Nacho Vegas/Aroah - Seis Canciones Desde El Norte
(Acuarela)
From Acuarela Records (a label based in Madrid, offering exotic, earthly delights) comes this six-song EP split between two performers. The half belonging to Nacho Vegas is ornate & lush, filled with instrumentation and arrangements that belie Vegas' involvement with the group Migala. (It's safe to say that you should rescue copies of Migala's Sub Pop release, Arde, from neighboring record stores, especially if Nacho Vegas' work is to your liking.) The deep timbre of his voice recalls the (relative) sweet nothings of Serge Gainsbourg and Leonard Cohen, and crooning the lyrics in his native Spanish tongue adds a poetic heft to the lyrics that, if the volume of words is any indication, ably carry this weight. "Baby Cat Face" stands out the most of his three tracks—the endless parade of verses recall Bob Dylan's more talkative moments, while the music moves over these words like passing clouds, offering different shapes and possibilities as Vegas tells his tale. "Baby Cat Face" also features the only bit of English available in his 3 songs; the title serves as a chorus, with Vegas' croon aided by the soft whispers of Irene R. Tremblay.
Three songs from Ms. Tremblay fill out the remainder of this EP. Her chosen nom de plume is Aroah. Where Vegas unveils ornate, expansive canvases, drenched in color and texture, Aroah offers simple modest sketches. Her songs only feature a guitar or two, and maybe a drummer (with Vegas offering his services). They finish within 2 minutes, wasting no time to tell their stories. As with any story worth telling, though, there's enough substance in a phrase ("That kiss you gave was a bad excuse"; "Are you the boy I tucked in bed last night?") to conjure another handful of stories. Her voice recalls singers like Mirah, Sarah Nixey (Black Box Recorder), and Elizabeth Mitchell (from Ida)—delicate and breathy, with a sly quiver and a wizened wink. Declarations of love and death threats both emerge from her mouth, smelling like roses. That scent escapes much too quickly.
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