There’s nothing like a good vocal driven ensemble am I right? Well, I don’t know about you but I find myself impressed to the highest degrees by such bands. It has to do at least partly with the steep mastery curve of the human voice as a musical instrument as well as its phenomenally unique tonal characteristics at an individual level. So, driven by my penchant for groups like Le Mystère des voix bulgares and Shards, I somehow stumbled into San Salvador’s La Grande Folie.
Little did I know that I will be thoroughly enthralled by this record. I started listening to it with basically no expectations or ideas about what I will be in for. The short version is that I was in for the ride of a lifetime, musically speaking. The answer would’ve been the same regardless of my level of expectations.
It took me like a dozen listens or so to start unpacking the contents of this album. Right off the bat, it’s safe to say that there’s just nothing like this out there. Bold statement, sure, but I’m sure you’ll agree with me as soon as you listen to this amazing record.
The uniqueness and magic of La Grande Folie is multifaceted and practically all over the place. Let’s start with the language its being sung in. The band members sing in Occitan, which is a very particular kind of romance language (or branch of several) that is spoken (in several dialects) in Southern France, Monaco, the Occitan Valleys in Italy, and Val d’Aran in Catalonia, whose name derives from the fact that these regions are collectively referred to as Occitania.
The gist of this is, don’t bother with the lyrics unless you’re a polyglot or know someone who is a fluent speaker. From what I’ve gathered the lyrics are apparently quite poetic and the way they are sung complements their meaning and delivery as they are laid down throughout the songs. I’m compelled to believe that given how the music sounds.
The album’s title is actually taken after the fourth track, “La Grande Folie” (French for ‘the great madness’), as the band usually closes their live set with this lengthy and epic track just to be met with raucous applauses. That sounds just about right if you ask me. In a sense, it’s also an apt description of how the impact of the album is felt.
One of the reasons I found myself literally flummoxed and needed so many spins of the record to digest it is that, this is one of the few instances where I simply can’t describe the music in any way with a stylistic label of any kind. I could just chalk it off as a world music album, but given its contents that’s insanely reductive and barely cuts into the surface of the surface. Honestly, this is an album worthy of an exhaustive musicological dissection, as well as a thorough breakdown from a musically technical angle. The only parallel I think I can draw, which makes any semblance of sense, is how their relentless delivery and (sometimes) groove driven approach is similar to afrobeat, except that the ideas/phrases eventually resolve, and the resolve is very intense.
San Salvador is comprised of six members, each performing vocals, and some kind of percussion. Color me further impressed as I would’ve never thought the sound of claps, floor toms, and tambourines can sound this good with vocals on top. The real magic rests, obviously, within the vocal delivery, but the way each member manages to sing their part and keep an intricate percussive backbone at the same time as well is staggering. I think that seeing this band play live is a transcendental experience, considering how the tunes sound and how it looks like they perform live.
The rhythmic and melodic variety that is on display here is nothing short of astonishing. I really couldn’t put it any differently in words, in an apt or concise manner. There are top tier prog bands that don’t make use of compositional variety so effectively, neatly, and seamlessly. The fact that the vocal lines perform complex polyphonies, equally intricate rhythmic patterns (polyrhythms and polymeters), and difficult to achieve harmonies only makes the magic so much grander.
You could just pick any song, drop the needle at any point and hit play, and it’s guaranteed you’ll hear something stunning. For the sake of ‘discussion’, I’ll throw in a few of my favorite moments as examples, and also as ‘highlights’. Take the transition in the last moments of the third minute of “La Liseta” as well as the mesmerizing tune that ensues, or the crazy timing of the vocal lines in the second minute of “Lo Mes de Mai”. I think it would go without saying that the title track is filled to the absolute brim with all the best the band can offer and it makes sense why they end their shows with it. One thing I would note though in this song, is how it begins with what are practically chants that strongly resemble the kind of Bulgarian folk singing that is performed by Le Mystère des voix bulgares.
The explored moods in the record are also as rich and deeply nuanced as everything else in there. Things can go from cheerful to mournful, from lively to laid back, from meditative to downright explosive. I think it’s at least partly due to the fact that the band’s energy somehow managed to seep into the studio recording, which is an incredibly rare feat. Don’t ask me how I came to this conclusion, I just feel it.
Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a record that made me say ‘what the fuck is this?!’ and ‘what the fuck is that?!’ so many times with such an increasingly pleasant and positive intention and tone behind each utterance. Everything about La Grande Folie is slathered generously in a stupendous aura of wonder. It’s a spectacular experience to partake in and I wholeheartedly recommend it to any and all music lovers, regardless of their musical preferences. I feel like this is the type of album that speaks to people beyond their tastes. There’s something so intimately primordial about it in that sense, which manages to communicate with the listener. I, of course, also urge any and all music lovers to catch a live show if possible.
