“Moai Y Yo” by Maria Usbeck

Track Review:

Spring is upon us, so naturally – one longs for summer. Maria Usbeck incorporates world notes and languages in “Moai Y Yo.” Composed in her “mother tongue,” Usbeck reveals her longing for natural environments and a nostalgic glance at her exotic childhood. As noted on SoundCloud: “After five years of fronting new wave outfit Selebrities and writing songs in English, Usbeck experienced a delayed-onset of homesickness and knew it was time to ‘let the mother tongue speak.’” The track includes variant instruments such as the marimba, xylophone, quena flute, piano, and harp (SoundCloud). Not limiting cultural effects to Spanish heritage, Usbeck taps into island-culture: “Usbeck wields her Spanish lyrics cleverly while folding in snippets of several other far-flung tongues: Rapa Nui from Easter Island, Quichua from Ecuador, Bribri from Costa Rica, and Catalan” (SoundCloud). Travel fueled Usbeck’s album, Amparo 12” releases 27 May 2016. Chris said, “Maria Usbeck’s sublime [album] was ‘written and recorded across the span of three years in Ecuador, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Barcelona, Lisbon, Easter Island, Costa Rica, the south of Florida, L.A. and her home in Brooklyn,’ and was produced by Maria with Caroline Polacheck of Chairlift” (GorillavsBear). What the track does is kindle exotic imagery for the listener, along with a strong desire to make it to the islands…any island really…this summer.

Shout to Sources: Gorilla vs Bear, SoundCloud, iTunes