"We are a family and music lovers"
knowing that this musical trio originates from the city of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, i feel the more i got enchanted. not only by their superb covers. when i first noticed them back in 2011, it never flashed in mind that the way that i was captured by merely the Baja California could somehow reoccur. amable!
i first knew the word "Baja" while reading American Pie, a novel by Michael Lee West; and i just misspelled the word "Baja" - just like that, with full "J" in English or even in Bahasa. later i knew that it's Spanish, and the "J" is spelled "H" - makes it spelled "ˈbaxa". pheww! Spanish does sound good. exactly as exotic as spelling Mexico with the "X" spelled "H". in fact, as good as the things i remember the most when hearing the word "Baja" : a deep blue ocean, some whales, a female marine biologist whose name sounds unusual - well, it's Freddie, who was injured while exploring the ocean and how she just couldn't drop any blood which might attract sharks; some vocabularies such as "myopic" and "meticulous", and how the whole story amazed me with family issues, most of all: the three sisters. one of those great books among many in the library of American Corner at UGM. i can also still remember how i casually settled on the cold floor between the shelves; digging into the story. since then, as many details of the story seemed to stay in my head, those are what i have in mind about Baja. and now, every time i hear Baja, the musical trio adds to them. Los Vazquez Sounds.
speaking of which cover enchanted me for the very first time, it was actually accidental. i was in a persistent state of mind - having that urge inside of me to possess something i realized i couldn't, whatsoever. it was December, and though i never celebrated X-mas, still Mariah Carey's All I Want For Christmas Is You got me the very idea of being tenacious and passionate. despite the fact that the Vazquez siblings did Adele's Rolling In The Deep as their first cover, i made my way to adore their musicality from the warmth setting and ting-a-ling tones of All I Want For Christmas Is You and, no doubt, the clear and "childish" voice of Angela (the youngest baby sister), the drumming of Gustavo (the bigger brother), and the piano by Abel (the biggest brother). plus, having all their 10 MVs in 1080p is really what i mean it; fixed-price and a little bit of idealism and custom.
crazily, to be honest, out of 10 covers, i happen to be familiar with merely only 5 of them! it makes me feel like a loser. really! where the hell is my sense of great music?! but, thanks to them - now i can even explore my tendency in listening to music more. it's from them that i get myself to know more great songs.
next on the list after 2011's Rolling In The Deep (by Adele) and All I Want For Christmas Is You (by Mariah Carey) are 2012's Forget You (by Cee-Lo Green), The Show (by Lenka), I Want You Back (by The Jackson Five), Let It Be (by The Beatles), and Skyscraper (by Demi Lovato).
first off, i had never had anything in mind about who the hell was Cee-Lo Green before i found out the cover made by Vazquez Sounds. the upbeat tunes and the charms of outdoor fun (moreover by the coastal area and amusement park) simply made me enjoy the song. i can always almost imagine myself strolling along cool pathways by the shore on bike or even skateboard. under the bright blue sky and among the gleaming radiance of amusement park rides fanfare, i am positive of being taken into the merry and carefree pitch. having two coolest backups on their skateboards while cycling? sounds great! boom boom car ride with big brother? feels secured! and - err - color-contrast patchworks on the elbows? formerly, i thought it was overwhelmed and odd - but, now? gotta have one!
later on the list of 2012's is another rhapsodical piece of new-to-my-ears: The Show by Lenka. hearing the name of the authentic singer, i imagined the soft-toned-yet-shrill kind of voice she has in her other songs i have listened to before. not to forget, the cheer-driven mood of the songs; enjoyable to my ears. the cover shows some cute footage of the Vazquez siblings from their childhood, along with the dreamy aura of one of my classic and all-time-favorite scenes: a light-aired night, pretty trees, beautiful fairy-tale-impression twinkling bulbs, wooden bench, and the warmth of the atmosphere. still with the cute voice of Angela and how nice it is to heed each strand of her spelling - and, ah yes, the smiles of the big brothers!
~ dum de dum dudum de dum ... Just enjoy the show ~
still from 2012's covers: I Want You Back by The Jackson Five. my ideals of their past are freaking frizzy hair which was definitely the trend of the era, and their - of course - 60's appearance. well, what else could have been in my mind about them?! another thing? it surely is their "silly" dancing. what i mean by "silly" is something oddly cute - simply laughable in a respectful way. classic. witty. original. memorable. talking about the song, it's energetic, sing-a-long, and confident. it only took less than 24 hours for me to get into the beats and the lyric. the cover is also great. in a bluish-purple setting, Abel and Gustavo look just "very sixties" in a hot way with their bow ties. Angela is cute as usual with her twists of "yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah & na-na-na-na". the best part? Abel's smile as he is exchanging it with her little sister while playing the piano! i always go "awww" for it.
another cover on the list of 2012: Let It Be by The Beatles. well, what can i say about this? although i have never been a big fanatic of the famous band, it seems like i have ever heard one of their masterpieces somewhere sometime. it's a very simple song to me, yet a very popular track for the whole world. i said simple because the lyric is very concise and repetitive. i am into slow and sentimental/sad songs, but this one is way too ... sorrowful - according to me, of course. the cover is great - makes the song the more blue than the original version. in addition: the MV is made black-and white with lots of light effects to build the aura of the song and with Angela's soft notch. what i miss are the siblings' smiles. but there are the antidotes: the-coolest-ever expressions of the trio. my favorite mood-distractor in this cover is the 28-second part during minutes 2:05 'till minutes 2:33; it's when Abel strums his guitar and Gustavo beats the drums - giving the whole cover a cool twist.
the last on 2012's list is Skyscraper by Demi Lovato. i can tell that this one is my favorite cover among all. the most enchanting. and why is that so? because i have personal bond to it. i feel like i am tied to every single note of it. i first noticed the song in 2011, and my being big fanatic of Demi Lovato during her Disney career and her first albums was such an ultimate motivation to make me into the song just right away. it was like something i couldn't avoid. i really liked it from the very beginning, and now i still do. i felt sudden intensity within the song which exuded through the strands of my headphones into my ears. seconds - it just took seconds! - after i had infiltrated the opening tunes, i liked it shortly. moreover when i enjoyed the all-white theme of the MV; white outfit, white desert, white sands, crystal glass, and almost-white sparkling sun. the way Demi heartily performed the song somehow wowed me instantly. it was when Demi had a tough year after dealing with some matters, and the song came out much alike a bold statement of power; that she would make it through. while i had almost the same situation - in a different sense, of course. just as white as the whole song, i remembered that it was around May and June of 2011 when i had the turning point of my messed-life. the sun was as if had glared to me in a windy, cold day of summer. the song simply encouraged me to stay sane and strong, without losing the essential of music: enjoyment and entertainment. no wonder every time i listen to Skyscraper, i will go back to the memory of my first flight. i was looking down through plane's window on my right side, while listening to the song, and waving my home goodbye. the cover by Vazquez Sounds is not at all disappointing. in fact, it is as great as the original song - with the trio's peculiarity, of course. showing footage of overseas live performance, the MV is terrific. and this very time, i would like to emphasize Gustavo, who seems the most adorable in the whole concert. there is a fan girl who screams out Gustavo's name excitedly - and i am all that envy; want to be there and do so. as Skyscraper is typically a song with heavy drums tunes, the way Gustavo makes every effort to play the drums is superb! the loveliest! he just looks deadly with his drums and expressions. deadly cool, i mean. even though this is all about Gustavo, i also notice the high pitch of Angela's voice which suits the song really nice, and my favorite Abel's doing: coming close to the camera and "show time" with his manly-yet-boyish voice.
coming to 2013, the first cover which i noted is Time After Time by Cyndi Lauper. indeed, it is something of a classic too - and, among those biggest hits worldwide. initially, i knew this song from earlier cover by INOJ - rather than knowing the original singer - though my biggest sister and brother had actually introduced me to her by making me listen to her songs. it was in my Junior High when i really fell for the easy-listening melody of this song. INOJ somehow sounds way "heavier" than Cyndi; but i think the way Cyndi sounds in her songs is unique. pampered kind of thing. instead of the fact that Time After Time has been covered by more than 100 artists, i think i like the one covered by Vazquez Sounds. Angela has a significant changing in her voice; sounding more mature, of course - as well as the trio's looks: even cooler. when i first watched the MV, i was spellbounded by the winter wonderland theme. i could almost hear the snowy breeze; blowing into my direction. the fading aura of the snow-covered wood along with dark-looking tall trees is something of a fascination, too. it just goes lovely with the cover song.
the second of the 2013's covers is Next To Me by Emeli Sande. i don't think i would ever know this song and this female singer if i never listened to this cover. it's true! what i can tell about this cover, other than the greatness of the song which is powerful and meaningful, is that i love the idea of having a pair of ... leather boots! i want it so bad! the way Angela ties her boots in the MV - black leather boots which looks real tough and comfy - attracts me - inspiring me to get ones. besides, Angela also sounds much, much huskier in a strong way than before. as she is always polished in less make-up, she looks way cooler in her "deep" complexion; while Abel and Gustavo are as awesome as usual.
and finally, so far, the last on the 2013's list is Bob Dylan's Blowin' In The Wind. strictly speaking, this very track is the most unknown to my sense of music, exactly like Bob Dylan to me. i won't bother to look for something more about him - just having this very cover by Vazquez Sounds is enough to get myself to love this song. simply, because the relaxed melody and the easy-breeze of the song offer me another wonder of typical kind of song. i still am trying to enjoy this song, and thanks to this trio who makes me able to enjoy something which - on my daily basis - is out of my league.
above of all, these are sincerely great (cover) songs and blood relations - it's family. before i kept an eye to their 7-minute-53-second EPK - which is also incredible - i had had that kind of feeling within me; that if this were not a family thingy, i might not be attracted this very much. outside of the shows, Vazquez siblings are even more admirable - with the breaking of the morning, Angela's directing, Gustavo's breakfast preparation (of sausage and French toast), Abel's being into musical instruments, and the stardom turning-up.
Angela : "... but sometimes he (Abelardo) is a little bit annoying, like all older brothers ... Gustavo is very playful. He loves to play, but he is very grumpy, so it's like ... the contrast."
Abelardo : "... because we didn't want to stop living our normal life."
Gustavo: "... everything stays the same."
Abelardo : "This is something that I never imagined ... and to listen to all the people, it's an incredible experience I can't explain."
Angela: "We did it as a family. We never expected this. I guess that's what caught their attention."
it's true - they seemed to catch my attention by being a family pack - the Vazquez siblings.
pictures: courtesy of google.com, bing.com, self-made MVs captures
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