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.
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