Its been over 20 years since the French-Spanish luminary, Manu Chao, first released his multilingual, landmark debut, Clandestino. A prescient meditation on the neither-here-nor-there, limbo state of clandestinos the Spanish equivalent of a derogatory term for undocumented migrants Clandestino saw Chao traverse a multitude of languages and genres through field recordings sourced from various parts of the world. On Friday, Chao bounces back from a long hiatus with Bloody Bloody Border, one of three new songs on an upcoming reissue of his debut, titled Clandestino/Bloody Border, slated for release August 30th via Because Music.
The son of two refugees from Franco-era Spain, Chao connects the dots between dire circumstances that once forced his family and today, countless families south of the U.S.-Mexico border to seek refuge in the north. The singer-songwriter conjured the lyrics to Bloody Bloody Border while passing through Arizona on tour in 2011, reflecting on the inhumane conditions reported from migrant camps along the U.S.-Mexico border. Chao offsets the sobering context with a deceptively peppy ukelele strum, dousing his protest slogans with rays of sunshine. We want freedom to cross, he sings with a dusky, cowboy affect: Cross the border line/Freedom is not crime/Lets peaceful river flow/Let the people come and go.
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Chao recently gave Clandestino a rework with the legendary Trinidadian vocalist, Calypso Rose. Fellow polyglot Lila Downs also put her own spin on the song, highlighting the plight of migrant mothers and their children.
Clandestino / Bloody Border Track List
1. Clandestino
2. Desaparecido
3. Bongo Bong
4. Je Ne Taime Plus
5. Mentira
6. Lagrimas De Oro
7. Mama Call
8. Luna Y Sol
9. Por El Suelo
10. Welcome To Tijuana
11. Dia Luna Dia Pena
12. Malegria
13. La Vie A 2
14. Minha Galera
15. La Despedida
16. El Viento
17. Clandestino (feat. Calypso Rose)
18. Bloody Bloody Border
19. Roadies Rules