Lopez & Arevalos, a captivating musical duo, emerged in 2018 with a project dedicated to Chilean singer Violeta Parra, debuting at Microscope Gallery in New York. Comprised of Camilla Lopez, a singer-actress passionate about music, and Matteo Ramon Arevalos, a pianist-composer with a strong academic background and a love for experimentation, this duo is all about pushing the boundaries of music with their experimentation — keep reading for my thoughts on their latest magnum opus, “TELEION”, released by Tunitemusic!
Drawing heavily from folk and classical styles of music, there’s influences of world music on “TELEION” right from the very start of this album — starting with “Orestes (408 BC)” — with Camilla’s voice taking on an absolutely infectious contralto/mezzo soprano sound as Matteo’s low, rumbling pianos come together with the strings to create a roar, an ocean wave of emotions that quickly dispatch the listener into a faraway land from centuries ago.
This mythical experience continues on the “First Delphic Hymn to Apollo (138 BC)”, with Lopez’s vocals ringing far and wide as the focus; while Arevalos’ accompaniment lays down the perfect punctuation with the expressive playing of the pianos, her vibrato absolutely shines on this one — and with the introduction of gentle orchestral percussion elements on this track, there’s not much in the way for this sound to ring deep, and resonate loud in one’s head — all while sounding graceful, elegant, and effortless.
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On “TELEION”’s third track, “Hymn to Nemesis (1st Century AD)”, the pace and the tone change slightly, adopting a more a folk tinge reminiscent of Garmarna on their Swedish folk adaptations; while the sound design choices on the gentle percussion in the background steal the cake on this one — while Lopez brings lighter-feeling, higher-pitched singing, charting her virtuosity as a singer with drive and grace.
As we move on to “Invocation to the Muse + Invocation to Calliope and Apollo (1st Century AD)”, the greatness continues, as Lopez hits her tessitura, her voice ringing loud and clear as she glides up and down the scales like butter on a hot pan; and there’s just the twang of the triangle to keep one company as they revel in the beauty of these ancient compositions, brought to you courtesy of Lopez’s voice.
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The 12-piece album has greatness bleeding from it at every step, and we remain entranced for every single second, until we close with “Hymn To The Sun” — and for every step of the way, you are compelled to glue your headphones even further deeper your head.
The production on this album is par excellence — tastefully minimal, turning instead to the melodic arrangements and the accompaniments to drive the emotive impact to a twelve on ten; while maintaining that this record is, in fact, centred around the heavenly quality of Lopez’s voice. The mixes are tight, the reverbs outstanding, and the overall quality otherworldly — and all in all, “TELEION’, by Lopez & Arevalos is the kind of album you listen to when you’re the kind of person that gets bored by the run of the mill, bogged down by the ordinary. It is the beyond, it is the magic, and it is the cure to the mundane; check out the album here!
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