Translation is the epic rock opus of the album---though you'd never know it from the opening phrases. It was either very brave or very stupid to record the trumpet and bass so dry in the beginning, but I felt that because the song is so layered at the end it would be fair to open it very 'nakedly.' After the first statement, sax and guitar fill in the counterlines, and then the band moves into a slow bubbling free section. Eventually drums and bass establish a tempo, and after a short sample from a phone message my Dad once left me ("Ok, I love you. Good bye!"), the main theme come in. Without getting too math-nerdy, the chords repeat twice for every three times through the melody. At first there were wordless vocals changing the melody line, but we were lucky enough to have Laurie Frink record about 16 separate trumpet tracks (!) at Rob DiPietro's studio in Brooklyn, which--needless to say--thickened up the sound. Towards the very end there is a full on sonic assault with what Teddy calls the "seasick effect" on the trumpet. All kidding aside, I think it's really beautiful in a twisty and degraded kind of way. If you've ever checked out Rob Mazurek's cornet solo on "Tunnel Chrome" you'll see what I'm talking about. The idea is that the quintet expands to a huge orchestra of layered sound, culminating in the controlled chaos of Oscar's guitar lines.
ps- Re-translation is the same melody in a different context.
Proceeds from this vibrant collection of tracks from Red Baraat bandleader Sunny Jain go to the Center for Constitutional Rights. Bandcamp New & Notable May 13, 2021
The eclectic musician recasts the immigrant experience as the modern-day frontier, bringing Indian and U.S. traditions together. Bandcamp New & Notable Dec 3, 2019