Maud The Moth (ES/UK) and trajedesaliva (ES) team up to create a dark ambient/folk/avant-garde/industrial soundtrack for Remedios Varo’s work
Maud The Moth (ES/UK) and trajedesaliva (ES) team up to create a dark ambient/folk/avant-garde/industrial soundtrack for Remedios Varo’s work
Collaboration album »Bordando el manto terrestre« will be released on May 26th, 2023 via Time Released Sound and Woodford Halse.
Tracklist:
—Part 1: Trasmundo—
01. Perdí pie
02. Jardincito de rosa y tierra
03. Habitantes del desgarro
—Part II: Naturaleza muerta resucitando—
04. Cuerpo de gato
05. Fruta alrededor de una vela
—Part III: Rompiendo el círculo vicioso—
06. Perla
07. Círculo roto
08. Hilos de fantasía
Courtesy of Qabar PR:
When held captive, we dream…
The Galician dark ambient project trajedesaliva (Mon Ninguén & unavena) team up with Madrid-born and Edinburgh-based singer-songwriter and pianist Maud The Moth (Amaya López-Carromero) to create a soundtrack to the surrealist painter Remedios Varo’s work. Titled, »Bordando el manto terrestre« (English: Embroidering the Earth’s Mantle), the collab album will be available on 26 May digitally by the artists themselves and physically via Time Released Sound (vinyl, CD) and Woodford Halse (cassette).
»Bordando el manto terrestre« is a musical journey around the figure of Remedios Varo, a painter born in Spain in 1908, who lived in exile in Mexico until her death in 1963. This journey begins with an ocean-like motion, driven by the ruin of war and exile, and follows, in Mexico, the construction of a new intimate space flooded with light and wonder. This is a path of fantasy inhabited by captive moons, weavers of the cosmos and human gardens, and one in which to recover lost harmony and place ourselves in the world again.
Making use of analog synthesizers, an arsenal of acoustic instruments, and multifaceted voices, both art projects bring their respective idiosyncrasies to the palette, creating a soundtrack riddled with symbolism and references to the pictorial work of Remedios.
Like this work, the musical compositions and arrangements seek to explore subconscious associations and exploit the beauty of chance. Many of the instruments used in this album are sensitive to weather conditions or are found objects, pianos, or guitars which have fallen out of tune, providing notes with which to construct invented scales as if guided by the hand of a mystical Hildegardian god.
Unavena’s poems serve as a narrative structure, which frames the landscapes and territories sonically traversed.
The work has been mixed by Scottish producer Scott McLean (healthyliving, Falloch, Ashenspire), who also provided additional input in the sound design and played guitar on “Perla.”
Art direction and concept by unavena; artwork & design by Colin Herrick.
Inspirations & Motifs:
In all, the album follows the different stages of psychological maturation, human individualization, and spiritual evolution of Spanish-born Mexican painter Remedios Varo.
Trasmundo, the first part of the album, revolves around Remedios’ experience of exile and the reconfiguration of her own identity as a political refugee in Mexico, away from the rise of fascism in Europe at the time.
Naturaleza Muerta Resucitando, the second part of the oeuvre, delves into the central themes of transformations and transmutations in Remedios Varo’s works. This refers to the depiction of inanimate objects coming to life, or humans adopting the forms of animals, plants, insects, or even domestic objects. Remedios Varo’s unique sense of humor and her deep love for cats is also evident in her work.
Rompiendo el círculo vicioso, the final part of the album, speaks of restored harmony, depicting the journey of breaking through and finding freedom through the power of the creative force. Additionally, it narrates the personal experiences of homelessness and exile, as well as the transformative process of creating this collaborative album (from fear and uncertainty to fruitfulness).
Available Formats:
Vinyl (Lathe-Cut), CD (Digisleeve), CD (Deluxe), Cassette, and Digital.
Pre-order (goes live on May 5): bordandoelmantoterrestre.bandcamp.com
Background
Maud The Moth:
Maud The Moth is the solo project of Amaya López-Carromero; a Spanish-born and Scotland-based pianist, singer and songwriter with a strongly independent artistic drive. Maud The Moth serves as Amaya’s alter ego; a séance-like conduit through which to process personal life experiences, and in particular themes of rootlessness, identity and trauma.
With an almost ritualistic approach to songwriting, she uses her classical training and eclectic range of artistic influences to construct nuisanced and emotionally connected compositions and deliver cathartic solo live performances. Maud The Moth has 3 full-length albums and 2 live EPs, and has performed as guest artist alongside Anna von Hausswolff and Toby Driver as well as being programmed on a number of festivals such as Roadburn, Primavera Sound, AmFest, Noroeste and Jazzaldia in recent years.
trajedesaliva:
Formed in Vigo in 1998, trajedesaliva, the duo of Mon Ninguén (synths, music) and unavena (voice, lyrics), makes music of light and shade. Their albums often delve into topics such as isolation, failure, and trauma passed down through generations, transforming the familiar into something otherworldly. Their music is characterized by their use of analogue synthesizers, combined with acoustic instruments and spoken word poetry, resulting in a unique and personal perspective that transcends genres such as dark ambient, drone, darkwave, and industrial music. trajedesaliva has an impressive discography that spans five full-length albums and an EP, with their unique sound showcased in compilation albums as well.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well