Friday, October 16, 2009

Amigosintimos - Intimate Friends in Wonderland


Amigosintimos

   When Alice stepped through the looking glass, one of her first observations was that “things are not what they seem to be”. Lewis Carroll’s fairytale was written as a double-edged sword: a bright and cheery surface story, with an underlying cynical twin meaning. The rock duo who call themselves Amigosintimos have taken this theme and extrapolated on it with their debut CD, “En el Pais de las Maravillas”. There are direct references to Carroll’s work, including a song titled “Alicia” and a quote from Edgar Allen Poe in the lyric book which is included in the CD package.

   Salvadoran Keren Mizrahl and Costa Rican Marco Arias met in 2002 and started making music together less than two years later. The concept for this disc has been evolving since then. The music is a collaboration between the two, with Keren writing most of the lyrics, singing lead and back-up vocals, and playing piano and acoustic rhythm guitar. Marco handles most of the music composition and guitar work, as well as some piano and vocals on the project. The songs are playful and bouncy, with bright, lilty vocal harmonies. The duo is ably assisted by producer Edu’  Olive’ on Fender Rhodes and Hammond organs, lending a circus/fantasy motif, which is depicted in the album artwork as well.

   The irony lies between this Twenty-First Century Pop music on the surface and the serious political and social issues addressed in the content of the lyrics. The music certainly makes the message more digestible, especially in the songs “Amnesia” and “Voz de Guerra”. It also creates the possibility of a broader audience, verified by the album’s huge radio support from both 94.7 and Radio U. Not unlike the hippie movement forty years ago, some of the main issues center on loving more and shedding the warm coat of apathy. The sentiment is genuine and the music is infectious. “We’re not considered politically correct,” muses Arias. 


   An incredible job was accomplished on the slick mixing and mastering by two-time Grammy (Ruben Blades, “Tiempo”) recipient Oscar Marin. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Beatle’s “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” was a major influence on the production of this LP. Studio guitar ace Bernal Villegas is all over the CD, playing on nearly every song. Even Hector Murillo, from Blues Latino, shows up for a cameo accordion appearance on one song. It’s an impressive legion of peripheral help, as we observe Amigosintimos “get by with a little help from their friends”.

   The self-produced project was picked up for distribution by Papaya Music and given co-founder Manuel Obregon’s stamp of approval with a nice quote on the back of the jacket. The packaging is pure Papayan, too: nice, bright inks for the sleeves, an extensive booklet and a fold-out, eco-friendly jacket. The label has already backed a live promotional push for the band and the unveiling of its new CD. And given Papaya’s success and approval ratings, we should be hearing a lot more from Amigosintimos in the future and on the radio.

   In Playa Tamarindo, Tilaran and Quepos, Amigosintimos is available exclusively at Jaime Peligro bookstores, where they will gladly sample the music for their customers.All comments concerning this article are welcome.

No comments:

Post a Comment