Izvajalec: Cartoon
Založba: Samozaložba
Izid: year
Trajanje: 73:13
Ocena: 4.7/5
Brazilski šaljivci Cartoon so s svojim prvencem “Martelo” (recenzija: klik) dodobra prevetrili sceno progresivnega rocka v svoji rodni deželi. Ustvarili so si lepo bazo oboževalcev, štiri leta kasneje pa so posneli drugi album “ušesne” trilogije “Bigorna” (oz. po slovensko nakovalce). Album je doživel veliko večji odziv kot prvenec, presegel je zarisane meje Brazilije, preplaval oceane in dosegel radie progresivnih rockerjev vseh ostalih kontinentov našega planeta. Eden od razlogov za takšen preboj je zagotovo tudi to, da je celoten odpet v angleščini, hkrati pa se predstavlja kot rock opera, kakršen je recimo “Tommy” skupine The Who, ki je prvi tovrstni album.
“Bigorna” ima izredno privlačen podnaslov – “The Real Story of King Arthur & The Knights of The Round Table”, kar nam že takoj da vedeti, da gre za koncepten album. Cartoon si tokrat privoščijo še daljši album s še več skladbami od prvenca, ki je že tako presegal povprečje z dobršno uro glasbe. Vendar, da ne bo kakšnih zmotnih predsodkov, Cartoon ne poznajo nikakršnih zapolnitvenih skladb, t.i. fillerjev, temveč je vsaka vrzel, ki se pojavi v mozaiku njihovega koncepta, zapolnjena z takšno podobo, ki je prej manjkala, ki je je bil nepopoln mozaik potreben za svojo celovitost in enovitost. 18 skladb tako matematično natančno zaokroži še eno šaljivo idejo benda v živo zgodbo, ki ji ne manjka ne besedilne ne glasbene preodličnosti.
Najlepša zadeva po poslušanju albuma je zagotovo ta, da se poslušalec zave, koliko so dejansko Brazilci napredovali od svojega prvenca. To je preprosto neverjetno. Že ta je bil, sploh za prvenec, izredno soliden izlet v neznano vesolje progresive, vendar je “Bigorna” neprimerljiv z “Martelom”. Slednja imata enak začetek, vsaj poimensko – oba odpre skladba “Prologue”. Vendar je ta na “Bigorni” na povsem drugi ravni, v povsem svoji, še neraziskani dimenziji, medtem ko je prvenčev “Prolongue” bolj kot ne le dober poskus zabaviščnega proga. In v podobnem manevru sledi tudi primerjava z ostalimi skladbami. Te so na takšni ravni, da se poslušalec resnično vpraša, če gre za isti bend. Seveda je užitek pri poslušanju te druge plate še toliko večji, saj se da besedila zaradi angleškega jezika dejansko razumeti. Zgodba gre nekako takole – Cartoon povejo (oz. pojejo), kaj se je resnično zgodilo z Excaliburjem. Po njihovem je šlo dejansko za kladivo, ki je prišlo iz nekega malega planeta, ko je bil uničen (to je sicer odpeto v njihovem prvencu). Na Zemljo je to Kladivo moči prinesel veliki čarovnik Pyter Pen, z gorečo željo, da bi orožje zavihtel vreden vitez ter prinesel mir na ta pozabljeni planet. Vendar se čarovnikov načrt sprevrže v srdovit boj med vitezi za prevlado nad Kladivom moči, zakar je Pyter Pen izredno razočaran in jezen. Pyter tako vzame Kladivo ter ga zabije v nakovalo, kjer postaneta en objekt. Ob tem prerokuje, da bo tisti, ki bo uspel ločiti kladivo od nakovala, postal kralj. Vplete se tudi cela vrsta zgodovinskih (izmišljenih) oseb, kot je recimo Robin Hood.
V zgodbi je očitna povezava med nakovalcem (ušesno koščico) in nakovalom, kamor Pen zabije Kladivo. Na tega se je nanašal prejšnji album “Martelo” (kladivce). Cartoon torej z duhovitimi povezavami še širijo svoj glasbeni svet, ki ga tako čudovito kreirajo. Glasba ima namreč močan pridih srednjeveške glasbe ter folk prvin, vendar je v svoji osnovi še vedno progresiven rock. Humornih vsebin je ogromno in prav zanimivo je spremljati, kako so Cartoon priredili zgodbo kralja Arthurja za svoje hudomušne namene. Tako so se Cartoon prelevili iz navadnih glasbenikov še v pripovedovalce in mojstre besede, saj njihova glasba služi še mnogo stvarem, ne le “golemu” zvočnemu oddajanju. Seveda inštrumentalna plat albuma ostaja vrhunska, prilagojena bistvu in ideji benda, vendar vseeno na najvišji ravni. Spojena malodane poezija in kvalitetna progresivno rockovska glasba rezultirata v pravi pravcati umetnini, ki je namenjena tako ljubiteljev glasbe kot tudi ljubiteljem pisane besede; oblikovno so se izkazali že pri prvencu in tudi tokrat za naslovnica za glasbo in besedilom ne zaostaja; tudi v mejah ilustracije in slikovne predstavitve so Cartoon mojstri.
Žal mora biti vsem, ki tega albuma ne slišijo (in berejo). “Bigorna” bi mogla postati neminljiva umetnina, a je žal skrita v širnem brazilskem prostoru. Nekaj nadebudnežev progresivnega rocka ga seveda pozna in časti, ostali pa žal živijo v nevednosti. Cartoon so prekosili postavljene norme današnje glasbene scene in naredili vsestranski umetniški izdelek, ki se izkaže v vsakem aspektu. Žal to danes ni več dovolj za uspeh in vsesplošno prepoznanje.
Brazil jokers Cartoon did a very good job of renovating the progressive rock scene in their motherland with their debut, “Martelo” (review: click). They created quite a fan base with it and four years later they recorded their second album of the so-called ear trilogy, “Bigorna” (or in English, the anvil). Album itself got much more attention than Cartoon’s debut, it stepped out of Brazil, swam over the oceans and eventually reached the radios of progressive rock listeners from each and every Earth’s continent. One of the main reasons for such success is definitely that the lyrics are actually in English. At the same time, “Bigorna” is a rock opera, as is, for example, The Who’s “Tommy”, which was actually the first rock opera ever to be recorded.
“Bigorna” has a very intriguing subtitle – “The Real Story of King Arthur & The Knights of The Round Table”, which gives us a big hint that the album is a conceptual one. This time, Cartoon reserve for themselves an even longer album with more songs than there are on the debut that was already overreaching the average with more than an hour of music. But, do note that Cartoon do not know any fillers and any missing part of the mosaic that there is, is filled with such an image that was missing before, that the mosaic was in desperate need of for its completeness and unity. 18 tracks mathematically exactly round off yet another humorous idea of the band into a living story that does not lack neither lyrical nor musical wonderfulness.
After my first listen of the album, the best thing was actually how much the Brazilians evolved. It is simply amazing. Although their debut was a great effort of combining good humour and progressive rock, but is nothing compared to “Bigorna”. They do open similarly, with a track called “Prologue”, but the one on the “Bigorna” is simply on another level. And the comparison would continue in the same manoeuvre until the end of the albums. Of course, the listener has an additional pleasure while listening to the “Bigorna”, as he can actually understand the songs. The storyline goes something like this – the concept is about the real Excalibur. Cartoon say (or rather sing) that the real Excalibur is a hammer that came from another planet, which was destroyed (that is described in their debut). This so-called Hammer of Power was brought over to Earth by a great magician Pyter Pen, with a burning wish that he would find a worthy knight, who would eventually bring peace on this God-forsaken planet. But what happened in truth was that the knights of the Earth got into numerous battles over this Hammer of Power. This maddened Pyter Pen so much that he thrust the hammer into an anvil and prophesized that the one able enough to pull the hammer out of the anvil would become a King.
There is a clear connection between the anvil (an ear bone) and the anvil in the story, with the hammer thrust in it. “Martelo” (the hammer, ear bone) was actually about this Hammer of Power. And so we see how Cartoon is expanding their humorous universe, which is so beautifully created. The music itself has been influenced very much by the music of middle ages and folk music, though it is still progressive rock in its basis. There are numerous funny themes and it is quite interesting to follow Cartoon’s version of King Arthur’s legend. Cartoon prove that they are not only excellent musicians, they are also masters of the word and storytelling. This fantastic fusion of poetry and great progressive rock music results in a true work of art, which is meant for music lovers as well as for fans of the written word.
Everyone, who do not hear (and read) this album, should feel sorry. “Bigorna” should become a landmark in the history of progressive rock music, but is unfortunately hidden in the big Brazil. There are, of course, quite a few eager progressive rock listeners that actually know about the album, but most of the music lovers live without any knowledge of Cartoon. The Brazilians actually breached the norms of today’s musical scene and created an all-round masterpiece, which is brilliant in every aspect. This is, sadly, not enough for success and recognition.
Zasedba
Khadhu – bas kitara, vokal, sitar, orglice, akustična kitara
Bhydhu – bobni, tolkala, vokal
Khykho – električna in akustična kitara, vokal
Boxexa – klaviature, vokal
Gostujoči glasbeniki:
Lincoln Meirelles – klaviature
Kristoff Silva – akustična kitara, vokal
Robson Fonseca Ferreira – čelo
L̼cio Gomes Рkontrabas
Antônio Carlos Magalhães – čembalo
Chico Amaral – saksofon
Anor Luciano J̼nior Рtrobenta
Produkcija
Khadhu
Seznam skladb
1. Prologue (3:29)
2. From The Hands Of God (3:48)
3. Knight’s Nightmare (6:37)
4. King’s Song (3:38)
5. King’s Fugue (1:49)
6. She Smiled (3:43)
7. Guinevere (5:41)
8. Marriage (2:17)
9. Show Me Where Love Lives (2:33)
10. Lily Fears (1:31)
11. The Warning (5:51)
12. March Of Despair – A) She’s Coming B) Cool Down Emily Whith C) Song Of Despair (4:52)
13. Apocalypstic Man (3:56)
14. Alberich’s Blues (3:00)
15. Letter To Marion (5:17)
16. In The Gates Of Hell (1:07)
17. The Last Battle (9:29)
18. The Great Gates Of Freedom (4:35)
