By 1993,
both Nazz Harlequin and Get
Carter had imploded and Agua Caliente
became Lee and Nick's prime musical concern.
Through the winter
of 1993/94 they wrote and recorded enough songs for an album. Mesa Verde
Records issued these songs as the album De Wolf's
Journey (MVR 101) in 1997.
The pair are currently
working on a second album for Mesa Verde Records. The pair are not professional
musicians but this fact, coupled with their loose agreement with Mesa
Verde Records, means that they have complete artistic freedom and control
over their music and approach.
Lee Broughton:
"Although we have never
consciously tried to copy any of the artists that have influenced us,
when Nick (Jordens) presented me with a certain rough backing track,
which evoked the feeling of tumbling clouds, I knew that we could have
our very own 'aeronautical
song' in the tradition of those associated with Robert
Calvert.
That rough backing track became the song Fly
High (Into The Sky)."
Fly
High (Into The Sky) < listen |
Let's
hit that big blue sky
Let's hit that big blue sky
Let's hit that big blue sky
Let's hit that big blue sky
Sky....sky....sky....sky
Fly
high (into the sky)
Fly high (into the sky)
Fly high (into the sky)
Fly high (into the sky)
Circling,
in the clouds
Sonic boom sounds so loud
Will a cloud take your weight?
Take flight before it’s too late
Fly
high (into the sky) -- [4 times]
What
could you know?
What could you see?
If you could fly
Just like me?
Men
in flying machines
Think this is their domain
They cannot conceive
A human spirit plane
|
(c) Agua Caliente
1993
(p) & (c) Agua Caliente/Mesa Verde Records 1997
...now...is Fly
High [Into the Sky] a typical song from the De
Wolf's Journey album...?
Yes, sort of - but the album is a bit difficult to describe as it features
quite a number of ingredients - if I had to define the overall atmosphere
in just one word, I'd say it's 'cool'....
The vocals are restrained, almost spoken-word like, most songs feature
some soul and / or funky elements and rhythm tracks - and there are
never any instrumental bombardments - which can be quite a relieve these
days.
You can dance
to these songs as well as just sitting in a cocktail lounge - which
doesn't mean they're just mild and harmless. Sampled politician's speeches
and war noises in some songs are positively irritating against the almost
casual musical backdrop.
Sparse and
effective instrumentation / danceable rhythms / effective samples and
some almost ambient-ish, airy sounds - if that sounds like a good combination
to you, you definitlely should look out for De Wolf's
Journey. [K.G.]
|