Kartas - LADO H

 

Released: May 14

LADO H is an album that spans a lot of different influences, structures, motifs, and sounds. The album peaked is not divided up particularly neatly but it has two distinct modes. First, and what the album opens up with on “um rio cheyou,” is a more or less full band complete with vocals, guitar, keys, drums and more. The other mode comes through on cryptically named tracks with an H and a number, sometimes also a single quotation mark. These tracks are purely atmospheric and come across as field recordings with  hints of instrumentation. “H1” is feels like a daytime by the waterfront, playing idly around with instruments and found objects as the sounds of nature come in and out of the background. It’s a pleasant  and gentle vibe that is further explained by the driving influence of the album, the lakes around the neighborhood of Caiçara in Pirai, Rio De Janeiro state. 

The background of the album’s origin elucidates the very laid back yet firmly experimental and noisy approach. Going back to our more or less full band songs, the approach is heavily based in jazz influences and sentiments towards meter and composition. “Amfíbios” pushes this in some rather profound directions with sketchy strums of a guitar and a novel way to play the harmonica. It’s a bit of a slurry of sound but the elasticity of the rhythm is such a unusual vibe, coming across as something like a slinky as the guitar and harmonica fall behind intentionally, only to have to rush to catch back up. And the vocals on this and most of the others has a rather unrestrained quality to it. Not like the vocalist is yelling or screaming, as never does. Rather, it’s just all over the places, whispering indistinctly or speaking plainly and giving a tepid indifference to staying in the meter. It doesn’t distract from the sonic menagerie going on with the rest of the band, only adds an extra fun flare of strangeness.