Peyoti for President: Rising Tide of Conformity
Peyoti for President: Rising Tide of Conformity
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Friday, 01, May 2009 02:36
Sordid Soup records, out May 4th.
In a nutshell...
World music with a message
What's it all about?
This is the debut effort from the Peyoti for President collective. The 13 songs here take elements from genres as diverse as samba, dub and gypsy folk and mix them together in a musical melting pot representative of their diverse backgrounds.
Who's it by?
Peyoti for President is supposedly a loose collective which has crystallised around the central duo of Anglo-Italian guitarist Pietro DiMascio and Brazilian percussionist Ulisses Bezerra da Silva. In reality it is DiMascio - who sings, plays guitar and writes all the songs - who seems to dominate the troupe. On the album he and his drummer friend are joined variously by Saudi-Egyptian violinist Sami Bishai, Anglo-Indian percussionist Pandit Dinesh and a whole host of others from equally diverse backgrounds, all of whom - naturally - live in London.
Live, the group is a somewhat smaller core of around six musicians, but they still manage to channel their diverse influences to create a percussive, groove-driven vibe, which they combine with an impassioned - but occasionally confused - political message. After a few years building up a cult following, the group go their break when Manu Chao personally asked for them to be his support act on his 2007 UK tour.
As an example...
"Wake up, Rise up/Listen to your conscience/'cos 21st century uprising is so overdue."
Likelihood of a trip to the Grammys
While this album may garner critical acclaim for its scope and ambition, the combination of no standout single and the difficulties of marketing men confronted by so-called 'world music' means it is unlikely to sell loads. That said, Manu Chao has done relatively well out of peddling a similar musical cocktail. But for Peyoti, a Grammy might be out a reach for a while yet.
What the others say
"This spirited debut hits the ground running and doesn't let up for a moment. It's a fizzing cocktail of funked-up flamenco and Manu Chao-style pop/rock which owes as much to Ojos de Brujo as it does to the Clash." - Howard Male, Independent
"Lyrics ranting about the corruption of politics and deception of words are dominant throughout the album and the theme of revolution and uprising is consistently evident but unfortunately after a while becomes a little strained and too preachy." - James Fairfield, NSR CD Reviews
So is it any good?
Peyoti for President's debut effort may be many things, but unfortunately an absolute classic album is not one of them. The scale of this record's ambition is admirable. Combining drumming styles from around the world with snippets of speech from George Bush and nakedly political lyrics that flit between languages is not something most bands would even bother trying. It has to be said, the percussion throughout is excellent and the arrangements are never swamped, despite the number of instruments present on most of the tracks. But this may, in fact be indicative of the record's problem.
These other instruments rarely form much more than a backing track to a central acoustic guitar line played by DiMascio and are, as a result, often wasted. Sometimes you are left wishing they would swamp him - or at least take over the main melody for a bit. And then there are DiMascio's lyrics. The man's passion is undeniable, but the radically poetic musical missiles he lets fly in every song sometimes sound a little unguided. The un-ironic use of Alexander Rodchenko's Knigi propaganda poster on the inside of the album sleeve has none of the knowing wit that accompanied Franz Ferdinand's use of the same image.
However, despite these criticisms, this is an impressive debut. When it works, as on songs like Yo No Quiero Trabajar, Peyoti for President's sound works well. And the sheer energy and passion of the album carries it along nicely, in spite of its failings. This makes their live shows impressive. Peyoti for President have provided an interesting and original - if sometimes messy - first effort. Their potential is clear, but they are perhaps one to watch - rather than listen to straight away.
6.5/10
Tristan Kennedy