N e v e r M i n d T h e M o l o c h s

O t a c í l i o M e l g a ç o

[duration 21:54] all rights reserved

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The artist Otacílio Melgaço has two official curators in the virtual world. A curator (from Latin: ´curare´, meaning ´to take care´) is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, keeper of a cultural heritage institution (e.g., gallery, museum, library or, as the present case: sound archive) is a content specialist charged with an institution's collections and, highlighting the context in force here, involved with the interpretation of personal (heritage) material. Both, Mr. Paz and Mr. Campbell, are, therefore, reviewers of the Melgacian works. To learn more about their missions, tasks, assignments and responsibilities by means of valuable informations regarding the compositional process, the performative rhizomes and other special features, just click the following link: otaciliomelgaco.wixsite.com/preamblebypsp
(O.M.Team; P r e l u d e)

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"Although the title of the Melgacian album is a paronomasia if it´s considered the ´classic´ Sex Pistols studio record, ´Never Mind the Molochs´, while plenty heavy, goes well beyond Punk Rock. A sui generis work that piously corroborates the words of Malcolm Mclaren: 'There are two rules I've always tried to live by: turn left, if you're supposed to turn right; go through any door that you're not supposed to enter. It's the only way to fight your way through to any kind of authentic feeling in a world beset by fakery.´" (Pablo S. Paz; Argentinean musicologist)

"The history of this record is quite curious. Otacílio Melgaço was invited by a private educational institution of his city to create a musical Piece that involved two references: Rock´n´Roll and Johann Sebastian Bach. Because the undergraduates are pupils in mid-teens and also initiated into classical ´dominion´. An initiative that seeks to merge erudite perspectives with proposals that are, supposedly, even antagonistic sonically. Valid gumption to open up the horizons of the students. For this reason, Otacílio even stood out for adopting a didactic prism, presenting his ´pedagogy´ now in the structured form of an Opus. Even because it was so required.

Rock is not the backbone of Melgaço but strategically he has already seasonally used elements of such genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, from African American musical styles such as Gospel, Jazz, Boogie Woogie, and Rhythm´n´Blues, with Country.

O.M. decided to follow very peculiar paths:

He preferred that the quotations to the German composer be mimetically subtle. Now and then (more explicitly in the first Part) the loudness (favoring mediums and lows for a full-bodied sound) of the distorted guitar, which plays the Bachian themes, is purposely invaginated into/by the rest of the clangorous instrumental mass that surrounds it. In this way, its musical notes, its scales, chords ... at determinate moments, become an indiscernible colossus, as if punctual states of plenitude, supreme - in its etymology - ´holism´. In passages such as these, Otacílio declares that he would like ´to generate an univocal sense of pure-hearing instead of satisfying the avid habitual cognition of an explicitness of sonic signals representing variations of the height of the sounds: a perceptible organization of musical language that immediately unveils which elements constitute it´;

Wanted to insert some Oriental interventions (in this case, Indian. As soon generating a further point of view that distances itself from the Christian religiosity of Johann Sebastian, orienting more to the always arcane East);

Divided into three parts his creation suggesting a hybrid trilogy (each movement being purposefully recorded under different circumstances. An amplified and paradoxically amalgamated Trinity consisting of a section that could be called more ´conventional´ - the first -, another approaching the ´traditional´ - the third - and, complementing this logic, the ´experimental´ - the second -). In the words of O.M., the third part is ´infant´ (by ludicity, by the sense of fun that prevails, even the laughter of children are heard), the first is ´adolescent´ (using certain rock/fusion cliches purposely) and the second: ´adult´ (between the genre highlighted and the jazz - plus certain ethnic atmospheres -, anticipating no clearer borders);

One or other fragment of previous proles could be introduced (reinforcing the instigating kaleidoscope).

It´s not always that Mr. Melgaço works with orders, but everything
that´s unusual for him becomes worthy of interest and for already being a multifaceted breeder, yet if in a non-ordinary trail: he´ll go on.

´Never Mind the Molochs´ inside.
A quibble rich in inventiveness and taunt. There´s a certain sarcasm with ´... the Bollocks´ but, specifically in the best punky spirit. It´s, at least conceptually, a homage too, why not?

Thorny dragon, thorny devil, mountain devil, thorny lizard: the Australian Lizard. The Moloch Horridus or purely Moloch. Why a lizard? Why this lizard? A Chameleon, basilisk, dragon? Nor is it necessary to remember that dragon is a legendary creature, typically scaled or fire-spewing and with serpentine, reptilian or avian traits, that features in the myths of many cultures around world. Otacílio sees providential metaphors in Molochian notable characteristics: since the exuberant change of colors, the camouflage, the fact of being covered with spines until his ´false head´ and the ´system´ of water collection. Undoubtedly, an exuberant and very peculiar animal. Inter alia, if we look for all the connotations of (pluralized by O.M., insofar as Rock has so many facets) the term 'Molochs': several possible interpretations we will find. All endowed with a proper dose of satirical humor. Even dark. Nothing more ´rocker´, do you agree?

´Never mind´ means ´do not worry´, ´it does not matter´, ´forget it´. The question is, differently the X-rated context of the English band Sex Pistols, why, in addition to the clinch, ´Never Mind the
M-o-l-o-c-h-s´? There are many hypotheses. I'll highlight two and, stressing a witty Melgaço, antagonistic. If he makes a parallel between the Lizard and the Rock (or the stereotype - grosso modo - of its adept), he does not fail to affirm that it´s a genre that, not always but often, turns to adolescents. So it should not be taken so seriously (in the specific sense of a singularly transitory and volatile phase of life). Whilst it´s not the case of ´winning or losing
a kingdom´. The Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist takes Rock seriously - at least artists of this modality who deserve it and not a few - but in the exclusive context of the commission, it´s a fine and provocative picardy. On the other hand, the statement can be a dissimulation. An explicit irony. As if we, in the topical juncture, were vis-a-vis with a monumental artistic expression, and because
it´s so overwhelming, we react through its opposite (in a voluntary or even involuntary act of denial) in order to try to re-establish ourselves (at least for a moment: our breath, our pulse, our consciousness) before the inevitability of what´s tremendous and is about to engulf us. A proportional parallel that I bring from universal literature but, if you permit me, (hypothetically) adapting it to my argument: as if Captain Ahab, ultimately before Moby Dick, screamed - to a bunch of sailors astonished and intimidated by such a crushing Being - in a fit of unexpected madness (unlike his usual): ´Do not worry, She's not even that big, never mind, just bring me Her heart, that's all! And you, seamen, will get all the gold in the world!´. In effect we know that
She´s Leviathan herself, or even God. An oceanic Everest! We´re talking about whales, or rather, Moby Dick, or rather, we are talking about dragons, lizards, or rather, Molochs.

´Never Mind the Molochs´, at the same time, praise and criticism; tributes and iconoclasms coexist side by side. I conjecture that, before a dialect, Rock, for Melgaço, is related to behaviorality. From this, everything - or almost - is allowed. Consequently, it does not surprise me that he has resorted to Punk. I repeat: conceptually and semiotically.

[Punk Rock (or simply ´Punk´) is a Rock music genre that developed in the early to mid-1970s in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in 1960s garage Rock and other forms of what is now known as ´Proto-Punk´ music, Punk Rock bands rejected perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s Rock. Punk bands typically use short or fast-paced songs, with hard-edged melodies and singing styles, stripped-down instrumentation, and often political, anti-establishment lyrics. Punk embraces a DIY ethic; many bands self-produce recordings and distribute them through informal channels.

The term ´Punk´ was first used in relation to Rock music by some American critics in the early 1970s, to describe garage bands and their devotees. By late 1976, bands such as Television and the Ramones in New York City, and the Sex Pistols, the Clash, and the Damned in London were recognized as the vanguard of a new musical movement. The following year saw Punk Rock spreading around the world, and it became a major cultural phenomenon in the United Kingdom. For the most part, Punk took root in local scenes that tended to reject association with the mainstream. An associated Punk subculture emerged, expressing youthful rebellion and characterized by distinctive styles of clothing and adornment (ranging from deliberately offensive T-shirts, leather jackets, spike bands and other studded or spiked jewelry to bondage and S&M clothes) and a variety of anti-authoritarian ideologies.]

Musically, keeping a verve boldly contemporary, ´Never Mind the Molochs´ targets the golden age of the genre Rock throughout its history: exploring segments of the 1960s and 1970s. I let each of you identify approximations with this or that vertebra. Sometimes, in particular passages, it also flirts with the Fusion of Jaco Pastorius, John McLaughlin and the 4th Dimension etc. In moments of thunderous catharsis, O.M. takes Rock to the extreme of the Free Jazz frontier. Anyway, we´re in front of an eloquent, forceful and eccentric petard. In other words: Here's Otacilio Melgaço." (Caio Campbell; Anglo-Brazilian semiologist and musician)

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I - "Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols" is the only studio album by English punk rock band the Sex Pistols, released on 28 October 1977 by Virgin Records.

At the time of its release, the band was already extremely controversial, having sworn on live TV, been fired from two record labels and been banned from playing live in most parts of England. The album's title added to that controversy, with some people finding the word "bollocks" offensive. Many record stores refused to carry the album and some record charts refused to list the album, showing just a blank space instead;

II - Moloch horridus is the sole species of genus Moloch. The thorny dragon grows up to 20 cm (7.9 in) in length, and it can live for 15 to 20 years. Most of these lizards are coloured in camouflaging shades of desert browns and tans. These colours change from pale colours during warm weather and to darker colours during cold weather. These animals are covered entirely with conical spines that are mostly uncalcified.

The thorny devil also features a spiny "false head" on the back of its neck, and the lizard presents this to potential predators by dipping its real head. The "false head" is made of soft tissue. The females are larger than the males. The thorny dragon's scales are ridged, enabling the animal to collect water from any part of its body. That water is then conveyed to its mouth. So when they need to drink water, they just touch water usually by their limbs, and on the basis of the capillary principle water is transmitted to the mouth through their skin;

III - The names given to this lizard reflect its appearance: the two large horned scales on its head complete the illusion of a dragon. Although the name Moloch was formerly used for a deity of the ancient Near East, this name began to be used later in demonology to refer to the fallen angel and Prince of Hell. The thorny dragon also has other nicknames people have given it such as the "devil lizard", "thorny devil", "horned lizard", and the "thorny toad".

The thorny dragon was first described in writing by the biologist John Edward Gray in 1841. While it is the only one contained in the genus Moloch, many taxonomists suspect another species might remain to be found in the wild. The thorny dragon is only distantly related to the similar (morphologically speaking) North American horned lizards of the genus Phrynosoma. This similarity is usually thought of as an example of convergent evolution.

...for purposes of pragmatism and clear exegesis,
quotes have Wikipedia as a source...

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Between two parentheses...
(Atonalism, Twelve-Tone, Serialism, Musique Concrète... Acousmatic. Eletroacoustic. Magnetic Tape. Expressionism, New Objectivity, Hyperrealism, Abstractionism, Neoclassicism, Neobarbarism, Futurism, Mythic Method. Electronic...Computer Music, Spectral, Polystylism, Neoromanticism, Minimalism and Post-Minimalism...are addressed by Melgaço. Paradoxically New Simplicity and New Complexity also.
Art Rock, Free Jazz, Ethnic Dialects, Street Sounds are occasional syntax elements.
All the possibilities mentioned above and others that were not mentioned are the usual accoutrements of the composer/instrumentalist to establish his ´babelic´ glossary. We can prove this in a short passage of a single composition up along the entirety of a conceptual phonograph album. All distributed over a career and idiosyncratic records. Have we a universe before us and I propose to see it through a telescope, not a microscope.
I propose not handle very specialized topics here. Otherwise would be, with the exception of musicians and scholars, all hostages of a hermetic jargon. Because more important is to present Otacílio Melgaço to the general public and not to a segment of specialists. Faction of experts not need presentations, depart for the enjoyment beforehand. For this reason there is no niche here for intellectual onanism and encrypted musical terminology. The reason for these parentheses is to establish such elucidation. The non-adoption of technicalities leads to more panoramic, amplifier reviews. Are You always welcome. Those who do not dominate contemporary music and are introduced to the world of ubiquitous O.M. [autodidact and independent artist who, being more specific, does not belong to schools or doctrines; artist who makes Music and that´s enough; music devoid of labels or stylistic, chronological, historical paradigms or trends] and Those who belong to the métier and turn to enjoy propositions they know and also delving into advanced Melgacian sound cosmogonies...
I conclude poetically. ´Certeza/Certainty´ by Octavio Paz. ´Si es real la luz blanca De esta lámpara, real La mano que escribe, ¿son reales
Los ojos que miran lo escrito? De una palabra a la otra Lo que digo se desvanece. Yo sé que estoy vivo Entre dos paréntesis.´ If it is real the white light from this lamp, real the writing hand, are they real, the eyes looking at what I write? From one word to the other what I say vanishes. I know that I am alive between two parentheses.
We´re all more and more a-l-i-v-e now.)
- P.S.P.