“ All my ancestors / when they see me melted / when they see me all sweaty / are. / They seem very happy / it seems they have felt it / not without having greeted / they leave .”
A guy at peace. That's the feeling you get listening to " Loco Encontrao" (El Volcán, 2008), Josele Santiago 's third album under his own name, now far removed from the Los Enemigos era. The electroacoustic treatment of the songs continues, Pablo Novoa returns as producer, and, as a statement of intent, the backing band is christened Sus Menudencias: it consists of Javier Rojas and Jorge Santos -rhythm section, bass and drums-, David Krahe -guitars- and Luca Frasca -keyboards-, in addition to Novoa himself.
The big news is the change of label; from the (supposed) opulence of Virgin to the much more modest El Volcán. To quote the artist himself: “ Just imagine, we were recording while the label was being set up, there wasn't even an office... So, in that sense, there was a bit of chaos; understandable, on the other hand. But I was thrilled, because anyway, Virgin was going to fire me. The advantage is that, apart from the fact they work really well, we've known each other forever. And they're people who genuinely love music, because the big companies don't give a damn, they only look at the numbers .” With this approach, the album flows like silk; it's perhaps the smoothest of his four solo works.
Death is a recurring theme throughout the song, as it has been throughout the author's career. " Vuelo de volar" (Flight of Flying ), a tribute to loved ones who have passed away, is on par with the more challenging tracks " An-tonio " and " La carta que no " (The Letter That Wasn't), while " De repente nada " (Suddenly Nothing) delves into the heart of suicide. The catchy " Baila el viento " (The Wind Dances), seemingly life-affirming, also flirts with death—" I wrote it after taking a nasty fall that knocked me out ," explains Josele—and " Bernardo " and " Mar de fondo " (Deep Sea) reference other recurring characters in Santiago's world: dogs.
" Centiped " speaks of the tribe and its inertia; " Paper ," of oneself and one's inertia. The album is rounded out with songs of grateful love, like the title track or " Pescao ," playful sketches about office workers who surrender to poetry— "Photocopy "—and, of course, a cover. Fats Waller's " Ain't Misbehavin '" is transformed, " with a touch of gypsy flair ," into " Being Good ." It seems like the declaration of intent of someone comfortable, discreet, and wise: " You're nobody / you have nothing / the street, the lamppost, and the doorway shout. / But I'm good / I never misbehave ."
Source: www.lafonoteca.net