LO C A L A L B U M S
MEKTOUB Elizabeth TARAMCGOVERN.COM/ECLECTIC/MEKTOUB
I
n 2019, frequenters of Goosetown Café mingled with friends of John Rapson to delight in the new band he had assembled: MEKTOUB. It was a trio, initially—Rapson on the keys, Ryan Smith on woodwinds and Nielo Gaglione on vocals and mandole. Together, the three produced a distinct style of improvisational music they describe as Mediterranean folk-jazz. The brick background and the smell of Goosetown’s food combined with Gaglione’s tendency to sing in both French and English, as well as the incredible talents of Smith and Rapson, to offer an otherworldly vibe to their sets. Instead of a pastiche, they generated the electricity of something truly alive. Two years later, the trio had grown. The last performance added fiddler Tara McGovernand Justin LeDuc on the drums. This was the core of the MEKTOUB Arkestra, which stunned a sold-out Englert crowd with Esteban and the Children of the Sun, a work Rapson envisioned as a collaborative effort, which he completed in the weeks leading up to his widely mourned departure into Shakespeare’s “undiscovered country, from whose bourn no traveler returns.” Something of a return lives on in the release of Elizabeth, named for Rapson’s wife and recorded at their daughter’s house during the Esteban sessions. Led by Gaglione (credited for music, lyrics and production), Elizabeth encapsulates everything enlivening about those early
Submit albums for review: Little Village, 623 S Dubuque St., IC, IA 52240
performances. It seems impossible that the band ever sounded complete without McGovern’s fiddle, which moves in and out of the foreground here, often serving as a sonic balance for Smith’s woodwinds. The tones of each fly around the other like birds in an infinite dance. Because the musicians adeptly keep time without percussion, LeDuc is freed to experiment. The first track, “Artisan,” highlights Smith’s skill and grace. Gaglione’s voice and playing convey a sense of urgency, despite the soaring tones of flute and fiddle. Rapson fans will appreciate the long piano solo in “Mystic Journey,” which strongly recalls the sonic template of Esteban. Track three, “Dance the World,” which often concluded their live set, encapsulates the joyful soul that the band voices so remarkably. “The Beneficent” appears next, passing the melody back and forth as though it was water tossed by waves: LeDuc’s percussion is more prominent here, but still capably understated. Listening for it shows the skill consistent throughout. McGovern’s fiddle is also highlighted on this song, even as a pause allows Rapson’s keys to shine again. “Lifeboat (Le son de la mar)” invites listeners into a song that even at almost 11 minutes still feels too short to resolve what it introduces: Like the rest of the album, one simply wishes there was more. “Vagabondo” returns Gaglione’s urgent mandole to the foreground. This expression of something so vital, more nourishing on repeated listens, is less a surprise than confirmation of hope’s delight. MEKTOUB’s music translates nimbly to a studio recording, inviting you to listen repeatedly to the joy that converged in its creation. It offers every reason to hope that Rapson’s legacy will continue to delight and awe audiences—and move beyond. It’s explicitly and uniquely itself, with an audacious beauty. Listen to the album, see the band play live and know it for yourself. —Daniel Boscaljon
Mr. Softheart “Caravaggio” / “Flower of Tomorrow” Double Single MRSOFTHEART.TV
“I
suppose the new direction is another pandemic story,” Nick Fisher offers as the impetus for the recent pivot of the band formerly known as Hex Girls. “I had begun writing lyrics to songs that seemed to lend themselves to a new project: The themes were darker, perhaps more complex. Personal grief, as well as the collective grief and isolation of the time, had informed that shift.”
MR. SOFTHEART TENDERS A MORE CONSIDERED APPROACH [THAN HEX GIRLS]—INTROSPECTIVE AND MOODY. The Fisher brothers, Nick and John, plus long-time collaborator Charlie Patterson, splintered into a new band: Mr. Softheart. At first glance, it might seem unnecessary to have rebooted the band with a new identity, but the double single of “Caravaggio” and “Flower of Tomorrow” shows a striking new territory for the trio. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the vocals. Where Hex Girls style was a more fidgety and sneering bratty protest, Mr. Softheart tenders a more considered approach— introspective and moody, with pacing that develops with the music. “Caravaggio” is a bouncing electropop work and the more pop-leaning track of the two new songs, falling somewhere between the
post-punk of the New Romantics like Talk Talk and the cinematic goth of Nick Cave. The chiming synth lead and bouncing bass ride over a stomp-and-clap “Train in Vain” backbeat. The title refers to the baroque 17th century Italian painter notable for his moody, sometimes violent paintings featuring stark lighting (the technique is called “tenebrism”). This is what Nick Fisher is calling into focus with references to light and shadow in the lyrics: “One of many names / One of many things / Casting shadows / I know / I know, I know / Caravaggio” as well as references to light rays and sunlight. The deep vocals never quite fall in the pocket but rather slide around with no concern about the beat, capturing perfectly a disconnected outsider perspective. “Flower of Tomorrow” does not continue this style, choosing to present a more harrowing and noisy, droning track with no percussion that leans industrial. It’s reminiscent of the atmospheric work of Peter Gabriel for the 1988 film The Last Temptation of Christ (available in album form titled Passion). When the song folds the wordless cries of Penny Peach (credited as Elly Hoffmaier) at the 2:40 mark, it calls to mind Clare Torry on Pink Floyd’s “Great Gig in the Sky.” The whole song switches mood brilliantly from angry, distant, drunken grieving to sad and resolute. Not hope so much as an end of grief. Here come the rain Here it come to take me away No more flowers, no more tomorrow Here come the rain Here come the rain Here come the rain This double single of “Caravaggio” and “Flower of Tomorrow” is an impressive calling card for Mr. Softheart. The members of the band have been building on their skills as songwriters and performers since the early days of Hex Girls, and Mr. Softheart is the next stylistic step on that journey. —Michael Roeder
LITTLEVILLAGEMAG.COM/LV307 June 2022 83
