Critic's evaluation
The middle of the third quarter of 2023 was the moment Cristóbal Rey Band chose to officially launch himself on the market as a solo artist. This is how the Chilean musician based in Berlin announced Ainda Tem Índio Aí, his first solo EP, which he considers to be his most successful work.
The sound is booming, but tremulous. A bittersweet unison that mixes regionalism with the global. Between the soft guitar, the full-bodied, humid bass and the light drum beat, the baritone charango delivers notes of sweetness and briefly floral aromas to the mix of blues and folk drawn by the melody. The moment a voice in echoes, bathed in a high, tuneful timbre, enters the scene, the song takes on the form of a playful ditty whose intention is to educate the listener to respect nature. Through Cristóbal Rey's Spanish-Brazilian accent, the regionalism that was initially detected takes on a dazzling shine. The title track is a simple, strong and direct protest against the lack of care and contempt with which, in Rey's own words, the white man deals with the land. In this song, too, the singer glimpses that only a great catastrophe would be able to make people deal with nature in a polite and respectful way. Not least because the track features a vocal verse rhythmically accompanied by a march led by David Guy's drums, which sounds like a song of adoration and even protection of all that is natural.
A mystical yet curiously calm atmosphere begins to emerge from a soft horizon. Meanwhile, the wind blows the leaves of the trees and the grass in a delicate synchronicity that soon gains threads of rationality from the booming groove of Tomás Peralta's bass. Surprisingly, with his voice now lower, Rey presents his lyrical melodic side through well-executed falsetto that supports the plot of Volta A Crescer, a song that talks metaphorically about rebirth. Also addressing the possibility of a second chance based on hope, the track's drums are a crucial element that, as well as bringing rhythmic movement, amplify the softness of its message.
It's rainy, but it's not torrential. The sky, on the other hand, is not covered by dense layers of cloud. Clear and limpid, it gives freedom to the thin waterfall, giving rise to a comforting sense of melancholy. And the main element that makes this happen is the sharp, delicately repetitive echo of Giacomo Cantarini's guitar. Despite this, however, the absolute protagonist, at least during the introduction, is the rolling waltz of the bass. With freshness and softness, Rey reinserts his falsetto into the lyrical context, giving the sound aesthetic a cozy softness. Eschewing the latent social criticism present in the title track, Brisa Do Sol is the narrative of the reunion of two people who used to be a couple. It's a second chance at love. The retrospect of the end in search of an answer to justify the break-up, something never found. Brisa Do Sol is proof that love, when intense and true, can break through the barriers of time and stay alight with intense vivacity, even when held hostage by comings and goings.
It's light and gentle. With a theme so serene that it sounds like a transcendental mantra thanks to the subtlety with which the charango notes are pronounced, the song, with its intimate introduction, invites the listener to pause for introspection. And the high-pitched murmurs of the guitar are like portals for opening the mind to this process. Maturing more and more as, in fact, a product of spiritual openness, As Above So Below, in English, takes on more organic and rational tones as the bass and drums come together to create a soft but full-bodied rhythmic beat. Emphasizing the pronunciations of the vowels, Rey turns the song into a work that speaks, now verbally, about finding oneself and connecting. Above all, it's a song about self-knowledge in the purest sense of the word.
A lively folk tune reminiscent of Eddie Vedder's soundtracks to the feature film Into the Wild, the melody created by the charango is smiling in itself. With the help of the dry chimpanzee providing the rhythmic beat, the song takes on an inviting sphere that is undeniably contagious. Narrated in Rey's mother tongue, Comiendo Nueces, just as As Above So Below is about self-knowledge, comes across as a work about the quality of gratitude. It is an appreciation, a celebration that venerates the figure and strength of women in the role of creating, educating and, above all, caring.
It escapes any stereotype or pre-established rhythmic pattern. Ainda Tem Índio Aí is a playful, educational EP with textures that exalt the natural and the mystical beauty of nature. In Cristóbal Rey Band's hands, the EP is narrated in three languages with the intention of making his teachings understood and disseminated to all peoples.
Throughout its five tracks, the extended play walks with the listener through the exaltation of nature. Embraced by dramatic tones and apocalyptic visions, the very first track calls for us to learn to deal with and respect the earth, nature.
With a positive and hopeful slant, the material continues to communicate that it is always possible to start again. Make the new dawn a new beginning full of hope. And from hope comes love, an emotional quality acquired by man that overcomes the barriers of time.
But love doesn't just exist between peers. It is present in the way we look at each other and get to know each other, as well as in gratitude for everything we are given: knowledge, affection and gratitude. This is how Ainda Tem Índio Aí proves to be sensitive material, but above all, conscious, empathetic, humane and respectful.
To emphasize these plural textures, Cristóbal Rey Band also gave Peralta the job of mixing. As he is also part of the creative team, the professional knew how to highlight the rhythmic aesthetics to the point of illustrating a multicultural material. Between Portuguese, English and Spanish, the EP moves through the regionalism of South America, while fusing folk, blues and spiritualism.
Released on 08/25/2023 in an independent way, Ainda Tem Índio Aí aims to stimulate and spread awareness of a relationship of education and gratitude towards nature. Life is a work to be written individually. And what Cristóbal Rey Band does is show the way for these plots to be created with the greatest sense of respect, maturity, love and affection.
