It’s a very happy occasion when I get to review a new album by Santiago Fradejas! Our friend, guitarist and composer now based in Barcelona, Spain, comes at us with another disc full of soundscapes which sit well between the more mellow compositions of John McLaughlin, the usual powerful post-Industrial soundscapes, and maybe because I have been listening a lot to him lately, some bits that would not sound out-of-place in a Charles Mingus album.
Argentina
[Music] Ciro Berenguer – El Mar De Junio
One of Eilian Records’ finest releases to date, Argentine-born, Barcelona-based composer Ciro Berenguer releases a very ambient guitar album.
From Eilian’s Bandcamp page:
Ciro Berenguer is a guitarist and composer from Argentina who has lived for many years in Barcelona, Spain. He likes both traditional and nontraditional ways of playing the guitar: processing the sound through many electronic devices or playing just the guitar alone. Two facets of his playing expressed in a handful of albums and collaborations, from standard guitar music to a more experimental and improvised way of making sounds, enjoying both approaches.
[Literature] Jorge Luis Borges – The Mirror Man
Jorge Luis Borges is highlighted in this film directed by Philippe Molins and written by the nearly-as-profound author Alberto Manguel.
[Literature] Jorge Luis Borges – You Learn
Thanks kindly to HelloPoetry for posting this originally:
The poverty of yesterday was less squalid than the poverty we purchase with our industry today.
Fortunes were smaller then as well.
(The Elderly Lady)After a while you learn the subtle difference
Between holding a hand and chaining a soul,
And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning
And company doesn’t mean security.And you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts
And presents aren’t promises,
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes openWith the grace of a woman, not the grief of a child,
And you learn to build all your roads on today
Because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans
And futures have a way of falling down in mid-flight.After a while you learn…
That even sunshine burns if you get too much.
So you plant your garden and decorate your own soul,
Instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.And you learn that you really can endure…
That you really are strong
And you really do have worth…
And you learn and learn…With every good-bye you learn.
[Music] Ethel Koffman – Flor Verbena
Editorial Municipal de Rosario is a record label out of Rosario, Argentina, which normally focuses on classical music. After digging into their catalog, I noticed that they’re not limited to that genre alone.
This album features the warm voice of Ethel Koffman, a fellow Argentine whose voice lilts in a way that would fit well with Bossa Nova music.
[Music] 6 – 6
My favorite avant-prog couple surprised me recently with a release I completely managed to bypass. It looks like Amadine and Santiago Fradejas’ project, 6 (Seis), was recorded in their original home of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The music sits squarely inside the progressive metal genre, with powerful-but-restrained musicianship, a Floydian feel with vocals which would not compare unfavorably to James Hetfield of Metallica. You can hear touches of jazz here and there as well. Both musicians have come a long way, but you could already hear the raw beauty in their sound from this decade-old project.
[Literature] Borges and $: The Parable of the Literary Master and the Coin
Elizabeth Hyde Stevens of Long Reads writes a rather interesting essay on Argentina’s greatest gift to literature (and my personal favorite author), Jorge Luis Borges, and his relationship with money.
[Music] A.M Ferrari Fradejas – Dominique Worships The Sun
A.M Ferrari Fradejas is a composer based in France who also happens to be the wife of noted guitarist and composer Santiago Frajedas, whose amazing work has graced these pages in the past. Ferreri Frajedas’ new release is an absolute delight to listen to, and it came as a shock to my ears.
I was expecting progressive rock, and I was rewarded with that in spades. What I didn’t expect to find was a deep thread of ethereal music, some of which reminded me of past bands like Chandeen or Love Is Colder Than Death. There is also a touch of cabaret music here, as well as reminisces of groups like Slapp Happy, Henry Cow and Dagmar Krause’s solo work. Fans of Laurie Anderson might find something familiar here as well.
It was weird, hazy, and utterly fun listening for me.
[Music] Astor Piazzolla – Woe
I have a love/hate relationship with the music of Astor Piazzolla. His music is stunning and sensual, but, as I’m sure many of you have done, I tied the artist to a person who left my life 5 years ago. Still, as I prepare to enter my 46th year in a few hours, it’s time to remove all melancholy and prepare for a fresh year in my life.
[Literature] The Fried Eggs of Jorge Luis Borges
César Chelala writes a charming reminiscence of the legendary Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges for The Globalist.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 