Helena Espvall first met David Maranha in 2006 when her band Espers played a show in Lisbon. They played two gigs the following year, and Espvall contributed to Maranha’s Marches of the New World. Since then they always had the intention of working together more extensively and once Espvall moved to Lisbon two years ago they had no more excuses.
Sombras Incendiadas (“Exploding Shadows”) features Espvall on amplified cello and Maranha on electric organ and amplified violin. Espvall has an amazing cello sound, kind of Velvet Underground, while David Maranha is in the vein of La Monte Young or Tony Conrad. As a duo, they create heavy drones with delicate harmonics behind the wall of sound. The textures are raw, the compositions are minimalistic, and the riffs are heady. The repetitive patterns played very loudly create a monolithic, hypnotic, and time stopping album.
Sombras Incendiadas is available on LP (with a download coupon) and digitally.
David Maranha, violin, electric organ. Helena Espvall, cello. Recorded in Violente do Céu by David Maranha between december 2012 and march 2013.