In 2010, Javiera Mena released her sophomore record Mena. To commemorate
this release, Javiera hosted a remix contest of the track, “Luz de
piedra de luna” (“Moonstone Light”). Six years later, I give you the end
result, which I'm pretty sure is well past the submission deadline. I’d
like to offer a more compelling explanation as to why it took me over
half a decade to complete this remix, but I’m afraid that the only
reason I have for my tardiness is that I simply forgot about the
contest. Honestly, I’m glad that my memory lapsed, since had I actually
finished the remix back then, it would’ve have been an unforgivable
musical tragedy. I can confidently say that today I’m less ignorant with
regard to music production (although I still have a ways to go). In any
case, I hope you enjoy it.
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
You and Me (Umbra Sum Cover)
At some point between 1970 and 1975, Penny and the Quarters recorded a
simple love song titled "You and Me". Short and sweet, this song is a
beautiful anachronism hearkening to a bygone Doo-wop era. We attempted
to pay tribute to it (or, rather, deconstruct it) and this is the
result.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
Merch now available for purchase
These American Apparel shirts are 100% cotton and feature a drawing by artist Nicholas James Farrell. Although the design is unisex, these are men's sizes (so ladies will want to adjust their size accordingly). Buttons are 1.25-inch. Stickers are 3.5-inch. Shipping fee is calculated during checkout.
To order our album, you can find purchase options here.
Monday, July 7, 2014
The story behind "Y seremos gigantes"
Last year, when Costa Rica was on the brink of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, I publicly promised to compose a song in honor of the Costa Rican national soccer team if it solidified its participation in the tournament (although there was no one who would hold my feet to the fire if I never followed through with said promise). While Costa Rica had made it to a handful of World Cups in the past, something about our country’s presence this time around was unlike previous tourneys. Although I do not currently reside in Costa Rica, one could catch the lingering wake of the advertising appealing to our past achievements, including Costa Rica’s participation in the 1990 World Cup. On June 20th of that same year in Italy, Costa Rica defeated Sweden 2-1 to secure its place in the knockout round for the first time in our country’s history. And though we didn’t make it into the quarter finals, from that moment on, nostalgia arrived and never left. With each World Cup the ghosts of Italy 1990 appeared only as a reminder of that singular feat. Back then, our "Sele” demonstrated courage previously unknown in our country, and the country rose to new heights that augured a bright future for Costa Rica on the international pitch. Sadly, all attempts to reach those glorious heights would relentlessly end in varying degrees of failure. However, it seemed that the ghost of Italy 1990 had shaken off its ominous presence and morphed into a specter of hope in 2014. The months preceding the World Cup in Brazil, the atmosphere wafted with unaccustomed pride. The National Symphony Orchestra of Costa Rica clamored an epic battle cry announcing the upcoming soccer battles; the documentary Italia 90 premiered mere weeks before the first kickoff, once again treading the same glorious path of our Costa Rican platoon and its campaign in a foreign land. Amid the fevered daze of the World Cup, I recorded my song with some hesitation. Despite the good will of the Costa Rican people, I doubted that our country would achieve anything worthy of plaudit. I am happy that I was wrong.
When I started to plot out the song for Costa Rica, I knew that I would be incorporating a fragment of the radio broadcast that Mario McGregor and Javier Rojas, two radio sportscasters for Radio Columbia in Costa Rica, did of the aforementioned Costa Rica-Sweden match. This was a candid and poignant narrative, abounding with rare nationalism. Initially, I wanted to underscore the perils of nostalgia: a way to expose the infertile and trivial discourse brought about by fleeting patriotism. I had titled the song “When We Were Giants” (“Cuando fuimos gigantes”), since I believed Costa Rica would remain in the shadow of its past glory. My wife said that the title was cynical and pessimistic. She was right. Optimism was inescapable: hope had already set its course. Amid the frenzy of dreams, it was possible to believe that Costa Rica could triumph over adversity: that this small, unknown and underestimated Central American country could stun the world. To think that our country could be a world power: a contender and not just a mere tourist attraction with its “pura vida” motto and unassuming pacifism. The title became “We Will Be Giants” (“Y seremos gigantes”). And so it came to pass. Today the giant stands and its name is Costa Rica. History has consecrated its new heroes: men who made us dream; live in the daze of victory and shed the impossible tears of joy. We are grateful to these heroes for giving us faith, pride and courage.
In the same fashion, I would like to thank several people for helping make this song possible. First, my wife: for her optimism and support in the undertaking of this and all other Umbra Sum ventures. Second, Columbia Radio and Agnes Fajardo, for granting me permission to use the audio from the broadcast of the Costa Rica-Sweden match. Finally, I owe a very special thanks to Francisco Brenes and Gustavo Verduzco of Edición Limitada; Daniel Ortuño of Findependiente; and Alessandro Solis of La Nación for their support by playing/sharing the song through their respective media outlets. Lastly, thank you to everyone who heard the song and shared it.
The dream is just beginning…
When I started to plot out the song for Costa Rica, I knew that I would be incorporating a fragment of the radio broadcast that Mario McGregor and Javier Rojas, two radio sportscasters for Radio Columbia in Costa Rica, did of the aforementioned Costa Rica-Sweden match. This was a candid and poignant narrative, abounding with rare nationalism. Initially, I wanted to underscore the perils of nostalgia: a way to expose the infertile and trivial discourse brought about by fleeting patriotism. I had titled the song “When We Were Giants” (“Cuando fuimos gigantes”), since I believed Costa Rica would remain in the shadow of its past glory. My wife said that the title was cynical and pessimistic. She was right. Optimism was inescapable: hope had already set its course. Amid the frenzy of dreams, it was possible to believe that Costa Rica could triumph over adversity: that this small, unknown and underestimated Central American country could stun the world. To think that our country could be a world power: a contender and not just a mere tourist attraction with its “pura vida” motto and unassuming pacifism. The title became “We Will Be Giants” (“Y seremos gigantes”). And so it came to pass. Today the giant stands and its name is Costa Rica. History has consecrated its new heroes: men who made us dream; live in the daze of victory and shed the impossible tears of joy. We are grateful to these heroes for giving us faith, pride and courage.
In the same fashion, I would like to thank several people for helping make this song possible. First, my wife: for her optimism and support in the undertaking of this and all other Umbra Sum ventures. Second, Columbia Radio and Agnes Fajardo, for granting me permission to use the audio from the broadcast of the Costa Rica-Sweden match. Finally, I owe a very special thanks to Francisco Brenes and Gustavo Verduzco of Edición Limitada; Daniel Ortuño of Findependiente; and Alessandro Solis of La Nación for their support by playing/sharing the song through their respective media outlets. Lastly, thank you to everyone who heard the song and shared it.
The dream is just beginning…
Friday, June 13, 2014
Y seremos gigantes (And we will be giants)
In 2013, on the eve of the Costa Rican soccer team qualifying for the World Cup 2014, I made a public promise to compose a song in honor of La Sele for their achievement. I present to you the end result: a song that I hope serves as a battle cry, hoping that we reach the same heavenly heights, much like those Costa Rican heroes in Italy 1990. The song contains the iconic narration by Javier Rojas and Mario McGregor for Radio Columbia.
Monday, June 9, 2014
World Cup preview
The week we'll release a song written for the Costa Rican national team, in honor of their quest for the World Cup. Here's a quick preview.
Wednesday, June 4, 2014
Latin American mixtape
numerocero.es asked us a few weeks ago to create a mixtape of Latin American music, and it is an honor to finally be able to share it with everyone. These are all songs that have greatly informed the sound and aesthetic of Umbra Sum. We hope you enjoy the mix.
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