Album Notes

Sesam-o is an audiovisual project that came to life in Sitges (Barcelona) at the end of 2001. From the outset, the combination of music and images has formed the basis of the work of this collective. Their compositions cannot therefore be understood only as songs and videos as the sound and images mutually complement and inspire each other, from the beginning of the creative process to the delivery of the final result.: "It is impossible to separate the video and graphic work from the music. It is the combination of the two elements that carries the message", they state. The experimental tendency of the project is perfectly in synch with Houston Party Records, who after five years of life, is editing its first DVD+CD: "It was a complete surprise that they showed immediate interest in us. The truth is that being able to release a DVD is the best way of enabling our work to reach an audience and Houston Party also felt the same. In our case, the DVD is not just complementary to the record, it is its twin sibling". After a long year's endeavour, Sesam-o present "Cooking in the Larder", a heterogeneous cocktail in which we can sample the variety of its pieces. As the group point out: "They form part of a small receptacle in which we have carefully stored many of the seeds of the work we have been involved in lately". Self production has marked the evolution of the project at all times: "Thanks to the current digital recording systems, we can define how the contents are finished in a more precise way and stay closer to the root of the ideas we are working with". For now, "Cooking in the Larder" demonstrates a chain of audiovisual reflections that touch on a number of different styles, navigating between American songs, indietronica and post-rock, fused with less cryptic video art: "At all times we have wanted to express ourselves in plain language, not overlooking the concept that we wished to develop, but at the same time, without excessively simplifying it. To be honest and spontaneous". Sesam-o is formed by J.Moncho (vocals and guitar), Ll. Marcet and F.Vilanova (videojockeys). Among their frequent collaborators are I. Bordons (Vocals and film editing), X. Gilabert (acting and writing) and R. Mesca (writing). "All of these people form important parts of the equation. We are guided by much of the advice they give us", the trio acknowledges. The singularity of the set up implies a live presentation with very different aspirations that those of a purely musical band. In this way, their show centres the attention on the screen, situating the audience in between a live music venue and a cinema projection: "We need to have a bridge between both spaces, bringing us close to the original cinema surroundings, when the emotions captured on the screen are accompanied live from the stalls" they remark. "We want the music to be free from its role as a soundtrack, but at the same time, we don't want the images to be purely ornamental". We are therefore faced with a technical and creative display that is highly unusual for a debut. A lucid and melancholy audiovisual enigma created with the mentality of an artisan. For the time being, the first harvest of Sesam-o is ready to be brought to the table. Enjoy.