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Written in Folk Roots issue 109, 1992
 

LA MUSGAÑA
Lubicán
Lady Alicia Records CDDM 150 (1991)

VAI DE RODA
Terreiro das Bruxas
União Portuguesa de Artistas de Variedades UPAV 90007CD (1990)

In a sort of consolidation of the folk revival scene of Central Spain, the band La Musgaña, a regular visitor to Britain specialising in music from west Castilla, has been joined by two members of Manuel Luna's band, while the two members who have left, José Maria Climent and Rafael Martín, nevertheless appear on Lubicán. Guest vocals from Manuel Luna and Javier Bergia give extra lift. The tunes are interesting and the playing good, but there's very little reverb in the recording, less than in the average good natural acoustic, and so the sound is a bit closed-in on most tracks; this same music could sound much wilder. Still, La Musgaña continues to develop, and this is the band's best yet. (The title is a rural name for the Iberian lynx, used here to symbolise both threatened natural life and traditional culture in Spain).

      Vai de Roda from Portugal will also be in Britain this year, and Terreiro das Bruxas (Witches' Yard), despite stunningly portentous sleeve notes, suggests that the band might be worth a look. It's a bit on the careful, melodically-predictable renaissance side, largely instrumental tradition-based material featuring hurdy-gurdy, braguesa and other instruments dressed by synths/samples/sequencing, but the occasional vocals humanise and lift it considerably, and apparently live these are supplemented by singer Ana Pinheiro, who doesn't appear on the album.


© 1992 Andrew Cronshaw
 

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