Earlier this year Fire Records released Josephine Foster’s No More Lamps in the Morning, a fine LP further detailing her prowess of song and voice in fruitful collaboration with the band led by her guitarist husband Victor Herrero. Choosing not to dally in following it up, More Amor hits the racks on July 29; credited not to Foster but to Mendrugo, the 11 tracks present a richly casual Spanish folk-imbued collective framework that’s simultaneously deep in roots and deliciously non-trad in constitution. It’s available on vinyl, compact disc, and digital.
One of the immediate qualities arising from More Amor is a ’60s feel, though that shouldn’t be construed as a deliberate attempt to tap into the essence of the decade. No, the similarity basically comes down to a sustained pursuit of expanded possibilities stemming from a folk milieu, a type of non-labored ambience that extends to Foster’s solo work.
To be fair, the same could be said for many in the New Weird America/ freak-folk realm. That’s the scene from whence Foster established her name; first surfacing in 2000, she rose to higher prominence mid-decade through a handful of discs on Locust Music and Bo’Weavil before hooking up with Fire in ’09 with Graphic as a Star.
Through a combination of tastefulness and verve Foster’s work is a cut above the Weird/ freaky norm, and in turn she’s thrived where numerous ’00s cohorts have fallen by the wayside. And if pegging her as channeling the ’60s rubs one the wrong way, she can alternately be described as a bohemian soul more interested in the work of great poets from prior centuries than what’s currently trending on social media.
Foster’s recordings have engaged with the writing of Rudyard Kipling, James Joyce, and on Graphic as a Star extensively with Emily Dickinson; additionally, she devoted the entirety of Anda Jaleo to songs collected by Federico Garcia Lorca. That was the first LP to credit the input of the Victor Herrero Band, though her husband had previously backed her on Graphic as a Star.
He’s contributed to every album since, so it’s unsurprising the relationship has brought us to Mendrugo. To be clear, this is reportedly a revival of the group reaching back to at least 2011 as More Amor serves as their debut; the lineup is Foster, Victor and his brother José Luis with added input by Japanese woodwind specialist Taku and Spanish folk artist Lorena Alverez.
More Amor is aptly defined as a folk album, but one lacking any kind of purist restrictions nicely offset with a clear knowledge of and respect for tradition. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Andrija Tokic, here contributing to his third Foster-related record after Blood Rushing and I’m a Dreamer, the whole registers closer to audio captured during an informal gathering than from inside the walls of a studio.
Indeed, the picking, blowing, and percussion comprising the succinct opening instrumental resonates like music produced around an open fire on a camping trip. Good fun, but “Introito Calliope” unfurls as worth experiencing outside of the rustic context. This crucial difference extends throughout the record, but if decidedly a band effort (in contrast to the Foster discs preceding it) More Amor isn’t accurately tagged as a loose jam.
To the contrary, “Velluda” is a splendid example of sharp Spanish-tinged song-spinning, exuding a firm trad aura at least until the tempo picks up and Taku’s horn adds a gush of squawk to the proceedings. Things do quickly settle back down as the cut becomes a picking clinic capped by Foster’s typically strong voice.
“La Breva” is a fast paced fiesta wielding guitar groove, vocal harmony, flute trilling, and ample percussion, while “Manolo” slows down, retaining the interaction of voice as Victor takes the lead; an extremely pretty, multifaceted track stretching out to nearly six minutes, it delivers the LP its first standout and reinforces the whole as something special.
The distinctiveness spreads into the sturdy singalong “Atapuerquillo,” specifically through the gorgeous guitar and the sheer vibrancy of the vocals, and by this point it’s plain that More Amor is a true showcase of non-flash playing and singing. With “Estrella Fugaz,” Foster steps to the fore, and it’s the second consecutive song where a thread of modernity unobtrusively surfaces via electric bass.
The scenario continues in “Tanta Santa,” its full band orientation and general infectiousness making it the first track on the set aptly assessed as brandishing a contempo vibe. Although the folky direction persists, “Emboniga” offers a tangible current of organic psychedelia not unfamiliar in Foster’s work both with and without the brothers Herrero.
This is in part due to the tendrils of reed and the rumble of bass, but the glistening strings and the rural hippie harmony also plays a significant role; the tune bookends well with “Manolo.” From there “Macho y Hembra” begins with a chant of the title as a very subtle pop sensibility gets introduced, though a quirky junkyard band-ish instrumental passage accentuates the range on display.
It’s also one of the few points bringing Os Mutantes briefly to mind, though overall Mendrugo is up to something quite different. For instance, there is “Matutu,” which delivers a late spotlight on Foster’s operatic edge in dialogue with Herrero; the horn wiggle and string rake are quite welcome. It leads into a slowly blossoming tour through the group at their most accessible, “Te Adoro” lending More Amor a beautiful finale. When noted solo artists join up with full-fledged bands the results are frequently disappointing, but Mendrugo is a striking exception; it’d be great to hear more.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
