While reading an interview with Guillermo Scott Herren about his soon-to-be-issued Savath et Savalas record, I was intrigued by references Herren made to both Catalan and Brazilian psych folk, most specifically that of Marconi Notaro. An evening of trolling found that Time-Lag, the label responsible for releasing albums by MV+EE, Woods, Wooden Wand, RACCOO-OO-OON and many other odd-ball American psyche troupes, reissued Notaro's 1973 cult classic No Sub Reino Dos Metazo Arios a few years ago, although vinyl copies appear to be sold out. Appropriately, Time-Lag says it best:the whole album gushes forth with a sun baked spirit of the highest level, mixing tropicalia tinged folk-beat groovers, satwa style bliss trance ragas, pabiru favored lysergic jungle psych, and even a raging fuzz/wah soaked garage psych rocker. extremely mind melting from start to finish, with huge washes of rippling tape delay, electric & acoustic guitars, 12 string, tranced folk percussion, passionate yet mellow vocals, liquid electric bass, acid effects everywhere, and of course lula's mercurial & heart melting tricrdio (an instrument he made himself, something like a sitar/dulcimer hybrid). beautiful, melancholy and joyous all at the same moment, this is an album that after 33 years still sounds completely fresh & unique.If you have even a passing interest in tropicalia, weird American folk or psychedelic noodling, you *must* look into obtaining a copy of No Sub Reino Dos Metazo Arios.
Marconi Notaro- Oh, Greedy Life
Marconi Notaro- Anthropologic
