Short Reviews [Mula - 2017 - "Resiliente"]

Although the second album from Bogota-based band Mula came out originally in 2017, it was reissued in 2021 by French label Dur et Doux which is why it has now come to my attention. This is a wonderfully distorted chaotic mess of RIO and free jazz, all coming together in a mess of sound which is wonderfully dynamic and full of contrast. That they have been thrown into a studio and been told to go mad is never in doubt, that they have been thrown into the same studio is more up for debate. They are killing their instruments (electric bass, tenor sax, alto and baritone the clarinet, guitar, drums and keyboards), doing far more than just sitting sedately and providing wonderful harmonies but instead are turning them against each other to create discord and “music” which can be used as a weapon. There is a freedom of expression here which is a million miles removed from the plasticity of so much artificially created “muzak”, as here we have people who are putting their very souls into this, placing their emotions out for all to hear and leaving nothing hidden. This is not a thing of beauty, but an expression of harsh environments and realities, showing the world as a place of hatred and struggle and not what we all wish it was. This is music which has lost all hope, and is a stand against the establishment, as underground as it can possibly be, like a resistance movement. For those of us who are happy to work at our music and to get inside artists’ heads to gain some sort of understanding then this is an absolute pleasure, as there is a dark thread within this which needs to be pulled and enlightenment gained. This is RIO, and it is not meant to be pretty, but instead it reflects the darkness inside us all and in that manner, this is a real success. Harsh and uncompromising, this is the real deal.