Author: Patty-Lynne Herlevi
Think of One
Tráfico (Crammed Discs/Ryko, 2006)
I had never heard of the Antwerp based Think of One until now, but the
globe-trotting sextet might just be Belgium’s answer to France’s
Lo’Jo. Think of
One’s biography sounds a lot like Lo’Jo‘s history, but on a smaller scale. In
fact, it surprises me that Lo’Jo isn’t mentioned once in the band’s biography
and I wonder if any other world music journalists have even noticed the striking
similarities between the 2 sextets.
Similar to Lo’Jo, who condensed over 300 musicians and 20 plus years into the
sextet that tours and records these days, Think of One started out as a 20
musician collective and five years later, and a couple of name changes,
condensed to a sextet that involves itself with multicultural music exchanges
while traveling its wares near and far. While Think of One hasn’t produced a
Festival au desert, the musicians have extended hospitality and good will to
cultures marginalized in a right-wing Belgium, according to the notes on the
Crammed Discs web site.
And as a journalist from the UK publication, fRoots cited, “it’s like having an
entire festival in your living room,” or your town–via the collective’s famous
mobile stage truck. Certainly I can see the festival connection, a sort of mini
WOMAD with good spirits. Six Belgian musicians, led by David Bovèe, (guitars
vocals, keyboards, travel around the world and hook up with Inuit, Brazilian,
Moroccan musicians and whoever else strikes their fancy.
On
Tráfico, Think of One traveled to Recife in northeastern Brazil and teamed up
with 66-year old vocalist, Dona Cila do Coco, percussionist Carranca, as well
as, percussionist/vocalists Cris Nolasco and Ganga Barreto. But as also
mentioned on the Crammed Discs site, this is not a Brazilian music album. It’s
time to create a new genre and the title of this genre is up for grabs.
You will find a menagerie of musical influences where various genres and
traditions collide, creating a multi-cultural experience that other groups have
only touched upon thus far. However, there is a downside to all of this
experimentation and that is the group does spread itself too thin at times and
the music can get a bit noisy in spots. There is just too much sonic wizardry
happening here that interferes with some gorgeous chord progressions, lush
vocals and natural polyphonic rhythms.
But I don’t wish to be downbeat on a sunny day so I will mention the songs that
do work. The opener Essa Mesa falls into the Euro-pop category and supports
crazy horns and polyphonic beats. Tirar Onda also brings in those shimmering
horns with hearty call & response vocals, compliments of the Brazilian
musicians. The title track brings in a reggae beat and is sung in French, Flor
D’ Àgua falls too heavily into the electronic genre, but provides lush vocals
sung in Portuguese and wonderful chord progressions. I especially enjoy the
soaring chorus. You will also find vocals sung in Flemish throughout the CD
which is an added bonus for those of us not familiar with the language.
Feira De Mangaio features Tom Waits-esque guitar, (resembles Latin-style guitar
performed by Marc Ribot), polyphonic rhythms, showy horns and beautiful vocals.
This song changes its directions a few times, but never loses its footing. Think
of One is nothing short of ambitious, but I could do without the programmed
drums and electronic groovy-ness, (a word not in my dictionary), that sometimes
clash with traditional sounds.
I like some of the musical ideas explored here and the adventurous spirit of
multiculturalism, but I would need to be wooed by something more acoustic, to
take this band to heart. However, the musicians’ hearts are in the right place
and it will be interesting to see where the road of life leads them. In the
meantime, keep an eye out for Think of One’s mobile truck coming to your town.
(Which is a much greater prospect than the beat-up school bus full of musicians
that pulled up to the house where I lived when I was 22. I had forgotten about
that amusing, but annoying incident until
Tráfico appeared in my mailbox and
sent me flying back through time 20 years. Oh, well, c’est la vie).
This review was written in good humor. Normally I do not review music with
electronica elements, but I am making an exception in this case because this CD
has a lot of heart and the group has potential to contribute beautiful cultural
exchanges in the world–something we sorely need.
Buy
Tráfico
