Many things come from France. Cheese, wine, quirky little people with a strange cross-European power complex, or punk rock. Although the last two points are not always separable, I would like to focus particularly on the latter: "Brigada Flores Magon".
As a diligent writer, I naturally have an educational mission, which I will immediately fulfill: The band name has a background! It is not related to a highly complex code, but translates simply to "Brigade Flores Magon". "Flores Magon" is not a Spanish beer type, but the abbreviation for "Ricardo Flores Magón", an anarchist activist from Mexico. He had a significant influence on the Mexican Revolution in 1910, contributing through journalistic work and bravely mingling with demonstrators to fight for his beliefs and those of his comrades. Aha.
So, enough about that. Now it’s time for music. More specifically: dirty, fast punk rock from Paris!
The self-titled CD presents itself as divided – in the truest sense! On one side, there’s the well-known punk rock with corresponding sounds. This means: No grand artistic melodic cascades or complex tempo changes. Here, it’s just about hitting hard!
On the other side, there are ska-suspicious songs (without brass instruments) that either provide for great dance moments or are perfect for just switching off and relaxing. Here, bass and guitar play an important role. While the guitar is played with little distortion and quickly, the bassist focuses on a blues sound.
I particularly enjoy many of the choruses, which are sung in French (thus incomprehensible to almost everyone), but are still very captivating and have a certain "protest" character. I like to include songs like "Octobre '61", "Continente Olvidado", "Action Directe", or "Concrits" in this category. Here, the verses play a "only" secondary role, but still fit very well into the overall picture.
Again, the "ska" songs present the opposite: The verses have a lot more tempo and would sound particularly awesome live. Songs like "Ligne 2", "Le Futur" (where it’s a bit slower) or "Chicanos" create a great mood and an unyielding desire to move. Very nice!
Strangely, this anarcho band has a touch that I would describe as "Oi!" when it comes to the sound. A scruffy and smoky voice drives the songs, accompanied by bass, guitars, and drums, and likely contributes significantly to this charm. And the lyrics don’t bother me for once – as has been the case with so many "Oi!" bands – due to two factors: 1) I simply don’t understand much because of the language, and 2) what I do understand is politically tinged. A win-win situation that has a very positive effect on my mood! Hooray!
I recommend everyone to check out a few samples to form their own opinion. It’s incredible what kind of attraction a band can have when it speaks a different language. Out of the eternal German-and-English fuss and into the real international business of punk rock history! Musically, it may not be a revelation, but it is still solid and quite captivating.
Brigada Flores Magon is an experience that has pleasantly surprised me and will surely surprise a few more listeners. Come on, give it a listen!
