Arar

Emerging from the dynamic Catalan contemporary musical scene, Arar, which translates as ‘Plowing,’ sees the Barcelona-born Marina Tomàs Amado (voice and guitars) team up with multi-instrumentalist Maria Cruz Millet (voice, piano and tenor saxophone), from Girona, whose eclectic background takes her into a plethora of projects. Built on a neat and gentle production, their eponymous debut's virtues include warmth, intimacy, the complicity of two voices singing in Catalan and Spanish alongside a fusion of instruments and a freewheeling attitude that defies categorisation. On the atmospheric opener, ‘Simulacres’, they speak metaphorically of a hopeful future despite the serious problems that plague us, but which never come to knock us down completely. A jazz feel wraps the delicate ‘Gamma Velorum’. Elsewhere, ‘I Dius Adéu’ is a lively bossa, while ‘Cucut’ summons the singers’ fine vocal harmonies. The instrumental ‘Eclipsi Llunar’ features a string trio joining sax and guitar to create an alluring theme. Another lasting pleasure is ‘Dai Dara Dai’, where on minimalistic guitar chords the two interlacing voices and hand clapping create a vibrant crescendo. There are no tricks and no gimmicks; these are genuine and original conceptual pieces of music.