The moonlight casts shadows through papel picado in this collaboration between Annie Ford and Correspondents. Channeling early 20th century Rancheras, or Mexican Folklore-based traditional music, Annie’s commanding alto extends dolorously into the end of each note, resolving in a graceful vibrato.
This song is released less than a year after the Trump administration’s family separation policy was enacted, which disrupted over 6,000 family units along the US/Mexican border, per an Amnesty USA report in October 2018. At first the lyrics speak of “birds with their wings hitting their cages” and “those who cannot escape from the bars of oppression,” then hone to describe a more succinct lack of empathy for those who “cannot continue on their way” to “escape bombs and hunger.” While as the listener, I wouldn’t usually presume to intuit the the artists’ exact meaning, the line “They do not talk about their dreams inside their showcases” seems to speak directly to the Trump administration’s stated desire to deter immigration by means of brutally and hyper-publicly separating and detaining families.The “showcases” mentioned seems to refer to the children in cages, whose vulnerability was used as political fodder.
The significance of subject matter is matched by the musicianship in this piece. Annie’s violin dances in exchange with Eric Padget’s silvery synesthete-tingle trumpet. Kieran Harrison and Doug Arney provide dark, lugubrious guitar, inclining the listener to lean forward into the song, compelled by the colors of their tones. The rhythm section, comprised of Todd Arney on drums and Olie Eshleman on bass, display tasteful skill – precise yet passionate, and the anchor around which the whole structure finds its cohesion.
This song typifies the skill and talent of these long-established Seattle musicians. I avail myself of every opportunity to see them, and recommend you do too – and the Ball of Wax 55 release show on March 15th is the perfect opportunity.