Pop: Jorge Drexler

As you might remember from this post, Uruguayan cantautor Jorge Drexler made a beautiful cover of Radiohead's "High and Dry" for his eighth and most recent album 12 Segundos de Oscuridad (2006), maybe his best - and most melancholic - record yet. So if you're getting tired of listening to that song over and over again - that's what I did! - now is the time for you to get to know another genuine Drexler gem!

12 Segundos de Oscuridad is a story about darkness, so says Jorge Drexler. In the title song, he sings about the intervals of darkness between the beams of light of a lighthouse:

No es la luz
lo que importa en verdad
Son los 12 segundos
de oscuridad

This "darkness" is to be understood in a metaphorical way: it represents his divorce of Spanish singer Ana Laan. This explains the bitter-sweet taste almost every track on this album leaves in your mouth. All songs express Drexler's sadness, his doubts and fears, but never in a dramatic way. On the very last track on the album, "Sanar" ("to heal"), the singer talks once more about the pain of losing love. But this time, there's a spark of hope:

Y volverás a esperanzarte
Y luego a desesperar
Y cuando menos lo esperes
Tu corazón va a sanar
Va a sanar
Va a sanar
Y va a volver a quebrarse
Mientras le toque pulsar

After the rain comes sunshine, his heart will heal again. But everytime, it will break again... and then heal again. It's the circle of love, which Drexler seems to finally accept in this song. It's a down-to-earth conclusion for a poetic and stunningly beautiful album...

Enjoy the song, and don't hesitate to go for the full album! You won't regret it.

PS: It's O.K. to secretly shed a tear while listening to this song. Don't worry: va a sanar!

As an extra, here's the very original stop-motion videoclip for "Transoceánica", the first single off of 12 Segundos. It's directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep). Check it out!

Jorge Drexler - Sanar mp3 buy@iTunes buy@Amazon

Jorge Drexler - Transoceánica