boots/c.c./snake & remus

boots, c.c., snake & remus (hp cycle 3xlp box 2006)

detrás de esta portada macabra se esconde uno de los discos más bonitos (y extraños) que he escuchado en mi vida. sin referentes claros, sin historia, sin otro crédito que una foto fúnebre y una frase ("It's just a box, man") todo lo que rodea a boots, c.c., snake & remus es un misterio. hace poco, etre una selección aleatoria de canciones, sonó 'Worn' de C.C. y casi me saltan las lágrimas. me di cuenta por fin de lo atemporal y maravillosa que era su música...mucho más que una rara avis o una cajita curiosa y ultralimitada. magia pura. no sé si son tres grupos o un único artista dividido en tres personalidades distintas, pero el clima general de todo el disco recuerda una barbaridad a 'Music performed by the high mass' de Jim Collins, podría ser incluso la misma persona...o personas. pero en canciones como 'Up' de Boots es inevitable pensar en Current 93. o en el Davenport de Free Country en los dieciocho mántricos minutos de 'New Earth', una evidente consecuencia del impacto de 'Psychedelic Underground'. o en No Neck Blues Band en la cara A y la cara B de Snake & Remus. pero lo mejor se encuentra en las canciones de C.C. 'Worn', dulce y breve, hechiza y se impone con la energía de Wooden Wand and The Sky High Band, es de ese tipo de canciones que sorprenden, que enamoran por tener una melodía tan bonita y reconocible. 'The Beast' es Leonard Cohen meets David Tibet meets Bob Dylan. 'Every one goes' es todo un Forever Changes de Love. 'No funeral' es The Kitchen Cynics meets Smog. y 'She' es Jandek, Hush Arbors, Flying Canyon, Vic Chesnutt y el cielo. otro de los innumerables descubrimientos de Volcanic Tongue...

"These three LPs were originally privately pressed by the artist(s) in minuscule editions sometime in this new century. It appears that very few copies were circulated outside a close circle of acquaintances and it was only by chance/luck that they found their way to us. Each LP contained no information whatsoever, the only hint was the name stamped on the plain white jacket. Clouding matters even further was the fact that each of the three albums bore a different moniker. Musically the LPs share a consistent solitary vision, one that treads an inward-looking path that leads to far-reaching psychedelic excursions. "Boots" is a prime example of the range of these albums. Side one features five tracks of acoustic guitar and raw vocal accompaniment heavy on the loner vibes. The flip changes directions entirely, offering a wild ride of percussion and electronics. Likewise, "C.C - Live at Rainbows End" follows a similar course, although the mood is somewhat less solemn (though no less introspective) on the tracks featuring voice and guitar. The counterpoint here is the near side-long track of barely audible field recordings from an unrecognizable location. "Snake & Remus - No Tape Outside" is a continuation of sound and thought. Interchangeably piano, electronics and percussion supplement the songwriter, adding a haunting layer to the already subdued mood. The final side contains instrumental passages of processed guitar strum that weave delicate waves. The LPs are presented in a box, its own cryptic coffin perhaps, with individual stamped jackets consistent with the original LPs. As it says, "It's just a box man".