Description
The serpentine “NUDE ON A SWING,” the lacerating bop noir of “PSYCHO SWANG,” and the torch hymn classics of “DIORISSIMO” and “GHOSTING ON LOS ANGELES AVENUE.”
Tracklist:
1. Ecdysia | 10. A Rose Tattoo |
2. A Stripper's Rhapsody (Strip in Noir Part 2) | 11. Diorissimo (Cha-Tango Taxi Dance) |
3. Mambo Nera | 12. Requiem for a Dead Crooner |
4. Beautevil (Noirotiqua Part 1/Preview/ Excerpt/Edit) | 13. My Shadow Bride |
5. Nude On A Swing | 14. Phantasma (Stalking The Fifth And Main) |
6. Enochian Key Number Nine | 15. Kat Walking Baby (Miss Lily Crosses Over) |
7. Invocation Number Three (For A Los Angeles Racketeer) | 16. A Blue Negligee (Miss Lily's Mystical Strip Tease) |
8. Confession Box Number Seven | 17. Sunday Mourning Scarlatta Salon |
9. Psycho Swang (Cut) | 18. Ghosting (On Los Angeles Avenue) |
PS –
From the first listen, VARGAS’ music and lyrics has an august feel.
His albums are infused with the ghosts of a specific universe full of strange operators, strong apparitions and even stranger themes…
The material is so infused with cinematic aura it screams for an A-grade Hollywood style adaptation.
I can imagine it on film, on stage, animated, even a radio play.
I particularly imagine a Tim Burton-esque production (not unlike the 2005 ‘Corpse Bride’ franchise), or an adult PIXAR-style epic.
Either way, Jimmy Vargas’ own original songs would make an ideal soundtrack.
A quick scan of the song titles alerts the listener they’re in for a real curious journey. I imagine this material suitable for a mature audience, something akin to the biting American comic-book imprint VERTIGO with lines such as HELLBLAZER, THE SANDMAN, THE BOOKS OF MAGIC and THE DREAMING.
J.V balances elements of burlesque, horror, fantasy, romance, noir, mystery, sex and more.
A scan of the CD liner notes reveals words, thoughts and themes not yet part of the mainstream conversation.
It seems Vargas moves in different spheres.
His work is heat-charged, smoke-charged, sex-charged, death-charged, noir-charged and his vocabulary includes:
‘Scarlatta’ – his muse and co-vocalist (Note: Scarlatta means ‘revealing’ in Italian)
‘Chiaroscuro’ (contrast between light and dark)
“Dark arts of Santeria” (Santeria is an Afro-Caribbean Magic religion).
“Ecdysia” (‘stripteasing’ from the Greek word ‘Ecdysis’ meaning to undress/molt).