LP format is a Limited Edition in chocolate colour vinyl**Includes a free digital MP3 download [320 kbps]
Record after record Parade has reinvented himself thanks to his creativity, imagination and melodic skills. "Amor y ruido" (“Love and Noise”), his seventh studio album, is at the same time magnificent and unpretentious. Like the superheroes from the comic books he used to read in his childhood, he sticks to his guns and follows his own…
LP format is a Limited Edition in chocolate colour vinyl**Includes a free digital MP3 download [320 kbps]
Record after record Parade has reinvented himself thanks to his creativity, imagination and melodic skills. "Amor y ruido" (“Love and Noise”), his seventh studio album, is at the same time magnificent and unpretentious. Like the superheroes from the comic books he used to read in his childhood, he sticks to his guns and follows his own path, which this time leads to his warmest, most romantic record, where he has chosen acoustic instrument over electronic ones, the French and Italian influences over the Anglo-Saxon ones, classic over modern… in a word, love over noise. A love which can take us to that state of mind where everything that surrounds us is just noise.
Antonio Galvañ’s starting point for this record was to use the classic song canon, as inspired by classic melodic music from the late 60s and 70s in Italy and France. There are hints of Anglo-Saxon music too, but just in the most pop songs, like “Tierra postapocalíptica”, “Amor alien” or “El imperio nunca dejó de existir”. In a more French and Italian vein are songs such as “La vida tal cual”, “Reality en la casa encantada” or “Marc Modular”. So this is a record full of beautiful contrast, varied and entertaining, but coherent at the same time.
This premise made it necessary to choose acoustic instruments, which had rarely featured in previous Parade records: double bass, electric bass and drums (which had already appeared in segments of “Materia Oscura”). All the songs were performed live and without overdubs. There are almost no synthesizers or drum machines, and electric and acoustic guitars by Eduardo Piqueras shine throughout the record, especially in songs such as “Morninha” and “Rushmore”. So the textures of "Amor y ruido" are more organic, or at least less ‘cold’ than in previous albums. In short, more “human”, with a live feel to it (mistakes included).
The lyrics veer towards the romantic and sentimental, leaving aside classic Parade themes like fantasy. Which doesn’t mean they don’t appear: “Reality en la casa encantada” or “Los muertos vivientes” follow that tradition. And “Amor alien” combines both themes beautifully. But this is undoubtedly Parade’s love album: “Morninha”, “El día inesperado” and especially “Amor romántico” are clear examples. After all, pop music is more popular when it is classic, and "Amor y ruido" is, as Spanish music writer Patricia Godes would say, a series of "Romantic Popular Songs" which will make Parade fans from this and other worlds happy.
"Amor y ruido" contains fourteen songs penned by Yecla’s finest (since 1994). Antonio Galvañ writes about them in his own words:
“La vida tal cual” relates to the great Gino Paoli and songs for festivals such as San Remo, with their rhythmic violins and expressionist choirs at the end. It is a song of love and loss, but eventual redemption.
“Rushmore” is based on the film of the same title directed by Wes Anderson, and is about friendship and its consequences. A midtempo song with big guitars.
“Reality en la casa encantada” was inspired by French Chanson of the fifties and sixties, with Georges Brassens as the main reference. It is an uptempo piece with acoustic instruments and a lovingly morbid theme.
“Morninha” has a misguiding title, because its beat is closer to a slow pasodoble than to the morna from Cape Verde. It is a classic love song where the male lover perseveres in spite of her lover’s disdain. One of the most sentimental songs in the record.
“Tierra postapocalíptica” is the first single, a straightforward pop song with a Motown beat and a contemporary and futuristic theme.
“El imperio nunca dejó de existir” is a melancholic pop song about the influence of the past in the present. The title refers to a dream that writer Philip K. Dick had when he was a child.
“Marc Modular” is a story about a superhero, had he been invented by French Surrealists at the beginning of the 20th Century. A Dada detective who fights against the power of reality using the rules of Pataphysics, hidden in the reflection of a mirror. The music evokes the golden age of French chanson.
“Si no fuera por ti” is a simple love ditty with a humorous political message. Because no matter how weird I am sometimes, I don’t live outside reality.
“Amor romántico” is the sentimental ballad of the record, a song for piano and vocals about the decadence of the classic vampire, as opposed to the modern vampires shown in films such the “Twilight” series. About how Bram Stoker’s terrible, dark characters have become handsome film stars.
“Amor alien” is a story of two abducted characters looking for each other, and wanting one another. Unashamedly pop, it lies somewhere between 70s Paul McCartney and Todd Rundgren circa “Something / Anything”.
“Beijing Bangkok” has that Eastern touch that I sometimes explore in my songs. Delicate and exuberant, it contains what Parade fans look for: melody and emotion. In essence, Pop.
“Los muertos vivientes” is not just about zombies, but about our political situation, which is the third pillar of this record, alongside love and fantasy.
“El tres” is a humorous song dedicated to the influence of this number in our lives, with a popular, acoustic feel to it.
The record ends with a sentimental ballad on piano and vocals, “El día inesperado”, which brings a bit of hope among all the bewilderment.
“Amor y ruido” was recorded by Antonio Galvañ at Intonarumore in 2012 and was mixed at El Sótano by Dani Cardona in June 2013. It was mastered by Arturo Vaquero and the illustrations and design of the sleeve are by Ana Galvañ. Performers include Dani Cardona (drums), Cayo Ballveser (bass) and Xema Fuertes (vibes and percussion on “Tierra postapocalíptica”) plus Parade’s live band: Eduardo Piqueras (guitars), Eva Plaza (vocals) y Jesús Galvañ (vocals).
