Monte - Mirla

Blackbirds occupy a significant position in the average British person’s imagination. The latest figures I’ve seen say that 60% of all entrants in amateur poetry competitions are devoted to our little, dark, feathery parkmates. At this point in the 21st century I think it’s time we face the shameful fact that most of these rhyme-inducing blackbirds are male. The females tend to get sold short, partly because of the way they stray off-brand (by being brown) and partly because they blend in so well (the brown thing again). Today, we remedy this injustice slightly by taking a look at the track, Mirla.

Mirla is the feminine form of Mirlo, meaning Blackbird in Spanish. I´ve done a bit of digging (imagine a shorter, much shorter, version of All The President´s Men) and I can confirm 100% that this is the only meaning of the word, Mirla. In our specific case, Mirla is the first single from Monte, a side project from Simon Mejía, founder and beat master for the Colombian band, Bomba Estereo. As a band they deal in cumbia rhythms and electronic beats, along with proper front woman stylings courtesy of singer, Li Saumet. They´ve done Grammies, Coachella and stuff with Arcade Fire, that´s their level.

Solo-wise, what Mejía shows best on La Mirla is a knack for knowing just how little can be enough. In other words there´s not a great deal to describe. A simple, gentle guitar figure takes up most of your attention, everything else is just elegant, restrained backing. It works because that guitar lick is such a wonder, it turns out to be the ear worm that the early lady blackbird caught.

Apparently, La Mirla is named after an actual bird that kept coming closer while Mejía was recording his solo stuff, it even seemed to join in with some singing, before the inevitable patio door tragedy took place. The track is its legacy.

THIS WEEK

Monte - Mirla

5,389 views since 30th June Weekly Average Views – 490

LAST WEEK

Disclosure, Kehlani, Syd – Birthday (MJ Cole Remix)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJOsvjY7sM

Weekly Average Views – 12,117 Blog Week Views – 4,353

EXTRAS

Monte – Jungla

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga21Xf9Wmis

Bomba Estereo and Arcade Fire – Everything Now (Todo Ya) (Bomba Estereo Remix)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAFgLkOiKjk