from: Caracas, Venezuela
website: www.amigosinvisibles.com
myspace: www.myspace.com/losamigosinvisibles
On Friday night I ran into my friend John at a show and he gave me a copy of Superpop Venezuela, the new album by Los Amigos Invisibles. His eagerness to pass off the CD definitely led me to believe that it was a little too weird for his taste (plus pretty much saying "this is really weird" tipped me off too), and after sitting here for about an hour listening to the super lengthy record, I have to agree. It's weird. But I also kind of love it. Keep in mind that it's almost 1, I'm in the middle of my Labor Day weekend blogathon, I'm hopped up on caffeine and I'm seriously pondering what makes the crazy little bossa nova squeaky noise featured on "Rosario" that sounds exactly like the "chicken cup" I had as a kid (a little toy made of a plastic cup decorated like a chicken, with a string you rubbed with a little piece of wet sponge to make a chicken-like squeak). Um... yeah. I can't even figure out how to google that, and I can google anything. And the liner notes are not helpful at all.
So anyway, Superpop Venezuela is one of the most bizarre, eclectic and strangely entertaining albums I have heard in quite some time. Formed in 1991, Los Amigos Invisibles themselves are rather bizarre and eclectic, a group of friends who banded together to create the best (or only?) dance band in Venezuela, in response to the dark rock bands that permeated the music scene in their hometown of Caracas at the time. Drawing on the genres of disco, funk, and acid jazz, they play in a diverse array of styles and create sounds I'm positive my ears have never been exposed to before.
Los Amigos Invisibles are playing at 5:30 on the third day of the festival, which by my calculations will be a few beers into the day. And listening to this insane little whirlwind of a dance band at this moment, all I know is that if their recordings come out sounding like a crazy party, their live performance is a party I absolutely, positively want to be a part of.
"All Day Today" (from Superpop Venezuela)
"Rosario" (from Superpop Venezuela)
the instrument that makes the chicken-squeak sound (I always thought it sounded like rubbing a glass pane) is called a cuica.
Posted by: bigbigtruck | September 11, 2006 at 03:30 PM
You are so my hero. And I'm not crazy, it's kind of like a much more advanced chicken cup. :)
Posted by: janet | September 11, 2006 at 03:58 PM
"the best (or only?" venezuelan band...
only?!.. c'mon.. the only band to get out of the country.. but if you get the chance to look into the scene you could find a good number of bands that would make you move like you have never moved....
the rest of the article is great.. and amigos invisibles is a bad ass band, everyone should go see it.. but that comment about "only" dance venezuelan band might just be the most idiotic thing i have read in a while.
Posted by: sergio | September 12, 2006 at 07:47 PM
I'm glad you enjoyed the rest of the article Sergio... just wanted to let you know that the "or only" comment is actually kind of a quote from the band's official bio from their website: "In answer to the many rocker and dark acts frequently found in theaters in Caracas, a group of friends decide to form the best or rather the only Venezuelan dance band." Maybe they were referring to the lack of Venezuelen dance bands in 1991?
Posted by: janet | September 12, 2006 at 08:01 PM
HI, nice article on Los amigos.
Buy the way this album is all covers of famous and not so famous venezuelan songs.
Also the instrument which name you wanted to know is cuica. You can find more info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuica
P.
Posted by: pospam | September 25, 2006 at 09:45 AM