plucking on classical guitar, plaintive strings and neo classical meets folk melodies all approach the mood and timbre of Ricardo Principe's ethereal folk project.

Three numbers eclipse almost everything they had hitherto performed. "A Xustiza Pola Man" is divine, constructing and deconstructing a Celtic melody in vertiginous fashion, with subtle accompanying vocal harmonies. "O Cabalo Negro" recycles a blueprint from earlier albums but with more self assurance and with an energy that was previously in short supply. Even the recorder (or whistle) solo that forms the coda seems to have undergone productive therapy sessions, for it knows itself. The closer "O Canto dos Busgosos" was previously unreleased in any form, and is really a departure for the group, yet well within the parameters of their anarchic structure. It's an instrumental in the Galician tradition in which the violins morph into their more down-home cousins. I'm not sure how distinguished this reckless instrumental would sound surrounded by others of its ilk but here the effect is magical and a brilliant way to close the album, as it dances its way off the stage in a flourish of creativity. In between, the other pieces are all excellent, even the hurdy gurdy dominated "As Sendas de Monfero", which is whisked along by mesmerized strummed guitars that offer a base for the traditional instrument to drone on and on and on as drones do.

The album title translates to "Souvenirs From The Wild Side", reflecting the band's connection to the natural beauty of their homeland and the varied lineage of its contents. Otherwise it's far more mild than wild, but no less potent. 4.5 stars.

The opener and closer are somewhat atypical, with the title cut deploying a hurdy gurdy, an instrument that can attain stridency if need be, but here played as the last standing entity on a battlefield, with appropriate awe. The coda is one of the few comparatively upbeat pieces, reminiscent of the more heavily strummed numbers on the debut. In between, a couple of tracks are sung in English, one by Pablo and one by guest Lisa Kula, and these can't help but offer variety and perhaps the intent of imparting a message more broadly, even if the mood and enunciation remain as in a spell or trance. "Soterrados Baixo as Pedras" notches slightly above the others in resonating with my own inner voice, but other listeners will experience this personal work differently at different times.

The level of consistency here allows the hour to pass by as a single sweet caress or emptying/sharing of consciousness, or as an impenetrable impediment to one's daily progress in between birth and death, a problem that its shorter predecessor did not have to ponder. I'm in the first camp and, given the band's international success in a commercially restricted genre, it would seem I'm far from alone.

The general mood is deliberate and melancholic, with a sense of beauty throughout. "Vellos cami�os de vellas �rbores" is a standout, a brilliant introduction to Pablo as lead vocalist. It is reminiscent of early OLOFERNE, mystical and calling upon the forces and wisdom of nature, which ties back to the owl on the cover, and Pablo sings as though in a trance conjured to achieve the desired communion. Owls have been associated with witchcraft in Galician folklore. With "Arrastrando as cadeas", the repetitive almost minimalist approach remains, but the urgency and animation is cranked up with furious strumming, while the use of winds conjures New World styles, perhaps guided more by the absent hand of Brazilian Jorge. While "Onde as almas van a morrer" rekindles the more morose mood, it is enriched from the conjoined vocals of Pablo and Teresa and more whistles. "Madeira de teixo, pedra de castro" strikes a balance between the preceding vocal tracks, a captivating amalgamation of insistent massed guitars, reverent vocals, and violins.

This is a very mature debut by a seasoned Galician singer/songwriter/musician and guide, with those who have been chosen, or perhaps felt compelled, to accompany him.

Sadly, Jorge died in 2009 before the debut album proper could be recorded, but he remains an inspiration. With Jorge actually a corporeal participant, this inaugural collaboration is somewhat atypical, being more focused on hypnotic strumming and picking, with subtle improvisational shifts and leads. Entirely acoustic as with most of what the band has released, it is raw and unfiltered by rehearsal time or production trivialities. Hence an ambulance siren is one of the first instruments to appear and intensify. Recording device or incidental interruption? It remains that "Solpor" is the creepiest and most captivating (think TENHI) of the three instrumental tracks which offer an imperfect glimpse into an as yet incomplete future.