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Album · 2011

Calle Sol

by Max Solano

A nylon-guitar wake-up call: ten sunny street scenes from a Medellín morning, played with a borrowed brass trio.

Tracks

  1. 1. Good Boy ParadeThis one is for every dog who thinks the morning walk is a parade. I wanted the record to start with a wiggle.dance-pop, tropical pop3:03
  2. 2. Corner Bakery SerenadeThe baker down my street starts at six and the whole block smells like love. I just wrote down what the oven told me.latin pop, cumbia-pop2:30
  3. 3. Balcony Guitar HelloMy hello to the city from the balcony, nylon guitar and all. The horns come in right when the shutters open.latin pop, salsa-pop3:18
  4. 4. Fruit Stand FiestaPineapples, mangoes, and a brass trio that couldn't stop grinning. It's the fiesta you get for the price of fruit.latin pop, cumbia2:19
  5. 5. Sidewalk Chalk HelloA little soul creeping in as I knelt on the pavement with a chalk stub. Hello is the easiest song to write and the hardest to mean.soul-pop, acoustic pop3:09
  6. 6. Rooftop Breakfast FiestaBreakfast on the roof with bread and orange juice, and a groove that begs for handclaps. Teach the pattern, then we eat.latin pop, handclap pop2:51
  7. 7. Hello, Mr. MailmanA thank-you to the man who walks every street so the news can find us. The brass plays his footsteps.latin pop, tropical pop3:07
  8. 8. Sombrero Sunshine StrollA slow walk in a straw hat, no destination. I let the guitar stroll and the horns drift like clouds.latin pop, bolero-pop2:38
  9. 9. Café con Leche WaltzThree-quarter time and a window full of steam. A waltz for the barista and anyone who hums back.latin pop, waltz pop2:43
  10. 10. Parade of Paper LanternsRed and gold lanterns across the street and kids marching to the beat. I closed the record with the biggest singalong I had.latin pop, anthemic pop, cumbia3:15

Liner notes

I wrote these songs on a third-floor balcony in Medellín, with a nylon guitar on my knee and three friends who lent me their trumpets and trombone for the price of lunch. Every song is something I saw before nine in the morning: the baker, the fruit cart, the mailman. I wanted the record to feel like opening the shutters. We tracked it live in one room, handclaps and all, and I've never been prouder of anything that sounds this unpolished.

Max Solano