The musical sphere is as vast as it is myopic with every genre bending niche, unsingable crescendo and head-scratchingly-butterfly-in-stomach-elated arrangement that raises the hairs on the back of your neck as it plummets you into a sun room or a cavernous well without much supposed warning. These records come along when you least suspect and leave a mark as a stone inscription somewhere in a recess of your mind like a covert epitaph.
Mabe Fratti is an enigma. Let’s start with that. In her fruitful partnership with the label TAR / MM / UOH she has delved down an overflowing sonic palette of pathways ranging from Experimental Jazz, Chamber Pop, doomy Drone, lush Ambient offset by funky cello grooves and the distinct ethereal trill of ephemeral lyrics —
”Tú / Que sabes que estoy por resucitar / Te atreves a abrazarme otra vez / No ves que me atraviesa lo que a ti nunca te pesa”
Existing in her own parallel universe nestled somewhere between the unwavering vision of Sofia Gaibadulina, Kate Bush’s elusive charm and Bjork’s steadfast naivete, Fratti sounds fresh, distinct and poised with a teemingly ornate palette that is constantly growing upon itself with every music statement and release.
HAGEN — the second outing from Titanic, sees the return of Mabe Fratti’s frequent collaborator, producer and composer I. La Católica ( Héctor Tosta de la Rosa ) that amplifies the auditory universe even further with junk bouncing from speaker to speaker, unison vocals teleporting from the milky way and percussion that hops around the strings of the cello like kids running down the rails of a runaway train. Synths dance around like clouds twisting in the turbine of a jet plane landing in slow motion into a pond overflowing with koi fish, glimmering from the rays of the sun.
In all its opulent magnificence there are things to hook onto. The songs are intentioned Pop songs that jangle with Ragtime piano swing and chime in coalesced repetition, speaking truth to pain —
“Si no me alumbran no pienso iluminar / Tanto que me duele y nadie se detiene a preguntar / La trampa sale y todo sigue igual / Si no me alumbran no pienso iluminar”
The closing track “Alzando el trofeo” ( Raising the trophy ) soulfully proclaims “He can’t decide if he’s depressed or bored / He can’t get over the fact that he’s lost his talent for playing dead.” Contrasted by anthemic piano it feels like a bittersweet end of a movie’s closing credits roll. As the chords modulate, and the guitar accents the changes, it is unclear if what we watched was a drama or a comedy or both. We appreciate the ambiguity of life’s messes and highs and lows, and simply say thank you that HAGEN exists in our macrocosm and appreciate that it’s a planet we can visit from time to time in the folds of memory — with every trip feeling that much more victorious.
