Las Rubias del Norte

Posted on Saturday, June 26

Recommended New Music!
by Catalina Maria Johnson, Ph.D.

Sippin´music: Las Rubias del Norte find a cool, new side to Latinidad

Ziguala (Barbès Records)

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The shimmering, otherworldy takes on melodies that Brooklyn-based Emily Hurst and Alyssa Lamb create, ably accompanied by a seven-piece band that includes members with origins in Colombia and France, are really quite unlike anything you’ve ever heard – unless you happened to spend 1962 in Veracruz, Mexico, which according to the label’s website, is the time and place they make reference to in the style of the recordings.

On the one hand, the sweet romance of classic Latin torch tunes emerges anew in the classically trained harmonies of the duo, who broke away from the New York Choral Society seven years ago to apply their talents to melodies such as those sung by Lydia Mendoza. Known as the “Lark of the border”, Mendoza, a Texicana vocalist who performed for decades as early as the twenties, was famous for her countrified, raw ballads of the pain and sufferin’ brought about by the treacherous betrayal of bad, bad hombres.

However, the nuevo Latino blends of Las Rubias are sung in a cool, almost dispassionate way, providing a surprisingly satisfying juxtaposition to the heartbreak and passion of the lyrics.  They also mix in a wide variety influences from the central and southern Americas, including lots of cumbia ( a Latin dance rhythm from the thirties that swept the Americas, originating primarily in Colombian and Mexican big bands) and the loungy psychedelic twang and distortion that characterized the late sixties and seventies chicha genre of Peru (an influence present perhaps because Oliver Conan, one of Las Rubias co-founders, and percussionist Timothy Quigley, are also members of “Chicha Libre”, band that devotes itself to that particular genre).

Rubias ´ third album, Ziguala, introduces an eclectic mélange of instruments which further highlights their unique, somewhat offbeat sound, including the Farfisa organ, surf guitar, marimba, vibraphone, the cuatro (a stringed instrument from the Americas, probably related to the 4-stringed Portuguese cavalquinho) as well as invited musicians such as the Parker String Quartet.

Repeated listening to the songs peels back layers upon layers of cultural influences no less eclectic than the instrumentation. Ziguala includes a Greek song (the title track,), a French song with a Spanish source (“Seguedille”, from Bizett´s Carmen), a Bollywood song with a Latin source (Mana Jabab), folk music from Ecuador and Naples,  a rarely sung Kurt Weill composition, and a beautiful, haunting rendition of one of the most popular standards of rural Mexican traditional music ever –“El Crucifijo de Piedra” – all of these, filtered through Las Rubias’ peculiarly Latin retro groove.

Las Rubias del Norte not so much reinterpret as re-create songs, and their highly original brew is well-suited to leisurely musical sipping, so as to allow a full savoring of the flavors. Take a sip, sit back, and enjoy!