Aucán - Brotes del Alba (1980)

Artista: Aucán

Álbum: Brotes del Alba
Año: 1980
Género: Prog Folk
Duración: 35:50
Nacionalidad: Argentina

Lista de Temas:
1. Llegando A Casa
2. Primavera De Una Esquina
3. Cancion De Mi Padre
4. Hacia El Destierro
5. Tres De Octubre
6. Mi Amor Y Yo Contra Todos Los Que Rayen
7. Misterio Azul

Alineación:
- Eugenio J. Perez / vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar, charango
- Diego J. Perez / drums, percussion
- Guillermo Franchetti / vocals, guitar
- Pablo C. Perez / vocals, bass, keyboards, cello
Guests:
Charly Garcia / mini-moog
León Gieco / harmonica
Migel Perez / baroque flute
Dino Saluzzi / bandoneon
Tucuta Gordillo / sikus
Leon Mames / oboe, English horn

Vuelve Alberto con otro disco muy pedido y al mismo muy difícil de conseguir, y que no he escuchado por lo que no puedo opinar... así que se los dejo como otra de las joyitas para que conozcan en este fin de semana.

Beautiful stuff. Very melodic folky prog, with beautiful, passionate vocals. Like a better version of other late 70s argentinian folky acts like Seru Giran.
So good that Leon Gieco and Charly Garcia are guests here.

frond

There are things about the second and final Aucan album that are an improvement over their rather austere debut, but in some respects I think the band took a step backward as well.
The inclusion of a number of guest musicians means the music tends to be more robust and varied than their first release. “Primavera de una Esquina” includes an oboe and English horn, although they are not very prominent as near as I can tell. “Cancion de mi Padre” includes a bandneon (uh… accordion), which to me sounds a little bit like a viola with harmonica accompaniment. Not sure if that was the intent or not, but that’s what I hear. And “Hacia el Destierro” features the mondo-flute sikus, but the real interesting bit of this song is the wailing guitar that reminds me a lot of Kerry Livgren. All these are positive improvements, however slightly they end up affecting the overall sound.
But the biggest disappointment comes with the reduced role of the cello, an instrument that featured very prominently on the first album but is largely reduced to a supporting role here. Too bad, because that is one of the things that gave the band’s music a certain special appeal and helped to separate it from the many other British-influenced Latin acts of the late seventies. There is also a noticeable increase in synthesized keyboard usage on this album, and for a band that I thought was supposed to be emphasizing their folk leanings, this is a not very welcome addition.
There are no real standout tracks on this album, and although the closing “Misterio Azul” is the longest track and most ambitious in terms of its arrangement; this one is also the most obvious clue that the band recorded this album at the end of the seventies and when synthesized music and overly brash electric guitars were more en vogue than stylish and intricate folk-inspired music.
This is a collectors-only piece, although if you are interested in the band this one is easier to find than the debut and for that reason (and probably only that reason) you might feel like hunting it down. Not particularly recommended though.

Bob Moore

AUCÁN are a late 70's band from Argentina who blend symphonic rock with folk and classical influences. The original line-up was an all family affair consisting of the four Perez brothers: Eugenio and Miguel both handling vocals and guitar, assisted by younger brothers Diego on drums and Pablo on bass, keyboards and vocals. They released two albums in 1977 and 1980 and then split up.
Both the eponymous first release and the better-known "Brotes Del Alba" are made up of smooth, well-structured melodies with frequent folk incursions, lots of acoustic instrumentation and elegant guitar passages. Perhaps on account of the more prominent keyboards, the second album is slightly more symphonic and features several guest musicians who bring the band's sound up a notch with their use of cello, mini-moog, oboe, English horn, harmonica and baroque flute among other instruments. Lyrics are sung in Spanish. Nothing groundbreaking here but well executed overall.
Fans of SAGRADO, CELESTE and perhaps Camel will feel at home with this band, especially with the second album.

NuMusi

Y me encantaría que me dejen su comentario sobre qué les pareció el disco... otro histórico argentino descatalogado y perdido en el tiempo que venimos a rescatar.