Toc de Crida

Every musician that picks up on tradition sooner or later must decide whether they try to stay true to an idealised impression of the past or figure out how to claim a contemporary approach to it without severing ties. Spanish band Toc de Crida’s modern take on colla de xeremiers, a cultural ex-libris of the Mallorca region, does not take a radical stance, resorting to its usual melodies and instruments –xeremiers (a sort of bagpipe), flabiol (flute) and tambori (drum) – while fusing them with elements from different geographies and sprinkles from tasteful electric bass and guitar.

So the basis for Toc de Crida is the party music commanded by xeremiers, flabiol and tambori, shaping itself as a charming, danceable medieval set of tunes, designed to entertain popular balls. But with every other song, one starts noticing these little twists that Toc de Crida add to the songs, readjusting their flavour: ‘Vals d’Aigua’ is a happy waltz with a bit of a rock swing to it, ‘Pep Pinxo’ has a hint of ‘The March King’ John Philip Sousa, but then breaks into a sort of Arabic tango. ‘Pebre Coent, Pebre Calent’ has a European traditional dance flair but crosses genres to an unexpected land where we could find The Clash teaming up with Brazilian choro master Pixinguinha.

While there is hardly a revolution to be found here, Toc de Crida makes for compelling listening and is sure to be a live triumph.