“This track is dope yo!” Wait, not far back enough. “This number is the cat’s pajamas!”Too far back… ok let’s do this, “This ditty is groovy yeah!” Nailed it. Not too many artists can claim to be inspired by and attempt to recreate the baroque rock and/or chamber pop of the late 1960s. Ask any high school garage band in SoCal, young man from the south sampling beats in his bedroom or girl fine tuning her voice in the shower and you’ll find nary a soul striving to fashion some fab melodies from that era. But make no mistake about it though, Children of Minerva are doing just that. Neato!
Children of Minerva hail from the streets of… well, a newfangled contraption called the inter webs. Based in New York, the duo of Mick Cantone and Emio Araya, previously a trio and now back to a duo, are no brick-and-mortar band playing to throngs of hunks and skirts at the far out clubs around town. They’re strictly a modern take on fandom and release studio music online and in physical format via CD. If there’s one thing lacking, I’d ask where the vinyls are at, baby?
The sophomore anthology features loads of everything a baroque-head would ever need in their collection: epic orchestral arrangements with synth strings, slightly distorted guitars, bells, double layered and compressed vocal tracks and how there are harpsichord and organ. Lots of harpsichord and organ! Their new album Souvenirs of a Life Recalled features ten well-orchestrated tracks clocking in at over 40 minutes of groovy riffs, whimsical sounds and psychedelically named tracks! “Psilocybin City” anyone? It’s a gas!
Stand out tracks to this writer include “Tinderbox Fair” which could have come straight from a Beatles box set and “Little Bird” with baritone voice traversing the lightly strummed yet rocking guitar riffs while complimented by a feminine mezzo-soprano voice one or two octaves higher. The more you listen to the sounds, the less you feel that it’s a complete copy and paste of a band straight from the 1960s and more of a genius and complex songwriting horde of musicians and lyricists. It’s groovy diggit?
If Children of Minerva can ever replicate these sounds into a live performance, it’d definitely be a blast! Can you imagine the psychedelic lights dancing around the underground venue as the mop tops thrash around on stage with their brightly colored, velvety garb while the decked-out crowd jigs to the mood and beat of each song? No sweat hogs and squares there! Anyone having a bummer of a day wouldn’t help but feel uplifted and amazed by this resurrection of an era long lost. Groove on!
Tap/click the links below and give their stuff a listen:
childrenofminerva.bandcamp.com (stereo mix)*
childrenofminerva.hearnow.com
instagram.com/childrenofminerva
faceboom.com/childrenofminerva
*A CD release with both the stereo and the mono mix is available for purchase directly from the Children of Minerva Bandcamp page.