clint pitinglis

Tough guys do dance! Three years ago, Clint were four blokes trying to express their particular vision through music without the impending need of using words. Their mantra was "a closed mouth gathers no flies" and "loose lips sink ships". After one year of devoted silence playing Battleship, their lengthy exploration of silence yielded Alegrame el Día (siesta 206 ~V 2005) , a vivid record that lifted the band to "New Talent" status and honors at Fnac and to the prestigious "best of the year" lists. They even captivated the international critical community like no other self-taught instrumental band ever did. Clint offered no opposition to tour the bullskin shape (=Spain) until they had to embrace a new assignment, a new challenge. A tough guy, initials E.G., proposed them to create the soundtrack for a silent film, any silent film actually. Clint revised their files thoroughly and interrogated another tough guy, L.J.M. They crystalized everything in a new vehicle to communicate their "duende", the imaginary soundtrack for Berlin: Die Symphonie der Großstadt (1929) (Walter Ruttmann)/aka Berlin, Symphony of a Big City. Clint proved themselves as masters of luxuriant melancholy and found the blurred images of the last century as a true source of inspiration and a revelation to their lives. A month later they played this soundtrack live in a myriad of film festivals and smokey venues. It is true that Clint have a knack for twisting any sad story into a dark humorous one. These are the learned lessons and new mottos: "Making instrumental music does not mean that you should remain quiet and hush"; "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt"; and finally "it is possible to move your feet onstage". And now a year later when we all thought there was no way to equal or surpass both masterpieces with any subsequent album...the second release on Siesta. "Los Tipos Duros Tambien Bailan" has been produced by the esteemed mavericks Jose María Rosillo and Kepa Madrazo at studio NY. The record is an exquisitely beautiful set of tracks unaligned to any trendy movement or latest fashion. Maybe you can pigeonhole the record into the category of cinematic instrumental rock or vintage pop. Think back to all of the classic film scores by Morricone, Bacalov, Komeda, Schifrin, Bacharach and Rota, and you will begin to understand the feel of this CD. In fact you will soon notice a lush production and stylish delivery reserved for a few high-profiled bands. Inevitable is to find reminiscences of George Harrison's guitar "No Es Nada Personal". You can find suspenseful surf ("Rockanroleza Muerta"), a seamless intelligent and thoughtful re-working of Nino Rota's "The Godfather" in a John Barry-esque style. A connoisseur will also identify the shadows of a playful Tom Waits and film noir ("Toma 15.000"), the devotion to the epic heroe Morricone ("Ocaso y Funeral de Morris") and even a reconstruction of the class of Sandoval ("Negro Zaino Derrotando en Tablas"). There are artfully mastered strings, and a full range of horns lifted in places by exquisite orchestral arrangements. At the end of the day this piece of work is a hall of mirrors with supreme sophisticated cinematic atmospheres where various outcasts dwell. There is dry lyricism, tequila galore, scenes of spaghetti western and police stories, and Venice gondola's chases. The disc becomes even grand in nature at times, also elegiac, measured, crepuscular, uplifting, funny, chilling, muscular and intimate. This is "iron fist in a velvet glove" stuff. Or as my neighbour says music for four centers: spirit, mind, emotions and body.