Rufus T. Firefly "Magnolia" (p)2017 Lago Naranja
When “Nueve” ((p)2015 Lago Naranja) was put out it became apparent it’s a great record. The production of Manuel Cabezali, the sophisticated melodies that never ever come close to the point where oversophisticated turns into clueless, the songs like “El Problematico Winston Smith” (the closest Rufus T. Firefly gets to The Hit) and “Demerol Y Piedras” (my own favorite)… It was really great, but it nearly killed the band as the five-piece combo was successfully cut short to trio right after the supporting tour was finalized. As Victor revealed later in an interview, his first thought was like “Well, it’s not Rufus anymore…” Anyway, somewhere in between “Ø” and “Nueve” Victor Cabezuelo appeared as the man of many talents being hired by other bands for studio sessions, production duties and live performances – which led to established friendships with many of the scene’s key persons. For our script the most important was one with Marti Perarnau, the frontman of Mucho, whom Victor co-worked with in [at least] Tulsa and Zahara’s live band (maybe in many others - but I name the ones I beheld with my own eyes). When back in 2015 Marti’s primary vehicle was going through the same kind of problems Victor Cabezuelo was one of those to step aboard and help his friend to keep the band afloat. When Rufus was put on the verge of calling it a day Marti Perarnau returned a favor. So the reformed band - Victor, Julia Martin-Maestro (drums) and Carlos Campos (guitars) now teamed up with Marti and Miguel de Lucas (bass, also of Mucho) along with Manuel Cabezali again at the dashboard – started to prepare the material for what should be the next longplay of Rufus T. Firefly.
Coincidentally or not, on “Magnolia” the sound of Rufus T. Firefly has undergone the same changes the sound of Mucho went through between “El Apocalipsis Segun Mucho” and “Pidiendo En Las Puertas Del Infierno”: most obviously – less guitars, more synths. As you might know from the interviews, at least 40 different versions of the tracks were recorded to choose from – at the end of the day the band and the producer have come to understanding that only this soaked-in-the-70’s-lucid-psychedelia version really clicked, really got ready to send the message they wanted to spread.
If the metamorphoses in arrangements were substantial, the structure of the songs has been changed to the lesser extent. Structurally it’s the same Rufus we fell in love with on “Nueve” with the long compositions (that rather sound long - in fact only two tracks on the disc exceed 5 minutes, but when you listen ti them they all seem to be 7+ minutes), unpredictable rhythm changes and non-cyclic progressions that pair the band with the neo prog subgenre. So if you come to terms with the new synth-laden sonic direction - without a doubt you'll be OK with "Magnolia".
Coincidentally or not, on “Magnolia” the sound of Rufus T. Firefly has undergone the same changes the sound of Mucho went through between “El Apocalipsis Segun Mucho” and “Pidiendo En Las Puertas Del Infierno”: most obviously – less guitars, more synths. As you might know from the interviews, at least 40 different versions of the tracks were recorded to choose from – at the end of the day the band and the producer have come to understanding that only this soaked-in-the-70’s-lucid-psychedelia version really clicked, really got ready to send the message they wanted to spread.
If the metamorphoses in arrangements were substantial, the structure of the songs has been changed to the lesser extent. Structurally it’s the same Rufus we fell in love with on “Nueve” with the long compositions (that rather sound long - in fact only two tracks on the disc exceed 5 minutes, but when you listen ti them they all seem to be 7+ minutes), unpredictable rhythm changes and non-cyclic progressions that pair the band with the neo prog subgenre. So if you come to terms with the new synth-laden sonic direction - without a doubt you'll be OK with "Magnolia".
A remark: after having listened to the album in the headphones with the noise reduction system you may feel like the protagonist of Pulp's "Sorted Out For E's And Wizz": '...and you want to call your mother and say Mother I can never come home again cos I seem to have left an important part of my brain somewhere, somewhere..." Please don't tell you haven't been warned.
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