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| Sep 09, 2010 - 02:35 PM |
Queen City News - Helena's FREE Weekly Newspaper |
Helena, Montana |
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My brother has been harping at me to listen to this guy for quite some time. He claims that Charly Garcia is an Argentine rock legend. After listening to the album “La Hija De La Lagrima,” I must agree.
Garcia has been rockin' it since 1972 as a folk-rocker but progressed into the more experimental musician he is today. This album really blew my mind. It sounds very much like Pink Floyd, and although it is in Argentine Spanish, the lyrics aren't what matter. The sound is amazing from the get-go.
Half of the album is instrumental and brilliantly made. It came out in 1994, which isn't exactly current, but it’s one of Garcia’s better works. Even though he is part of your parent's generation, he is still idolized by the Argentine youth today.
One of my favorite songs on the album is "La Sal No Sala," which literally means "The Salt Doesn't Salten.” The song shows Garcia’s lyrical side and has a catchy sound. I found myself singing the chorus the first time I heard it.
As for instrumental cuts, the best would have to be "Atlantis.” This song is where I get the Pink Floyd idea. The whole album is actually considered a rock opera. If you’re not familiar with the term, just listen to Pink Floyd's "The Wall.” The album flows together very well and shows sides of Garcia that people aren't used to hearing. He uses the instrumentals much more often, and some of them are as short as 20 seconds long. The short stuff is used as a bridge to the next song's sound. I found it hard to tell when one song ended and the other started.
Now onto the lyrics. The album title literally means “The Daughter of the Tear” but is colloquially translated as "The Daughter of Suffering.” The lyrics are very sad, dealing with loneliness, addiction and pain. But even though the album is very sad, it is beautiful. I like to associate songs with a feeling or visualization. This whole album could be listened to on a rainy day when you have nothing to do. It's a very rainy-day type of album.
My favorite song on the album is also the most peculiar. It’s called "Fax U,” and is a very strange song. Even after reading the translated lyrics, I still don't understand it. I think it’s about a guy who faxes his girlfriend to tell her he hates her. Even though Garcia sings the song in Spanish, the refrain (an obvious play on words) is in English.
Charly Garcia is a very strange man. He is a tall, lanky person with vitiligo on half his body, making his mustache black and white. This is the same skin-pigment disease Michael Jackson claims to have. He has even jumped from a ninth-story hotel window into a swimming pool, just for his fans. His craziness is well-documented and is transmitted through his music.
Garcia has a tendency to cover American songs, translating them into Spanish. One of his most well-known covers is, "Sweet Home Buenos Aires,” based on Lynard Skynard's song, "Sweet Home Alabama.” On "La Hija De La Lagrima,” Garcia covers "Locomotion.”
Since this record came out in ‘94, Garcia has had four other studio albums and shows no signs of slowing down, even at the age of 51. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would put this album at 8.5. I found nothing wrong with it except for it being in Spanish. I found the music soothing and intoxicating and would quickly add it to my list of favorites. If you’re interested in purchasing this record, it can be special-ordered at Hastings or can be found on the Internet.
As for people who don’t speak Spanish, don’t fret. My brother has translated the whole album on his website. Just head on over to www.angelfire.com/mt/mbobinski/page10.html.
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The Queen City News is published every Wednesday in Helena, MT, by Mossback Media, LLC.
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