SOUNDTRACK: BOSNIAN RAINBOWS-“Torn Maps” (2013).
Bosnian Rainbows are the collaboration of Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (At The Drive In, Mars Volta) and Teri Gender Bender (Le Butcherettes). Interestingly, I normally think of Omar as being the dominant force in the music he makes, but for this song, it seems to be all Teri. Teri is a Latina singer who takes no shit. In her Tiny Desk concert, she is fierce and intense, and that comes across here as well.
Perhaps the biggest surprise is how synthy this song is. It has a very retro feel–like a lot of 80’s bands (Missing Persons and ’til Tuesday’s darker moments and of course, there’s an element of Siouxsie in her voice as well). But there is something especially intense that Teri brings to this song that takes it out of the realm of safe synth pop (perhaps it the dark bridge). Omar peeks through a bit during the instrumental break which has a pretty wild guitar solo and some intriguing effects that I wish were more prevalent.
I’m fascinated by this song (although I wish I could hear the vocals more).
NPR is streaming this whole album as I write this, although I’m not sure if it will still be available as of this posting.
[READ: June 17, 2013] “The Ripper”
The second in the “True Crimes” series is from David Peace (an interesting name, hmmmm). In this one, the year is 1977 and young David is obsessed with Sherlock Holmes (and I would assume Encyclopedia Brown, but he doesn’t mention the boy detective). Peace was ten years old and set up his own detective agency, intent on solving all local small crimes.
And then he learned of the Yorkshire Ripper. In the piece he says “I was a lonely ten-year-old boy who found the Yorkshire Ripper” which proves to be untrue. That was a real bummer because that would have made a great story. As it turns out, he thinks he has found the Yorkshire Ripper, but he hasn’t.
For those of us not following English serial killers, the Yorkshire Ripper was a man who killed dozens of women from 1977 to 1979. Peace spent his time poring over clues, certain that he could find what the police could not. And then came the breakthrough—a tape sent in to the local police station stating “I’m Jack. I see you are still having no luck catching me.” Peace listened to that tape (which was available at the local police station for the public to see if they could identify the voice) dozens of times. And his prime suspect became his science teacher “Jock” Carter. (more…)
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When At the Drive-In broke up, they split into two bands: The Mars Volta and Sparta. The Mars Volta went in a wild, psychedelic/prog metal direction and Sparta maintained a more tradition heavy rock sound.
