El Errante

On their latest album, Montréal’s El Balcón have delivered a dynamite collection of self-written songs seamlessly blending lead singer Valeria’s Mexican roots with East European and Middle Eastern influences into a startlingly potent stew. With an acoustic backbone of requinto and jarana guitars, cajón and upright bass, and with violins, oud and accordion joining the shared voices, their youthful energies have matured into a gig-honed outfit that could shake any audience. Thoughtfully arranged to suit the drama of each song’s subject, the compositions offer a rich variety of tempos and emotions. From the Balkan-infused high-stepper ‘No Creo en Banderas’ to the prairie ballad ‘La Pradera’, their passionate, energising folk-fusion strikes a universal chord. The spirit of the communal dance or a deep yearning are present in all cultures and the band’s sympathetic collage of global influences means that people the world over could recognise something of themselves in the music.