Quiz question for all of you

[Patrick]

Quiz for all of you: did you know that 'Palo Santo' has an album-wide theme? What is it? (There's a hint in the packaging.)

Patrick

[pabost]

Is it an avian theme, particularly, a study of the Striated Caracara?

[Patrick]

No, surprisingly.

Patrick

[Patrick]

Anyone? Any of you guys have the physical CD yet? (tino, I thought you might have a comment on the package).

Patrick

[tinobeat]

Patrick! I have yet to delve into the world of the Shearwater, but will certainly do so this weekend. I was in NY playing a show when they came to Boston, so I missed that, sadly...

[tinobeat]

So I've been listening to the Shearwater CDs, and Its pretty damn good. The vocals are a lot more in-your-face than I was expecting, good stuff!

The packaging looks stunning, definitely. I love those paintings. Were those old finds that were incorporated into the art or did someone dust off the old-school chops and paint them for the record? I haven't wrapped my head around the whole thing enough yet to find the overarching theme, but I'll be on the lookout!

I did find the wikipedia entry for "palo santo" funny:

Palo santo (Spanish: "holy wood") can refer to:


Lignum vitae, heartwood of tree species of the genus Guaiacum, native to subtropical and tropical regions of the Americas
Bulnesia sarmientoi, a tree species native to the Gran Chaco area in South America
Bursera graveolens, a tree species native to the Gran Chaco area in South America
Palo Santo, the fourth full length by indie rock band Shearwater

[tonylamont]

(1) "Dedicated to Christa Paffgen" - aka Nico.

(2) "Johnny Viola" = John Cale? His music casts a long shadow over some of these songs.

(3) Liner notes also reference Ibiza = locale of Nico's death? (in a bicycle accident). "I'll go down in a flame / and wheel in the air like a swallow"

(4) According to various bios, Nico's father died in a concentration camp. cf. "seventy four, seventy five"

(5) "Bring back my boy . . ." As I recall Nico's son was in fact taken at a young age from her custody.


And following up on the earlier posts, a bit more about the title courtesy of our never-mistaken friends @ wiki . . .

Palo Santo aka Lignum vitae "is the heartwood of species of the genus Guaiacum, the trees of which are usually called guayacan. The name is Latin for "wood of life", and derives from its medicinal uses." Heartwood "is wood that, as a result of genetically programmed processes, has died and become resistant to decay."

I could go on . . . I'm sure there is some connection here. Perhaps a meditation on the relationship between great art and the often abject lives of those who create it . . .

[tonylamont]

Oh, forgot to mention what an unbelievably great record it is! Since acquiring it I don't want to listen to anything else.

Yay Matador for re-issuing this. And pretty sad that the deafening level of bloghype/cultural noise drowned out the brilliance of this record for nearly a year.

[Patrick]

(1) "Dedicated to Christa Paffgen" - aka Nico.

Well done. And there's even more buried in there on her...

[tinobeat]

WHOA. here I am looking at pictures and stuff, looking for visual clues, missing the point entirely! That's really awesome...

[Elijah]

Are the bird paintings by John Audubon? They look like his paintings.

[Patrick]

They are not, though they're from that generation. European artist. I'll ask Mark Ohe to jump in here.