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Rating: Great |
Alpacas Collective – Big Words (Catalpas Records, November 2023, No. 258/500)
Warm-blooded words from Leuven – a plea for groove, craftsmanship and collectivity
Alpacas Collective, an eleven-piece band from Leuven, Belgium, released their second studio album, Big Words, in 2023. Following their intriguing debut, Seven Wisdoms of Plutonia (2022)—a blend of Afro-jazz, funk, and cinematic grooves—this follow-up reveals a broader horizon. The band, which previously excelled primarily live, truly blossoms on this album, with a distinctive sound that defies categorization.
What stands out is the coherence. Where their first work still felt like a collection of powerful ideas, Big Words sounds like a clear conversation between kindred spirits. The music is less hurried, but no less vibrant. You can hear the maturation: compositions have crystallized without losing their playfulness. The horn section—Jérome Swevers, Marc Jans, Alexander Dingens, and Hans van Scharen—sounds like a single, breathing organism. They don't blow down walls, they build them. The rhythm section and keyboards, including Jeroen Ollevier on keys, carve deep grooves. The percussion is simultaneously determined and loose, as if time is less important than the moment itself. The band is audibly influenced by Afrobeat, Hindustani raga, psycho-dub, and even Creole rap. Yet it never sounds contrived. Everything flows.
And that fits perfectly with the zeitgeist. In a world that often feels fragmented, where opinions clash and nuance is under pressure, Big Words is a plea for attention, collaboration, and diversity. Take, for example, the song "Movéfèzè," in which rapper Neg Madnick lends his voice to a poetic, politically charged lyric about toxic legacies in formerly colonized territories. The accompanying music video depicts images of protest, pesticides, and hope. The music carries the message—not intrusively, but penetratingly.
The recording process took place at Magic Studios in Antwerp. Not a sterile studio, but a place where the floor creaks and the walls echo. According to the band, many parts were recorded live, with minimal overdubs. Producer Frederik Kühn created an atmosphere where the musicians could be themselves. There's a story about a sitar layer that accidentally got stuck during a soundcheck—so hypnotic that the band immediately adopted it as the opening theme of "Bhimpalasi." Such coincidences are priceless, and you can hear them sparkle on this record. The mastering and lacquer cut were entrusted to Frederik Dejongh of Jerboa Mastering in Ghent, a craftsman with a keen ear for dynamics and warmth. The pressing was done at dunk!pressing in Zottegem, and it shows: the vinyl is quiet, full, and layered. The dynamics have been given space—not everything is stuck to the front of the mix. You hear the air between the notes, the wood of the drums, the breath in the brass section.
The artwork complements this beautifully. In black and white, you see a silhouette in an open field – evocative yet open. No explanation, just direction. The inner sleeve contains short texts that feel more like letters than credits. No self-aggrandizement, but an invitation: listen attentively.
And that's perhaps Big Words' greatest strength. It's not an album that imposes itself. It's an album that slowly unfolds, layer by layer, spin after spin. A band that doesn't play to impress, but to connect. Each side invites you to turn it over, again. Not out of nostalgia, but out of respect for the craft.
For collectors, this numbered edition (500 copies worldwide) is more than just a mere souvenir. It's a document of a collective in peak form, a snapshot of musical connection. Putting this record on the turntable is like entering another world—one where groove isn't a genre, but a way of living together.
= Full Album Play List =
= Track List =
