SAO PARIS
La
F Communications
· Sao Paris continues to push boundaries with follow-up to last year’s Movimento.
With their debut release, Movimento, the Parisian-based duo of Thomas Ferriere and Leticia Maura declared their love of conceptual art with their Joan Miro-esque album cover. Their new album La (Over There) extends their fascination into the realm of cinematography. Designed as a soundtrack to a series of imaginary films set around the world, La sees the addition of global sounds to the already distinctive bossa nova-meets-experimental ambient vibe that Sao Paris provides, enabling the band to sound even more cosmopolitan.
The idea of "Over There," however, implies a journey that is not quite finished and the album catches the duo looking both forward and back. Tracks like "Sao Paulo" or "Paris" serve as homages to Ferriere and Maura’s cities of birth, while "Wong" and "1/4 d’heure de culture metaphysique" pay respects to artists "Wong Kar Wai" and Romanian surrealist Gherasim Luca, who the band cite as influences.
Meanwhile the fractured beats and frenetic pace of "Sambaleiss" show Sao Paris evolving past the dreamy soundscapes of Movimento, towards incorporating a heavier, darker sound. This is reinforced by the live percussion on "Wong" and guitars on "Gato" and "Sambaleiss," raising the potential of Sao Paris touring with a live band. Rest assured however, "Gato" and "1/4 d’heure de culture metaphysique," with Maura’s half-whispered vocals, continue to provide the literary and ethereal atmosphere critical to Sao Paris’ success.
Billed as one of F Communications’ more esoteric bands, La finds Sao Paris adding a little more accessibility without sacrificing their self-professed desire to rank among the avant-garde.
|
Copyright ©2006 FFWD. All rights reserved.