Music

El Pony Pisador i Joan Garriga presentem el single “A la Gandula”, una oda a la mandra que, a ritme de calypso, ens convida a estirar-nos i gaudir de la vida contemplativa. Hem incorporat sons de la música de platja i estiu d’arreu, concretament ritmes de mento jamaicà i calypso caribeny, així com la guitarra lapsteel, l’ukelele de Hawaii i la steel drum, tradicional de Trinitat i Tobago.

Aquesta cançó és l’única completament instrumental del disc, pren l’esperit de “Dolores” [de Matricular una galera (Coopula, 2019)] i està pensada per obrir els concerts. En ella recollim la nostra experiència d’un viatge en cotxe que vam fer el 2016 al nord de la península ibèrica, per Galícia, Astúries, Cantàbria i Euskadi. En aquell viatge vam intentar apropar-nos a les músiques tradicionals de la zona assistint a diversos concerts. Un d’ells va ser la Nueche Celta de Porcía, a Astúries, on vam passar una bona nit bevent sidra i ballant munyeires. El dia següent, vam conèixer l’Oscar Calle, que era un gran fan del grup Corvus Corax, i ens va convidar a la seva furgoneta a dinar ‘el guisote del Tío Benito’, un guisat de cigrons.

La peça es composa de 3 tonades populars: “Bodas de Cantabrana” (una localitat de la província de Burgos molt propera a Euskadi i Astúries), “Jotaerre”, un fandango basc de trikitixa, i la “Muiñeira de tormaleo”, una munyeira asturiana. En aquest tema també hem aprofitat per mostrar alguns dels instruments nous que hem après a tocar: l’acordió, la gaita i el cavaquinho.

Aquesta cançó que vol ser la “Lime Scurvy” [de Matricular una galera] d’aquest disc: frenètica, plena d’estímuls i a tota velocitat. Volíem seguir el mateix procés que havíem seguit anteriorment amb aquest tipus de temes, i fer que les melodies fossin tonades tradicionals. Però en aquest cas, seguint amb la filosofia del disc, vam decidir buscar tonades catalanes, concretament el ball de contradanses boges de la festa major de Solsona, i la Polca del Cop de Peu.

Entre els recursos musicals de la cançó, a part del tempo frenètic, vam crear un tram inspirat en els arranjaments de cambra de música clàssica, amb una línia de baix inspirada en les sonates de piano de Mozart. També vam prendre un recurs de la música italiana, concretament d’Antonio Castrignanò, consistent en crear un gran contrast entre un tempo molt ràpid de les tornades i el molt lent de les estrofes. Sobre la lletra, volíem jugar amb embarbussaments i jocs de paraules amb noms d’ocells perquè ens feia molta gràcia. Volíem també fer aparèixer el gafarró, ocell simbòlic de Premià de Mar, un dels nostres pobles preferits.

L’altra cançó que va donar origen al concepte del disc. La Guerra de l’Emú és un esdeveniment històric real en què el govern australià va enviar l’exèrcit a controlar una “plaga” d’emús que havia envaït els conreus dels nouvinguts a Austràlia després de la Primera Guerra Mundial. L’exèrcit no va poder eliminar-la, i així es va donar la seva primera derrota en un conflicte armat. Aquesta història ens semblava genial, així que vam decidir fer-ne una cançó. A nivell musical, vam combinar l’estil del punk celta de Dropkick Murphys, l’èpica revolucionària d’una cançó d’Ebri Knight o Obrint Pas, el so de marxa militar, i una gaita i caixa, com en la tradició escocesa. Aquí s’hi afegeixen un bon grapat de modulacions i una tonada de composició pròpia imitant la sonoritat de banjistes com Gerry O’Connor.

Per al videoclip, hem volgut seguir apostant per la col·laboració amb mecenes i fans. En aquest cas, hem col·laborat amb els tres joveníssims (10 a 12 anys) membres de la Confraria del Mithril. Van fer un vídeo amb el Minecraft versionant una cançó nostra i ens va agradar tant que hem volgut que participin al disc.

En aquest tema volíem buscar una sonoritat a mig camí entre les cançons d’Esquirols i les cançons acústiques de Blind Guardian. Alhora, volíem explorar la sonoritat de la música de fantasia medieval i de la música antiga, introduint-hi la guitarra clàssica i un dels instruments nous, la viola de roda. Per fer-ho, ens vam inspirar en l’estructura de cançó tradicional narrativa com són “La presó de Lleida” o “La filadora”, en què les estrofes són una sola unitat d’estructura musical, sense una tornada convencional, i les frases al final es repeteixen.

També en la línia de crear cançons que funcionin tant als concerts d’El Pony Menut com d’El Pony Pisador, vam decidir fer una història sobre l’amistat i l’exaltació del paisatge i la natura. Per això, al videoclip vam voler combinar l’imaginari de llibre medieval i imatges sense perspectiva realista, amb l’estètica del programa Una mà de contes, que feien al K3 quan érem petits. Un fet destacable d’aquest videoclip és que l’hem realitzat íntegrament nosaltres: tant els dibuixos com l’execució i la gravació.

Tot i els girs musicals que hem fet, no podíem fer un disc sense una cançó marinera. Per això vam decidir crear un sea shanty fent servir recursos musicals del Mediterrani: el compàs de 5/4, que no és habitual en els sea shanties però si en la música turca i grega, i el mode frigi, dels cants tradicionals de Catalunya i del País Valencià, així com del flamenc. També volíem fugir una mica dels tòpics de la pirateria del carib i intentar generar altres imaginaris, i per això vam inventar-nos un relat sobre un vaixell contrabandista, quasi fantasma, que és tan ràpid que ningú arriba mai a veure’l.

Aquesta cançó ens va donar la idea de fer un disc d’ocells. La broma es basa en un mem habitual d’internet, i és un desenvolupament en forma de cançó acumulativa, com “Joan Petit” o “Rattlin’ Bog”. En volíem fer una aproximació pensada per al projecte d’El Pony Menut [pensat per a públic familiar] i crear una cançó que tingués un humor absurd i alhora fos simpàtica per a la canalla.

A nivell musical, vam voler combinar els recursos de la música barbershop (a la intro i al final, hi ha una referència al “Notre Dame Medley”, una de les millors actuacions de barbershop dels últims anys), amb el bluegrass i la sonoritat de banda de carrer, on destaca l’ús de l’instrument washboard, així com el recurs del mickeymousing -en què la música imita els moviments del videoclip- en l’arranjament de violí i flauta. Per tant, com que el so evocava un imaginari dels EUA de principis del segle XX, dels musicals i les pel·lícules d’animació clàssiques, vam decidir tractar de captar aquest esperit en el videoclip, on juguem amb la idea de representar una obra de teatre escolar amb estètica de Broadway. Vam treballar amb alumnes de l’escola Memory i amb l’Alba Galimany, mecenes i col·laboradora del grup des de fa temps com a coreògrafa, així com amb Goyo Arias i Alicia Jansen per l’escenografia. A més, vam poder enregistrar al teatre La Flor de la Palma de Teià, que ens va cedir generosament l’espai. Malgrat l’aspecte “infantil”, és el videoclip en què hem comptat amb més personal qualificat i hem fet una aposta més “professional.

Aquesta cançó l’hem creat amb la voluntat d’introduir-nos de ple en els sons del Mediterrani i l’Orient Mitjà, barrejant la música turca i àrab, el flamenc i els cants valencians. Entre els instruments nous, hi destaquen l’ús del duduk armeni, el clarinet, i la guitarra flamenca, així com el cajón. A la peça “L’avi simitarra” [també del Matricular una galera] ja hi havíem explorat la combinació entre música turca, italiana i búlgara, però encara no ens havíem aventurat a fer-ho en una cançó amb lletra, que creiem que pot ajudar a consolidar aquestes sonoritats com a part del nostre imaginari propi.

Com que som fans d’artistes de la música tradicional valenciana, vam creure convenient convidar a cantar Jonatan Penalba, un dels seus referents més joves, tant per poder comptar amb algú que conegués en profunditat la seva manera de cantar (ja que nosaltres només en som aficionats), com per no haver d’impostar el valencià que li és propi a aquesta música. Una de les altres característiques és la introducció d’elements de jazz flamenc en l’interludi, inspirat en artistes com Jordi Bonell o Javier Colina. Per això, hem comptat amb els Polzes Prènsils Quartet, la nostra banda de directe, ja que ells són músics de jazz en origen.

Aquesta peça de composició pròpia volia imitar l’estil de les Cançons de vi i taverna (Picap, 1976) de Jaume Arnella. Ens vam inspirar en la nostra participació al Càntut i en els nostres amics Germà Negre, que considerem molt bon exemple d’aquesta sonoritat de cançó catalana tradicional de beure. Jocs de paraules com “el tord va tort” o “la tórtora porta una turca” justifiquen una història que hem volgut explicar sobre una base inspirada en l’ska clàssic jamaicà dels anys 60. Utilitzant el bodhran, les culleres i la canya esquerdada, així com l’acordió imitant el teclat, hem creat una base rítmica on els instruments acústics supleixen la funció dels instruments elèctrics típics. Hem tractat d’apropar-ho a la sonoritat del folk català, amb l’acordió, el clarinet, el flabiol i el violí.

Per aquest disc ens feia molta il·lusió fer una sardana a cappella. Ja vam explorar aquest so amb la nostra versió de “Tossa Bonica”, que tot i no formar part de cap àlbum s’ha convertit en una habitual dels concerts. Per això, vam compondre una sardana amb una lletra a partir de jocs de paraules amb noms d’ocells, seguint els cànons estilístics de Port Bo. No tenim la garantia que sigui una sardana amb una estructura correcta per ballar-la (no en sabem prou)… però què hi farem?, no es pot tenir tot. També ens feia il·lusió posar recursos vocals sorprenents, ja que és part de la nostra identitat, i feia temps que volíem aprofitar les nostres habilitats en el xiulet com a recurs musical virtuós, inspirant-nos especialment en la figura de Roger Whitaker.

Aquesta cançó va ser creada el 2020, durant la pandèmia, i és fruit d’una llarga amistat que ens uneix amb les Tarta Relena: per a nosaltres, un dels millors grups de Catalunya. La peça és una oda a la necessitat de cantar en conjunt com a forma de teràpia, inspirant-nos en la dita “qui canta els seus mals espanta“. Com que la lletra versa sobre una planta, vam decidir anomenar-la “Strelitzia”, una flor anomenada ‘Au del Paradís’, per poder incloure-la al disc sense que estigués descontextualitzada. Musicalment, combinem els cants búlgars i georgians tradicionals, on les veus s’entrellacen de manera que sempre hi ha una línia que fa la mateixa nota i generen harmonies dissonants i misterioses, i aquesta línia melòdica la canten alhora moltes veus, creant un efecte molt poderós. També hi apareix l’harmonia amb veu gutural pròpia del ‘cantu a tenore’ de Sardenya i un arranjament musical inspirat en la taranta i la pizzica de la regió del Salento, al sud d’Itàlia, que es caracteritza per melodies repetitives a tota velocitat i augments de tempo.

For some time we wanted to do a sinfonic song that lasted about half an hour and with a very epic orchestral arrangement. In the end it couldn’t last half an hour because sometimes it gives us to be realistic and such, but we have tried to be very faithful to the rest. It’s the biggest collaborative project we’ve ever done, simulating an orchestra of more than 50 people with only 13 in the studio. The lyrics are ours, on the melodies of three different sea shanties: High Barbary, Shiney Oh and Spanish Ladies. In the end we are left with a kind of very short musical, reminiscent of the soundtrack of the movie Pirates of the Caribbean, which we consider an absolute victory and a beautiful tribute to a key component of the cinema of our childhood.

This is a shanty that we have been singing for a few years. We used to sing it acapella and without additions of any kind, but it made us want to play with it and add things to it. So we decided to change the beat to each verse and add two of our favorite tunes, Cork Hornpipe (traditional irish tune) and the jig Mouse in the Kitchen (by Colin Farrell), which we also played for a long time and remind us a lot of our beginnings, when we still did not know very well where all of this would take us all. We hope it brings back to you fond memories like it does to us.

This is one of the Sea Shanties we learned in England, walking around a maritime festival in a beautiful harbor village. And in fact, as it turns out, once we got home we were like a month with the melody in our head. We tried to make a simple version without modifying it much. Remarkable presence of the “clawhammer” banjo, by the way. We hope it gets stuck in your mind as it is in ours.

Bully in the Alley is a very classic Sea Shanty from the popular repertoire. We’ve left you a sweet surprise at the end, influenced by the barbershop quartets. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Eliza Lee is one of those Sea Shanties that we left to England not knowing and came back singing. Apart from the praises to a ship, which are always good to mention, we have added a bodhran, which attached to the sound of a cappella voices generates an atmosphere that we had the feeling that had to happen for so long. If you don’t like to be a peach and you want to be in, this is for you.

Pass Around the Grog is one of the most beautiful shanties we have ever sung. Not only are the melodies and harmonies very cuddly but the lyrics talk about sharing, drinking and being friends. If you like things that are cool, you will like it.

Pay Me my Money Down is another of our favorite songs when it comes to singing at Sea Shanties festivals, for quite some time now. Aside from being a fun lyric, it’s very easy to learn, it’s very catchy and it’s allowed us to cross it with music like trad jazz or ragtime. Highly recommended for anyone who likes music to be happy.

Don’t Forget your Old Shipmates is a noble and solemn song that may remind you the scene of the dinner with the captain from the movie Master and Commander, but apart from that we also like it a lot because it reminds us all the time that we must never forget the people who accompany you on voyages through the seven seas. We’ve been singing it for a long time and it’s been a long time since we had to record it, and we finally did it like six years later.

Roll the Woodpile Down is another must-learn song after our trips to Sea Shanty festivals. There’s a very epic Sus4 at the end, which sounds like those last scenes of a movie when the soundtrack makes you cry. If you have feelings, you will like it.

If we already tend to be unorthodox, the version of this sea shanty that we present on this new album is even less so. From dubstep to ragtime and from iodel to trap, without any shame. We ask that you listen to it with the seriousness it deserves.

It took us quite by surprise that this Sea Shanty went so viral on Tik Tok, and in fact we would have taken out this track and the rest of the album before if it weren’t for the fact that our previous work had a spectacular reception and deserved more time to to be able to make a worth presentation and tour. Despite the excuses, what is undeniable is that, once again, we are very late in fashion. But as some people say, “It’s never too late for Sea Shanties.” Well, “some people” is us.

During a twitch live, where we asked to be sent songs we did not know to learn them live, our beloved family of patrons proposed this traditional Catalan theme, collected by Joan Amades in the songbook of Folklore de Catalunya (1951). The delicacy of the melody in contrast to the harshness of the lyrics caught our attention, and Guillem couldn’t get it out of his head. Apart from being the most similar we have heard to a Sea Shanty of our land and in Catalan, it speaks very kindly of cannibalism on the high seas, which seems very wise to us. We hope you find it wise too.

Whip Jamboree is a Shanty that we felt we had to learn and sing for a long time, but we didn’t know whether to do it orthodoxly or just let go a bit. Miquel had been thinking of doing a Shanty reggae for a long time but didn’t know which one would look good, and Ramón proposed Whip Jamboree. His proposal was received with much fire and much forward. We hope you receive it the same way. Vybz.

Did you know that…

if you read all the descriptions…

of all songs…

of this album…

you will end up…

discovering…

one of the utmost…

secrets…

of the group?…

I’ve done this because…

I don’t think anybody reads this…

well, the secret is… THE RECEIPE FOR THE GUISOTE DEL TIO BENITO!

you’ll find it here

here

This set we made as a tribute to Dolores, the mother of Ramon, for having let us rehearse in her house for three years and have been so kind to us. We make it extendable to the families of each and every one of us who also have their home rehearsing often.

It’s a set of three jigs, Calliope House, When The Cock Crows it is Day, and Up Leitrim. With this piece we wanted to convey our love of Celtic music and arrange as well as we could.

We have tried to tell the group’s story musically. They enter playing Adrià and Ramon and quickly add Guillem and all three play the tune of the first jig. The accompanying violin then goes on, but it will not be until after the entry of Martí that Miquel adds to the melody and closes the current training.

In the second jig we worked rhythmic accompaniment in a way that we had not done before, creating a rhythm before beginning the melody, inspired by groups such as Lúnasa. We also added a Talisk-style interlude where the melody left room for harmony and atmosphere.

Lime Scurvy is a song by American Susie Deane and Sarah R Newcomb (under the pseudonym Elliot Crawford Finch) with the original title of The Capitain’s Shanty. Our arrangement wants to enhance the concept of mixing a sea shanty with Celtic tones with a frenetic style we discovered with Johnny Comes Down to Hilo.
The rollers that come out are Flogging Reel, Boys of Malin and Mc Arthur’s Road. Each one is in a different tone, and for the transitions we took inspiration from American folk artists like We Banjo 3 or Chris Thile.

Lime Scurvy is a shanty and humorous being that is written as someone who has never gone to the sea wrote. This idea is important in our group, since for us music is a way of traveling through the imagination. This, and that we have never sailed. We discovered her on the record for The Mollyhawks, John and Sue’s group, who brought us to England for the first time.

I’ve been a sailor since my birth
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Took my home, for all it’s worth
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum

Lime, scurvy, ambergris and marmalade
Hoist the petard, and we’ll haul away the bully boys
Lime, scurvy, ambergris and blubber, we’re
Bound for Cincinnati

Sight the bowsprit, down the grog
Carve the turkey in the log.

Come the day she’s out of port
Keel the bosun o’er the thwart.

Through a fluke the spout did wail,
And that’s the end of my scrimshaw tale.

This song is inspired by the world of Asterix and Obelix and wants to be in a way a tribute to comics that we like very much to everyone.

Having started recording the album, and being aware that All is Part of Being a Pirate is our hit, we realized that there was no song that had a sympathetic and childhood spirit. So, thinking that the utility of the menhirs is not clear, it made us very funny to make a song explaining the virtues as if it were an advertisement.

For this song we included for the first time the resource of lilting, a form of traditional Irish song that consists in interpreting the tunes using syllables without meaning.

És una pedra llarga que haureu d’enterrar una mica
Perquè quedi mirant ben amunt com una llança o una pica
No en fareu un bon ús com a flotador o com a canica
la seva funció tot just l’explica la cançó

El menhir és bo per diddly daddly dom
El menhir serveix per diddly daddly dom
Però el millor que té el menhir és que diddly daddly skiddly daddly diddly daddly hey!

Menhirs, menhirs, menhirs de tota mena
Som la confraria del menhir
Cantem, ballem, a ritme de boixarda
Enlloc no trobareu pas un menhir millor

Tan li fa quin sigui el teu monument funerari preferit
Un crómlech, una tomba, un cenotafi o un dolmen de granit
N’hi ha de totes les mides: grans, mitjans i algun més esquifit
Sigui com sigui en menhirs no hi ha res escrit

El menhir és bo per…

Menhirs, menhirs, menhirs de tota mena…

El menhir pot ser petit, per la tauleta de nit
El menhir pot ser molt gran, per la porxada del davant
El menhir pot ser menut, pots portar-lo a l’institut
El menhir pot ser gegant, i amb llumetes al voltant

Diim-di dadl-di didl-di dum
Didli diim-li dadl-di didi-li daa
Didl-di dadl-di didli-ai dum
Skidldi-dadli dom-pa dum didl-di

Diim-di adl-di dadl-di dum
Didli diim-di dadl-di didl-di daa
Lidli-ai-dom-ladl didl-di dey
Skidldi dadldi dom

El menhir pot ser petit
Enriqueix el sofregit
El menhir pot ser molt gran
Perquè hi segui l’elefant
El menhir pot ser menut
Va molt bé per l’escorbut

Menhirs, menhirs de tota mena…

Santianna is also a traditional sea shanty. It was the first that we learned as a group and during the first stage we sang it acapella. The title of the song comes from the Mexican commander Antonio López de Santa Anna, who fought against the United States in the war of 1846. We recorded it a long time ago in a video like Santy Ano, another version of the title, but we did modify for anatomical reasons.

We thought it would be very powerful if we mixed it with a style inspired by metal music. That is why we sought two reels, Catharsis (written by Amy Cann) i Tongadale (written by Farquhar MacDonaldand), which had a lower pitch and remembered groups like Children of Bodom.

We tried to add genre equity, such as third-party arpeggios, guttural voices, blast-beats, etc. inspired by bands like Alestorm or Ensiferum. We adapted the letter to make it more pirated and thus give it a more aggressive character.

We are sailing down the river from Liverpool
Heave away, santianna
Them sails are set and the hatchers full
All across the plains of Mexico, and it’s

Heave her up, and away we’ll go, away Santianna
Heave her up, and away we’ll go, all across the plains of Mexico
We’re a fast clipper ship and a bully good crew
Capitain’s got a wooden leg and a parrot too

The deeds we do will forever be told
We sail for fame and we kill for gold

We’re hunting a treasure buried deep below
Around cape horn through the ice and snow

In Mexico I long to be
With a tankard of ale awaiting me

In Mexico with the golden shore
Where the rum’s so good you always ask for more

For Maggie May we wanted to make a song in a strictly bluegrass style. Bluegrass is a form of country music originated by Bill Monroe in the 1940’s, characterized by fast tempos and vocal harmonies. To mix it with sailor songs we found Maggie May, a traditional Liverpool song that has the same harmony as many standards in the genre.

In 2014 we already tried bluegrass in a rehearsal and it sounded so bad we didn’t try it again until 4 years later. On our trip to the United States in July 2019 we were lucky enough to meet David McLaughlin, the mandolin player of The Johnson Mountain Boys, thanks to which we could learn the peculiarities of the first-hand style. This is the first time we have recorded a song with solos, which is an indispensable element of bluegrass and the truth is that it has cost a lot and we are quite satisfied.

Oh Maggie, Maggie May they have taken you away
You’ll never walk down Lime street anymore
For you robbed so many sailors and skinned so many whalers
You clever, no good, robbing Maggie May

Now gather round you sailor boys, and listen to my plea
And when you’ve heard my tale, oh, pity me
For I was a ready fool in the port of Liverpool
The first time that I come home from sea

I was paid off at the home from the port of Sierra Leone
Four pounds in a month it was me pay
With a pocket full of tin I was very soon took in
By a girl with the name of Maggie May

Oh Maggie, Maggie May they have taken you away…

Oh, well do I remember when I first met Maggie May
She was cruising up and down in Canning Place
She had a figure so divine, like a frigate of the line
And me being just a sailor, I gave chase

In the morning I awoke, I was flat and stoney broke
No jacket, trousers, waistcoat could I find
When I asked her where they were she said “My very good sir,
They’re down in Kelly’s Pawnshop number nine”

Oh Maggie, Maggie May they have taken you away…

Well, to the pawnshop I did go but no clothes there could I find
The policeman came and took that girl away
The judge he guilty found her, of robbing a homeward–bounder
And paid her passage back to Botany Bay

She was chained and sent away from Liverpool one day,
The lads all cried as she sailed down the bay,
And every sailor lad, was sad, but sort of glad
They’d sent away mischievous Maggie May

Oh Maggie, Maggie May they have taken you away…

One day William said “we have to compose a havanera if we compose a havanera we will be the bosses ajaj”. So we decided to compose for the first time a song entirely ourselves using the Havanera’s own resources. The letter speaks of Bartholomew the Portuguese, a 17th-century royal pirate famous for being the first captain to install a pirate code among crew. It also seems that I did not know how to swim. We found his story to be very wise and that is why we wanted to tell it in a sympathetic and moving way.

We wanted to include the mandolin and the viola, two unusual instruments in the habanera, to give a sound closer to the Irish ballad. In addition, for the first time Martí has sung as the lead voice in the group, which has made us very excited.

En un moll a l’illa de Tortuga
Enmig del bullici i la gent del carrer
Sota un vell barret s’aixopluga
El gest taciturn d’un vell bucaner

És famós pel mar de les antilles
I diuen que busca una tripulació
es diu que quan hi ha abordatge
Evitant ser vist a coberta
Sota el lleu balanceig de l’onatge
treu del seu cofre, un flotador

I surt carregat amb la daga i un sabre
Salta per la borda ja comença l’assalt
Va armat fins les dents però duu una bombolleta
Ha d’anar en compte si cau a la mar

I quan bufa llevant i a coberta hi ha aigua
Cal anar amb molt de compte, no pot pas relliscar
Agafa els manguets, però li fa vergonyeta,
A ell mai ningú li va ensenyar a nedar

Ha lluitat en més de mil batalles
el seu nom ressona en tavernes i bars
Els avis contaran rondalles
Del pirata que antany va conquerir els set mars

Sempre amb un fidel lloro a l’espatlla
una bandera negra oneja al pal major
i les naus fugen acovardides
temeroses de perdre la vida
en veure a la popa una figura erguida
amb un garfi, una espasa i un flotador

I sovint enyorant la terra i els arbres
En quan era jove i va triar el camí
No hi va pensar prou, ell no hi va pas caure
No sempre s’encerta quin ofici escollir

I guarda el flotador, tot pensant amb nostàlgia:
“maleït el dia que em vaig fer a la mar”
“maleït el dia que em vaig fer a la mar”

Sam’s Gone Away is a lively, lively traditional sea shanty. Changes from stanza to stanza bring us back some summers, when two members of the group first visited the Falmouth festival, almost illiterate in the matter. There we saw a reputed sea shanties singer shuffle at the beginning of each stanza randomly. At first it pleased some more than others, but over time the idea of ​​putting it into practice in this song excelled us all.

In its origin, each stanza refers to a craft or charge on board. But we were cold and weird because we are not expert sailors and we are far from it. So we felt it was better to talk about the instruments we played, to be closer to them than to navigate. This argument might be inconsistent considering the lyrics of other sea shanties we sing, but well.

I wish I was the banjo man on board a man-o-war,
Sam’s gone away, on board a man-o-war.
I wish I was the banjo man on board a man-o-war,
Sam’s gone away, on board a man-o-war.

Pretty work, brave boys, pretty work, I say.
Sam’s gone away, on board a man-o-war.
I wish I played the mandolin on board a man-o-war

I wish I was the fiddler on board a man-o-war

I wish I played the double bass on board a man-o-war

I wish I was the whistler on board a man-o-war

This set was made with the intention of delving into the Mediterranean folk sound. That’s why we put together Nihavend Longa, a piece by 19th-century Ottoman songwriter Kevser Hanim, Don Corleone’s Sicilian Tarantella (of which we have no more information than spotify lol audio), and Krivo Horo, a Bulgarian folk dance. -We know that Bulgaria does not give the Mediterranean but hopefully you can skip this detail.

The peculiarity of this set is that each of the tunes is in a different compass, 4/4, 6/8 and 13/16, and they are linked using amalgam bars. Percussion also plays an important role, since we use Darbuka and Blessing, traditional North African instruments and the Italian tamburello. For the first time, we also include the accordion, which is very common in Mediterranean music, and harp, an instrument that is widely used in folk music throughout the world.

The title comes from a joke about the Fox Fox and the Simpy, the Italian name that has the crows saberes from North Africa, Middle East and India.

In this song we wanted to mix the blues of bluegrass, sea shanties, American yodel and Irish tones to make a frantic and carefree combination.

We accompanied the shanty “A rolling down the river” with the tunes of Saint Anne’s Reel and Hommage to Edmond Parizeau – or Tactum reel, because the day we learned Martin he went to a hairdresser called Tactum – and two yodels voices inspired by artists like Franzl Lang and Jimmie Rodgers. In addition, the song changes in tone constantly and for the first time includes the banjo of 5 strings playing melodies.

The arabella set the main topsail
The arabella set the main topsail
The arabella set the main topsail
A Rollin down the river 

Rollin’ down, rollin’ down,
Rollin’ down the river,
Rollin’ down, Rollin’ down,
Said the bucko mate to the greaser’s wife 

A pumpkin pudding an’ a bulgine pie,
A pumpkin pudding an’ a bulgine pie,
A pumpkin pudding an’ a bulgine pie,
On board the Arabella

The arabella said the main foresail…

The arabella set the main royal…

The arabella said the yodeleiri
The arabella said the tri orouri orouri
The arabella said the triri orouri orouri

A Rollin down the river 

This song is a shanty being that talks about alcoholic beverages. History tells that at the death of Admiral Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar, the English returned their bodies in a rum barrel. In honor of this fact the grog -rom with sugar and lemon-was known as Nelson’s Blood. Thus the song says “a drop of Nelson’s blood will do us no harm”, and in each stanza the drink is alternated.

We wanted to add Qui-Gon Gin and Petyr Bailey’s to our imaginary drinks to make us laugh. You will find them being served in the Pirate video clip.

We have traditionally wanted to vindicate the acapella music of sailor songs. We have shouted and shouted to give a more aggressive sound and vocals to create the feeling of a crew’s own crowd.

A drop of Nelson’s blood wouldn’t do us any harm
a drop of Nelson’s blood wouldn’t do us any harm
a drop of Nelson’s blood wouldn’t do us any harm
And we’ll all hang on behind.

So we’ll roll the old chariot along
An’ we’ll roll the golden chariot along.
So we’ll roll the old chariot along
An’ we’ll all hang on behind!

A Petyr Bailey’s cup wouldn’t do us any harm

A little mug of beer wouldn’t do us any harm

A bottle of rum wouldn’t do us any harm

A Qui-gon Gin wouldn’t do us any harm

Roll Down is a piece of the folk opera The Transports (1977) by Peter Bellamy and is a regular song at Sea Shanties festivals. This is the first song we made for this album, when at first we conceived it strictly as a record of marine music.

We used to sing the original version, using the barbershop quartet’s own resources, a type of popular vocal group in the United States.

We decided to put a video clip for our friend Miquel Zelich to have a boat and we thought it would be very nice. Once we saw the video clip we saw that without accompanying instruments there was too little to go and we decided to arrange it. Any similarity with the advertising campaigns of a well-known beer brand with the name of a celestial body followed by the word barley but changing the O by a D, the R for A and D and I for two M is pure coincidence.

Ye ladies of Ply-mouth, we bid you good-bye,
Roll-oll, roll-oll-oll down!
We will rock you and roll you again by and by,
Walk a-round, me brave boys, and roll down!

And we’ll roll-oll, roll-oll-oll down,
Walk a-round, me brave boys, and roll down!

The anchor’s away and the sails are unfurled,
We’re bound for to sail her halfway ’round the world,

In the deep Bay of Biscay the seas do run high,
Them poor weary transports they’ll wish they could die,

When the great southern whales on our quarter do spout,
Them poor weary transports, they’ll goggle and shout,

When at last we draw near to Australia’s bold strand,
Them poor weary transports, they’ll long for the land,

Then, sweet ladies of Plymouth, we’ll pay all your rent,
And go roving no more till our money’s all spent, 

And when we set sail for the old England’s shore
The poor stranded transports will see them no more

This song is a tribute to the absurd humor that characterizes us. In it we wanted to create a surrealistic letter from the imaginary pairs that we publish on social networks. The original song is Muirsheen Durkin, and it was during our first tour of England that we began to sing the tune by phrasing with the characters in our imaginary.

At first we did not know if to put it on the disk for fear that nobody understood anything but made us so much laugh that we could not avoid it. In fact, it was going to be the single from the album but in the end it did not jajjaj.

So to make it more bearable we have accompanied it with “Wedding Polka,” which is very happy.

By the way, you will find several references to this letter in the video “Everything is part of being a pirate.”

Petyr espavila, aixeca’t de la cadira
que ja són quarts de dotze i avui l’August fa anys
l’ocellison Saviola escolta dubstep amb gramola
i el petyrson dimitri es fa la de carlemanys

Pipi el breu El Poliorceta se’n va a la illa d’Staffa
i l’emperador Còmode a Timor Oriental
en Ferus Mustafov amb el Bendir treu molt de “forward”
i Alfons X el Savi esmorzant amb l’Avi Guineu

Petyr espavila, aixeca’t de la cadira…

El Genís va amb monocicle fugint d’una escalopendra
Practicant Silbo gomero amb el Khal Drogo fals
L’Amenofis diu dispensi a les ponències del simposi
i l’August va en tetrarodi, no ha agafat el Trolebus

Petyr espavila, aixeca’t de la cadira…

Modus operandi millor prestec lingúistic
Dumbleoscar i avogadro entrenen a l’escola TARR
Cant redoblat mol clau
per fer-se Bounces amb el Reason
birreta i patatones a la plaça del sol.

Petyr espavila, aixeca’t de la cadira…

Jejejejejejejeje icsde iolo lol saludos
mol camine amb l’octobasso Corvus Corax millo grup
l’egagropilson potassi passeja un Amargasaurus
i el senyor Kaminari fa un palíndrom a la Vnag

Petyr espavila, aixeca’t de la cadira…

Franz Lang i Mark Panofler van baixant per el carrer Mandri
i escriuen Tell Me Ma amb l’Arquimandrita Serafí
Cafe de bon matí perque si no no sóc persona
i el Pony Pizzella ven peyote a Tennesuuu

In this song we wanted to make people get emotional. And not in any way, but using guttural chants as an expressive tool in the service of sentiment and not as a simple anecdote, as in From Erin to Tuva, on the first disc. The thing is, apart from saying jokes, we also know how to make beautiful jope music.

We have arranged the popular song Tuvana Daglarym using resources from the music of Mongolia or Japan and we have been dressed in an orchestral sound typical of the soundtracks. We see it as an evolution of the loudness that we experienced at Scarborough Fair. Various percussions, string and flute section, harmonious textures and tribal rhythms are just some of the tools we have experimented with.

Talïgïrga čoraaštïŋ
Daglarïmnï saktïr men.
Tanïvazïm kadarčï
Taalančïg ïrlap keer.

Uyarančïg ïrïdan
Urug čaš šaam saktïr men.
Xayalarga öškü dozup,
Xalïp-maŋnap čoruur men.

When I travel far,
I often remember my mountains.
A sweet song of shepherd,
that reminds me of that time.

Sad sad ballad,
childhood memories suddenly appear.
As if again,
following the sheep in the mountain.

A Wild Trip is a two-ton set: American Wild Fiddlers Rag from “Big” Howdy Forrester and Canadian’s Trip To Windsor Dan R. MacDonald. It is a sum of music that travels across the Atlantic.

The sounds of ragtime, blues and swing pass the ball between them to end at a climax of melodic instruments of Celtic music, with an atmosphere of a pop color that is very typical of the folk music of Canada today. Instruments such as the piano, the flute or the Uileann pipes make a first appearance in our music.

The musical traditions that are mixed here generate a familiar and captivating loudness, as if it were a friendly encounter between two cousins not far away. Inspired by such artists as Unusual Suspects, Mark O’Connor, Sharon Shannon, the BBC Transatlantic Sessions series or the directs of the Celtic Colors festival, we were giving shape to this set.

This is the tune that has introduced our concerts for some time now, so we also wanted it to introduce our album. It’s a set compound by the jig The Lark in the morning (which we do not know too much about, only that it is one of the popular jigs in the irish music sessions) and Rolling in the ryegrass (which seems to have its origin in the oral tradition of County Cork, in Ireland, in the mid-nineteenth century).

These melodies have always inspired a lot of rish greenery and suggested us an image of the sun coming out in the early morning, in a field, with the birds singing (the lark is a singer bird). With both the illustration and the sound effects, we wanted to capture this irish morning sensation. It is the song that opens the album, the song that opens the concerts, the morning that opens the day… all very poetic. In addition, we did a small game with the tempo, which is progressively accelerating, to make it sound as close as possible to how it sounds live.

Traditional irish music is usually interpreted as “sets”, which are groups of tunes played one after other. This way you can play with the harmonic and rhythmic changes that exist between pieces, which usually consist of two or more parts. In this case we wanted to play the game with the change between a jig (dance in compass 6/8) and a reel (dance in 4/4).

Adrià Vila: Mandolin and bodhran
Ramon Anglada: Guitar
Guillem Codern: Banjo
Martí Selga: Whistle
Miquel Pérez: Fiddle

Recorded and mixed by Óscar López a.k.a. Dumbleoscar in Input Studio.
Mastered by Ferran Conangla

Johnny comes to Hilo is a sea shanty -sailor song- that we don’t know much about. Apparently, the melody has irish roots, but the verses are fragments of work songs from the Mississippi’s cotton fields mixed with pieces of other shanties and other popular songs. This is because shanties are created from popular songs from workers of diverse origin of the ships and many were invented and mixed on board. Hilo is a city of Hawaii that has a strong commercial activity in the second half of the 19th century. However, we are not sure that the song refers to this city, to another one or anything else, since hilo is a word that appears in many shanties, meaning “dance” or “sing” as a contraction of words “high-low”. In the illustration we wanted appear characterized as slaves in a cotton field and with our musical engineer Dumbleoscar as the head of the plantation chasing us with a shotgun. Also, we wanted to mix it with traditional irish music, we added two reels, Road to Errogie -written by Adam Sutherland- and Superfly -written by Kevin O’Neill-.

I never seen the likes since I been born,
with a big buck sailor with the sea boots on,
“When Johnny comes down to Hilo,
Poor old man!”

Chorus:
Ah! wake her, Ah! shake her,
Ah! wake that girl with the blue dress on!
“When Johnny comes down to Hilo,
Poor old man!”

I love a little girl across de sea,
she’s a Badian beauty, and she says to me,
“Oh! Johnny come down to Hilo,
Poor old man!”

O, was you ebber down in Mobile Bay,
Where dey screws cotton on a summer day?
When Johnny comes down to Hilo,
Poor old man.

Have you ever seen de old PIantation boss
with de long tailed filly and de big black hoss?
“When Johnny come down to Hilo,
Poor old man!”

I never seen the likes since I been born,
with a big buck sailor with the sea boots on,
“When Johnny comes down to Hilo,
Poor old man!”

Adrià Vila: Mandolin and Bodhran and lead vocals
Ramon Anglada: Guitar and voices
Guillem Codern: Banjo and voices
Martí Selga: Low whistle, soprano flute and voices
Miquel Pérez: Fiddle, spoons and voices
Óscar “Garru” Garrobé: Double bass
Recorded and mixed by Óscar López a.k.a. Dumbleoscar to Input Studio.
Mastered by Ferran Conangla
Illustrated illustration by the illustrious Paula Castel

Tot és part de ser un pirata is an adaptation to catalan of Being a pirate, a song written by the canadian singer-songwriter Don Freed (1949). Being a pirate was published in a 1992 work that was called Live ARR! and only came out in a cassette, so we could never hear the original recording. We discovered it at the Falmouth Sea Shantie Festival -United Kingdom-, where many bands sang it a cappella and it was a recurring song in taverns. When we heard it we thought we wanted to do it with the band, but adapting the lyrics.

The song is about the vicissitudes of a pirate life, so for illustration we wanted to caricature us as pirates on a ship sinking. For the intro we wanted to put the Asterix and Obelix pirates in Brittany, known for their bad luck. For the accompaniment of the song we had our beloved Cor Mariner El Pony Pisador recording choirs, hits on the tables and the tavern sounds.

Ser un pirata és molt divertit,
fins que a algú li tallen la mà.
No podràs blandir un sabre per batre’t en duel
o si vols fer un motí al capità.
Hauràs de dur garfi i no tindràs dits
i el banjo no podràs tocar.
Ser un pirata és molt divertit fins que a algú li tallen la mà!

Chorus:
Tot és part de ser un pirata,
no es pot ser un pirata
amb totes les parts.

Ser un pirata és molt divertit,
fins que a algú li buiden un ull.
No podràs dur monocle, però sí un ull de vidre
i posar-lo les nits en remull.
Però si hi ha baralla hauràs de vigilar
que no caigui enmig de l’aldarull.
Ser un pirata és molt divertit fins que a algú li buiden un ull!

Tot és part de ser un pirata…

Ser un pirata és molt divertit,
fins que a algú li trenquen el nas.
No podràs portar ulleres, i en un abordatge
d’encertar seràs incapaç.
Podràs no dutxar-te durant uns quants mesos
que la pudor no notaràs.
Ser un pirata és molt divertit, fins que a algú li trenquen el nas.

Tot és part de ser un pirata…

Ser un pirata és molt divertit,
fins que a algú li trenquen les dents.
Hauràs de menjar farinetes i sopes
si vols algun àpat calent.
No podràs mastegar, però si dur una dent d’or
que tampoc està gens malament.
Ser un pirata és molt divertit fins que a algú li trenquen les dents!

Tot és part de ser un pirata…

Ser un pirata és molt divertit,
fins que a algú li tallen un ou.
No podràs tenir fills però sí comprar un lloro
i que causi un bon enrenou.
Podràs ser un castrati, cantar molt agut!
I guanyar-te un petit sobressou.
Ser un pirata és molt divertit fins que a algú li tallen un ou!

Tot és part de ser un pirata…

Ser un pirata és molt divertit,
fins que a algú li tallen el peu.
Ja no tindràs peu, tampoc tindràs peu,
i a més, et faltarà un peu.
No tindràs dits del peu, perquè no tindràs peu,
i no podràs guanyar el campionat de tenir peu.
Ser un pirata és molt divertit fins que a algú li tallen el peu!

Tot és part de ser un pirata…

Tot és part de ser un pirata,
menys no ser un pirata,
que no és part de ser un pirata.

Adrià Vila: does his best
Ramon Anglada: does his best
Guillem Codern: highest voice
Martí Selga: lowest voice
Miquel Pérez: the voice that remains

Recorded and mixed by Óscar López a.k.a. Dumbleoscar in Input Studio.
Sound efects, noises and chorus recorded by Marc Garcia and the members of Cor Mariner El Pony Pisador at Casa Groga
Masteritzat per Ferran Conangla

One of the things that we wanted to do on the album was to mix irish music with throat singing. This set incorporates a fragment with Tuvan throat singing from the Russian republic of Tuva, in the north of Mongolia – a guttural singing style that, through the amplification of voice’s harmonics, allows the performer to make two simultaneous notes-.

In the first fragment we can hear some of the most important styles of harmonic singing, such as Khoomei and Sygyt, where the harmonics of the voice get amplified, creating a sound similar to a whistle. Through the modulations and phrasings of this whistle, the tuvan nomads seek to imitate the whistle of the wind, the song of the birds or the whisperings of the water sprouting through the streams, which is why we must understand them as sounds related to nature. The mastery of this singing technique allows the performer to make melodies with the harmonics, as we can hear in this tune.

In the second part we can hear the Kargyraa, a completely guttural song style where the harmonic sounds of the voice are amplified, creating such a powerful and snoring sound that the tuvans use to mimic the sound of the iaks and to sing the sound of the mountains.

Regarding melodies, Banish Misfortune -jig, trad. irish- takes the name of the use that was given to the melody to eliminate bad spirits and bad luck, Cliffs Of Moher -jig, trad. Irish-, It is named after the cliffs on the west coast of Ireland -shown in the illustration- where the tune was picked up for the first time. Finally, Farewell to Ireland is the evolution of an 18th century Scottish dance called Highlander’s Farewell to Ireland.

Performing this last reel in a pub in Ireland, a gentleman said that this tune is called Farewell to Erin and not Ireland, but according to the documents that collect it, the name Farewell to Erin corresponds to another melody . Erin is Ireland in Gaelic.

Adrià Vila: Mandolin and bodhran
Ramon Anglada: Guitar
Guillem Codern: Banjo and throat singing
Martí Selga: Whistle
Miquel Pérez: Fiddle

Recorded and mixed by Óscar López a.k.a. Dumbleoscar in Input Studio.
Mastered by Ferran Conangla

Haul Away Joe is a very famous shanty sea and is especially important to us because it was the first time mixed shanties with irish music. Haul means stretching and is one of the most common on-board words in seafaring songs. Normally, the word appears on the chorus indicates that the shanty was used for this task -stretch strings to raise candles, carry anchors …-. We have accompanied Haul Away Joe with Fisher’s Hornpipe, a dance from the eighteenth century that supposedly takes the name of the man who wrote it, Fisher, who is not yet clear who he is. The hornpipes are dances similar to the reels, but with the origin of the marine tradition, which became very popular in the early nineteenth century. It is also very common as a fiddle tune in the music of Appalachian -old time, bluegrass-. Originally, the chorus says “Haul!”, But we decided to change it for “Yarr!” Because it is a pirate yell and it is much better.

When I was a little lad and so my mommy told me
Away, haul away, we’ll haul away Joe
That if I never kissed a girl my lips would all grow moldy
Away, haul away, we’ll haul away Joe

Chorus:
And away, YARR!! Haul away, we haul away together!
Away, haul away, we’ll haul away Joe
And away, YARR!! Haul away, we haul for better weather
Away, haul away, we’ll haul away Joe

King Louis was the King of France before the revolution
Away, haul away, we’ll haul away Joe
But then he got his head cut off which spoiled his constitution
Away, haul away, we’ll haul away Joe

The cook is in the galley, boys, making duff so handy
Away, haul away, we’ll haul away Joe
The capitain in his cabin, lads, drinking wine and brandy
Away, haul away, we’ll haul away Joe

Hey can’t you see, the stormy clouds arising
Away, haul away, we’ll haul away Joe
Hey, can’t you see, the black clouds are gathering
Away, haul away, we’ll haul away Joe

Adrià Vila: Mandolin and voices
Ramon Anglada: Guitar and voices
Guillem Codern: Banjo and voices
Martí Selga: Whistle and voices
Miquel Pérez: Fiddle, spoons and main voice
Óscar “Garru” Garrobé: Double bass
Recorded and mixed by Óscar López a.k.a. Dumbleoscar to Input Studio.
Mastered by Ferran Conangla
Illustrated illustration by the illustrious Ra Paredes

Desembarca Jordi is a music adaptation of Leave Her, Johnny, a sea shanty sung by English-speaking sailors during the nineteenth century. This shanty in particular, was used to sing when the trip barely finished and touched to pick up the boat. While they emptied the ship’s water at a bucket, they cleaned or lowered the cargo of the cellars they sang “leave her Johnny, leave her,” referring to the boat they were just about to give up. The drawing shows five youngsters unloading a ship, while three gentlemen drink in a table in a fishing port.

We were very excited to do a collaboration with the Port Bo, because is one of our favorite bands, and mix shanties with the havaneras. We wanted to adapt the song, taking it halfway between the havanera and the irish ballad, and it is also worth saying that we have given it a somewhat more sentimental point than the English version. In the original version, often the sailors complained about the conditions of boarding or mocked the captain or the cook.

Després de tant temps a bord d’un veler
Desembarca Jordi
Posa rumb a terra timoner
Que a casa volen que tornis

Chorus:
Desembarca Jordi, oh desembarca Jordi
Posa rumb a terra timoner
Que a casa volen que tornis

I ara que a alta mar ja no bufa vent
Recorda el teu poble i la teva gent

I canta feliç la tripulació
Tot plegant les veles del pal major

I ara que la calma ha arribat a bord
Recull el teu sou i baixem a port

Diguem-nos adéu i acabem el rom
S’ha acabat voltar i navegar pel món

Adrià Vila: Mandolin and voice
Ramon Anglada: Guitar and voice
Guillem Codern: Voice and harmonica
Martí Selga: Only sings
Miquel Pérez: Only sings

Third and fourth verses sung by Port Bo: Carles Casanovas, Josep Nadal i Mineu Ferrer.

Recorded and mixed by Óscar López a.k.a. Dumbleoscar in Input Studio.
Mastered by Ferran Conangla

Paddy Lay Back is a sea shanty  who tells the story of a man who spends all his money in bad life and decides to join a ship to recover them. The verses explain the vengeance of this sailor on board the Sirius, and the chorus sing something like “Paddy, rest, tomorrow morning we have to sail”. The chorus also exclaim “Take a turn around the capstain heave to pawl!”, a marine phrase to be encouraged while turning the winch, the pulley used to hoist the sails or to lift large weights, such as the anchor. Shanties are the songs that were singing cappella on board ships to accompany and make boarder work (in this case, turn winch). This song we wanted to record in the most traditional style, without any accompaniment.

It was a cold and frosty morning in December, (December)
And all of me money it was spent (spent, spent),
Where it went to Lord I can’t remember (remember),
So down to the shippin’ office went, (went, went),

Chorus:
Paddy, lay back (Paddy, lay back)!
Take in yer slack (take in yer slack)!
Take a turn around the capstan, heave a pawl!
All around ship, stations, boys, be handy!
For we’re bound for Valaparaiso ’round the Horn!

That day I heard there was a great demand for sailors (sailors!),
For the Colonies for ‘Frisco and for France (Oh, mondieu!),
So I shipped aboard the Haddock’s boat the Sirius (the Sirius),
And got paralytic drunk on my advance (‘vance, ‘vance),

Now I joined her on a cold December mornin’, (the morning!)
A-frappin’ o’ me flippers to keep me warm. (yoreleí)
With the south cone a-hoisted as a warnin’, (a warning!)
To stand by the comin’ 0′ a storm. (llamps i trons!)

Now some of our fellers had been drinkin’, (been drinkin’)
An’ I meself wuz heavy on the booze; (nit bus!)
An’ I wuz on me ol’ sea-chest a-thinkin’ (a thinkin’?)
I’d turn into me bunk an’ have a snooze.

I woke up in the mornin’ sick an’ sore, (soooooore)
An’ knew I wuz outward bound again; (we’re bound again!)
When I heard a voice a-bawlin’ at the door, (the door?)
‘Lay aft, men, an’ answer to yer names!’ (YARR! Aixequeu-vos!)

Adrià Vila: does his best
Ramon Anglada: does his best
Guillem Codern: highest voice
Martí Selga: lowest voice
Miquel Pérez: the voice that remains

Recorded and mixed by Óscar López a.k.a. Dumbleoscar in Input Studio.
Masteritzat per Ferran Conangla

Concili cefalòpode a Malgrat de Mar is an adaptation of Ich Wünsch ‘Mir Eine Jodlerbraut, written by Toni Sülzbock and Max Reindl for the illustrious interpreter Franzl Lang. Der Königsjodler (1961) was one of the earliest records of recorded music in Europe. The yodel is a form of singing where the singer alternates falsetto with chest voice. Many experts place their origins in the Swiss Alps but some say that yodel comes from tribal songs in some areas of the USA, where it is also very important. Others argue that he came with the Germanic immigrants from Pennsylvania in the 19th century. In any case, the yodel is a form of song that apart from Germanic music can be found in country music, Hawaiian music or Indian music. Franzl Lang (Munich, 1930 – 2015) is considered the most important yodel interpreter of all time. Known as Der Königsjodler (The King of the Yodel) he was a true pioneer and some of his songs are now classics of germanic yodel. We have to say, El Pony Pisador have a profound admiration to him and that is why we updated a song of his. Since we were not very clear how to translate a song from German, we made lyrics about cephalopods that meet in Malgrat de Mar to debate, but they always end up singing yodel.

Quan s’escalfa l’aigua i arriba l’estiu
I a les nits comença a clarejar
Totes les bestioles surten del seu niu
A les costes de Malgrat de Mar

Es troben per les roques vora l’espigó
I debaten sobre el món marí
Que la música els agrada molt a tots
Però sempre els porta a discutir

I aquest matí els pops han dit – yodel
Que volen poder cantar a la nit – yodel
Que ells no necessiten descansar – yodel
I en tot cas ja dormiran demà – yodel

I cada any passa el mateix, mai no es posen d’acord
Fins quan poden fer soroll els animals del port

I malgrat la llarga discussió – yodel
No han pogut trobar a cap solució – yodel
I al final s’han posat a cantar – yodel
Que ja n’hi ha prou de discutir sobre un tema tant vulgar
en el concili cefalòpode a Malgrat de Mar

Yodel

Si baixes per les costes prop del litoral
O vas a la platja cap al tard
Podràs veure cantar tots aquells animals
Nàutils, sèpies, pops i un calamar

Però avui els peixos s’han queixat – yodel
Que sempre que canten tots plegats – yodel
Només cal que n’hi hagi dos o tres – yodel
S’omple tot de tinta i no es veu res – yodel

I pobres bestioles ells no ho fan expressament
Però ser un cefalòpode pot ser un inconvenient

Malgrat la llarga discussió – yodel
No han pogut trobar cap solució – yodel
I de nou s’han posat a cantar – yodel
Perquè és inutil discutir sobre un tema tant vulgar
en el concili cefalopode a Malgrat de Mar

Yodel

Adrià Vila: he was going to sing but in the end no
Ramon Anglada: Guitar
Guillem Codern: Main voice and yodel
Martí Selga: Double bass
Miquel Pérez: Percussions
Carles Escrig: Accordion
Claudi Cuxart: Flute
Cesc Morell: Clarinet
Oriol Escolano: Trumpet
Román Sánchez: Trombone
Bernat Jamal: Bombo
Recorded and mixed by Óscar López a.k.a. Dumbleoscar to Input Studio.
Boxes and double bass record recorded at El Llimoner Verd
Mastered by Ferran Conangla
Illustrated illustration by the illustrious Mar Mascaró

The leaving of Liverpool is a traditional song with a slightly blurry origin. It is the story of someone who leaves the person who loves Liverpool to go to California. Both the United Kingdom and the U.S. have been populated by irish migrants, and this song is part of the irish oral tradition and has been interpreted by many groups. It’s one of the songs that inspired us, a few years ago, to set up the group.

The port of Liverpool was one of the most common starting points to leave England, and the Prince’s wharf was where transatlantic ships left. The Davy Crockett was a real ship: a clipper, a type of very fast ship used in the nineteenth century. The ship arrived at the port of Liverpool in 1863, commanded by captain John A. Burgess.

In addition, we allowed a small luxury and we introduced a small barbershop music intro.The barbershop quartets were a capella quartets that became very famous in the United States during the 40s.

Fare the well to you, my own true love
I am going far, far away
I am bound for California
But I know that I’ll return some day

Farewell to Prince’s Landing Stage
River Mersey, fare thee well
I am bound for California,
A place I know right well

Chorus:
So fare thee well, my own true love
For when I return, united we will be
It’s not the leaving of Liverpool that grieves me
But my darling when I think of thee

I am bound for the Yankee sailing ship
Davy Crockett is her name
And Burgess is the Captain of her
And they that say she’s a floating hell

So fare thee well…

Me ship is on the harbour, love
And I wish I could remain
But I know it will be a long, long time
Till I see you again

So fare thee well…

Adrià Vila: Mandolin and voices
Ramon Anglada: Guitar and voices
Guillem Codern: Banjo, harmonica and voices
Martí Selga: Whistle and voices
Miquel Pérez: Fiddle and voices

Oscar “Garru” Garrobé: Double-bass

Recorded and mixed by Óscar López a.k.a. Dumbleoscar in Input Studio.
Mastered by Ferran Conangla

Miner’s Life (or Miner’s Lifeguard) is a popular song of the 19th-century American mining unions. This is an adaptation of Life Is Like A Mountain Railroad, a protestant religious song of the time, which originated in the welsh anthem Calon Lân. The majority of songs of mining unions of the time are versions with vindicating letters of known melodies of religious songs and other melodies that all the miners could know.

The return is a song to the mining union: it says to the miners of the union that they do not listen to the stories of the masters, who watch their wages and have their eyes on the scales. This last phrase is due to the custom that the owners of coal mines had to take out of the cars before the miners could make the count to have to pay less.

Miner’s Life is like a sailor’s,
Onboard a ship to cross the waves,
Every day his life’s in danger
Still he ventures, being brave.
Watch those rocks, they’re falling daily,
Careless miners always fail;
Keep your hands upon your wages
And your eyes upon the scale.

Union miners, stand together,
Do not heed the owners’ tale,
Keep your hands upon your wages
And your eyes upon the scale.

You’ve been docked, and docked again boys,
You’ve been loading two for one,
What have you to show for working
Since your mining day’s begun;
But worn-out boots, and worn-out miners,
Lungs of stone and children pale,
Keep your hands upon your wages
And your eyes upon the scale.

In conclusion, bear in memory,
Keep this password in your mind,
God provides for every miner
When in union they combine;
Stand like men, and linked together
Victory shall for you prevail;
Keep your hands upon your wages
And your eyes upon the scale

Adrià Vila: does his best
Ramon Anglada: does his best
Guillem Codern: highest voice
Martí Selga: lowest voice
Miquel Pérez: the voice that remains

Recorded and mixed by Óscar López a.k.a. Dumbleoscar in Input Studio.
Masteritzat per Ferran Conangla

This set is made up of the vals The South Wind -An Gaoth Aneas, in Gaelic- and the Mason’s Apron reel. The South Wind was written in the eighteenth century by Freckled Donal Macnamara, who missed his land in county Mayo, in Ireland. Mason’s Apron is an original piece from England, which became popular in Ireland. In the first versions collected at the beginning of the 20th century there are only two parts, but it is very common to make variations and some have become so popular that they are already part of the melody itself. We have allowed ourselves to create one.

This set is special because, on the one hand, The South Wind is the first slow piece we’ve ever done, and on the other, Mason’s Apron is one of our favorite reels, with which we had many hits on our trip to ireland. For this reason, in the illustration we are characterized as the instruments we took on our trip, in a pub about to drink some beer. The name makes a mysterious reference to the masonry of which we know little, so we were satisfied that the double bass that brings us the beers brought an apron. In addition, in the box there is a submarine in honor of our voice-subwoofer Martí Selga, also known as the pirate Submartí Barret D. Porrus.

Adrià Vila: Mandolin
Ramon Anglada: Guitar
Guillem Codern: Banjo
Martí Selga: Whistle
Miquel Pérez: Fiddle

Recorded and mixed by Óscar López a.k.a. Dumbleoscar in Input Studio.
Mastered by Ferran Conangla

Scarborough Fair is a very popular medieval english ballad, which in the middle ages was performed by traveling bards. In the letter, the listener is asked to order a person who is at the Scarborough fair a serie of impossible tasks, to recover the beloved of the singer. Although the song is of medieval origin, its popularity has been so much throughout history and lots of versions that have been collected vary in the structure, the chorus or even the location of the fair. The version we have interpreted is currently the best known, since Simon & Garfunkel made it a success in 1968, originally from the 19th century. The Scarborough fair (Yorkshire) was an annual fair held between the thirteenth and eighteenth centuries. In this song we had the collaboration of Irene Ferioli and Anna Godoy, with whom we worked together to make a arrangements with harp.

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
He once was a true love of mine

Tell him to make me a cambric shirt
Parsely, sage, rosemary & thyme
Without no seams nor needlework
Then he’ll be a true love of mine

Tell him to find me an acre of land
Parsely, sage, rosemary, & thyme
Between the salt water and the sea strand
Then he’ll be a true love of mine

Tell him to reap it in a sickle of leather
Parsely, sage, rosemary & thyme
And to gather it all in a bunch of heather
Then he’ll be a true love of mine

Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
He once was a true love of mine.

Adrià Vila: Mandolin and voices
Ramon Anglada: Guitar and voices
Martí Selga: Whistles and double-bass
Miquel Pérez: Fiddle and viola

Irene Ferioli: Sings
Anna Godoy: Harp

Recorded and mixed by Óscar López a.k.a. Dumbleoscar in Input Studio.
Mastered by Ferran Conangla