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Savath & Savalas, "Manana"
This companion EP to last year's Apropa'tLP finds Scott Herren and since-departed collaborator Eva Puyelo Munsin a less organic mode. Many of the eight short tracks included on Mananafeel less like songs than the pieces on the full length album did.Eva's vocals are still present, but feel more like an instrument thatHerren has manipulated in various ways.Warp
On the opener "InterludioInconcreto" the vocals are used as one element in a cut-up collage, asimilar technique Herren often uses with the voices of hip hop MCs inhis Prefuse 73 project. With Apropa't he seemed to beconsciously carving out a unique space for the Savath & Savalasproject. Perhaps now that he has shown that this project is a separateentity from Prefuse 73 he feels it is more acceptable to blur the linesa bit. It's almost as if his Prefuse persona had access to some of thematerial on Apropa't, and thus there are aspects of bothprojects here. The jagged, abstract feel of closer "Equipatge De FlorsSeques" mixes lush strings and keyboard swells with cut-up snippets ofEva's vocals. During "No Puedo De Cidir" a recurring guitar patternalternates with a drums and bass motif. Although these are acousticinstruments, the way they have been treated is as a part of a largersample-based work and thus they don't lend a live feel to theproceedings. Although she is credited as co-writer and performer, it isuncertain whether Eva willingly participated in the deconstruction ofher vocal tracks, or whether Herren simply finished the work after herdeparture from the project. Even in abstract, fragmented form her voicesets this project apart from any of Herren's other endeavors.Texturally, this material is often as gorgeous as the previous album,but by taking a different approach with the composition of the tracksHerren has created a companion piece that is not merely a remixproject. It's ironic that touring in support of Apropa'twith a live band prompted Herren to deconstruct the material ratherthan produce a work that reflected the live experience.
On the opener "InterludioInconcreto" the vocals are used as one element in a cut-up collage, asimilar technique Herren often uses with the voices of hip hop MCs inhis Prefuse 73 project. With Apropa't he seemed to beconsciously carving out a unique space for the Savath & Savalasproject. Perhaps now that he has shown that this project is a separateentity from Prefuse 73 he feels it is more acceptable to blur the linesa bit. It's almost as if his Prefuse persona had access to some of thematerial on Apropa't, and thus there are aspects of bothprojects here. The jagged, abstract feel of closer "Equipatge De FlorsSeques" mixes lush strings and keyboard swells with cut-up snippets ofEva's vocals. During "No Puedo De Cidir" a recurring guitar patternalternates with a drums and bass motif. Although these are acousticinstruments, the way they have been treated is as a part of a largersample-based work and thus they don't lend a live feel to theproceedings. Although she is credited as co-writer and performer, it isuncertain whether Eva willingly participated in the deconstruction ofher vocal tracks, or whether Herren simply finished the work after herdeparture from the project. Even in abstract, fragmented form her voicesets this project apart from any of Herren's other endeavors.Texturally, this material is often as gorgeous as the previous album,but by taking a different approach with the composition of the tracksHerren has created a companion piece that is not merely a remixproject. It's ironic that touring in support of Apropa'twith a live band prompted Herren to deconstruct the material ratherthan produce a work that reflected the live experience. samples:
The Eye: RELOADED!
Ten years ago, Brainwashed.com launched The Eye, one of the first regular music oriented video features online. Over the years, close to 150 mini documentaries were produced from live and interview footage with some of the most innovative acts. In the last few weeks, the videos have been re-visited, re-mastered, and re-presented on YouTube. We're excited for the new resolution, sound, and clarity of these features, along with the portability afforded by YouTube. Over the next few weeks we will be randomly selecting features on the home page here of Brainwashed but you can always Start at the beginning and see where it takes you!
