La vida moderna represents an advance in Pastora's music without diluting their original essence. Their new recording comes as a CD with 13 new songs (lyrics by Dolo Beltrán and music by Caïm Riba) and a DVD on which, for the first time in Spain, 13 visual compositions created by Pauet Riba accompany the tracks. In addition, the DVD includes new 5.1 remixes of tracks on the album, an audiovisual biography, an album of unpublished photos and a "Making of …" film. On La vida moderna, Pastora remain faithful to their musical and aesthetical roots, choosing to look to the street to unearth new stories.
On La vida moderna, the trio from Barcelona tighten up their sound. Produced by Caïm Riba and Carlos Cárcamo (who in 1975 created Granada, one of Southern Spanish rock's seminal groups), Pastora's new album brings together both musicians and machines. The programming done by Caïm Riba, Carlos Cárcamo and Ángel Riba is maintained, but it is now accompanied by guitar played by Dayan Abad, Jero Castellá and Caïm himself; piano and keyboards played by Vicente Borland; bass by Ferrán Ochoa and double bass by Yelsy Heredia; drums by Pau Josa; saxophone by Segundo Mijares; violin and cello by Diego Galaz and Úrsula García; backing vocals by Bela and Joana Rubio… La vida moderna mixes distinctive electro pop with a warm acoustic sound to create an album that has a deeply rich musical quality filled with intriguing details to produce a subtle and carefully crafted recording.
La vida moderna is a treatise on contemporary pop. It consists of 13 songs written from the bleaker side of sentiment, telling stories about people who break free of convention, rules and systems. The tracks recount nostalgia and reality, flight and return, search and discovery. They also tell of loss and losers, melancholy and loneliness, disappointment and frustration, all given a Mediterranean sensuality by the magnificently intimate and breathy voice of Dolo.
The 13 songs on La vida moderna offer a series of distinctive atmospheres, images and arrangements. The album opens with Archivo de palabras tristes, a mid-tempo piano-driven recording, a new approach by Pastora, that brings in touches of jazz guitar (“Que lento es el coco. Cuando tiene que aprender siempre se queda corto”). Invasión is built on dance programming (“Te doy mis penas pa que te hagas un collar cuando no te vea”) whilst Desolado is pure pop, a tremendous acoustic ballad underscored by the piano played by Vicente Borland (“Solita por la calle Desidia, que es donde se pierden las niñas que van de excursión”). La vida moderna is a funk continuation of Tengo, one of the best tracks on their first album (“”Hoy tengo ganas de saltarme los mitos que murieron solitos”). Día tonto starts off as a ballad before moving over to the dance floor, bringing in a choir en route, another new move for Pastora (“Tengo el día tonto, de esos que por más que salte toco el suelo pronto”).
No se puede más creates its energy from a guitar reminiscent of Pat Metheny (“Me imagino que salto del sofá y me pongo a desfasar por la ciudad de un lao pa otro”). Perder el tiempo also moves from a quiet intro into electronic dance (“No es que vaya sobrá; me sobran las ganas de patinar”) whilst ¿Y qué pasa si soy del montón? returns to a slower tempo with Spanish guitar, piano, chords and an acoustic feel (“Si en las fiestas no destaco, si en el super se me cuelan, si por más que me suba la falda me tiemblan las piernas”). Los bichos continues the acoustic vibe whilst El azar no perdona returns to electro, as does Mundo interior (“Pero no vale la pena tener un mundo dentro y no sacarlo pa fuera”). Finally, Planetes marins, a serene track sung in Catalan that brings in chord arrangements and creates the sensuality of Tu siesta, closes a flawless album.
La vida moderna is Pastora's second album and provides confirmation that it is still possible to be surprised by a distinctive sound. Beyond labels or anything else tying them to a style or convention, Pastora create and live in a world of their own, gliding over the contours of modern life and telling us about everything that they see; the same things that we see and experience every day - La vida moderna.
Octubre
Pastora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
no sabía bien, lo qué buscaba
no sabía bien, que sospechaba
y era el cien por cien, una cagada.
No sabía que si quería podía tener lo que quería.
Era tarde... un as en la manga.
encendió la mirada, es tan simple.
Y de pronto el mundo le cayo a los pies...
No quiso volver
no quiso volver
no quiso volver
(qué intensidad)
No sabía bien, donde estaba
no sabía bien, lo que buscaba
no sabía bien, que sospechaba
y era cien por cien, una cagada.
Es octubre, no llevo pijama
la luz se apaga y pasó lo que te esperabas.
Y de pronto el mundo le cayó a los pies,
no quiso volver
no quiso volver,
no quiso volver,
no quiso volver,
(qué intensidad),
No sabía bien, donde estaba
no sabía bien, lo que buscaba
no sabía bien, lo que añoraba
y se lanzó a correr a donde no la amaban.
No sabía bien...
NO TODO DEPENDE DE MÍ
QUE NO TODO DEPENDE DE MI
HAY COSAS QUE SALEN MAL
AUNQUE ESTÉ CONCENTRADA
NO TODO DEPENDE DE MI
HAY COSAS QUE SALEN MAL
AUNQUE VIVA ENTREGADA
No sabía bien...
The lyrics of Pastora's song "Octubre" describe a moment of self-doubt and confusion for the singer. She doesn't know where she's going, what she's searching for, or what she suspects, but she knows that everything is a mess. It's only when she realizes that she has the power to get what she wants that things start to change for her. Suddenly, the world is at her feet, and she chooses not to go back to her old life. The second half of the song touches on the theme of not being in control of everything, and recognizing that sometimes things don't go as planned, no matter how focused and dedicated we are.
The lyrics of "Octubre" are somewhat cryptic, but the song seems to be about the journey towards self-discovery and empowerment. The singer struggles at first with a sense of aimlessness and dissatisfaction, but eventually, she comes to realize that she has the power to change her circumstances. The reference to October in the title may be symbolic of a time of transition and change--a month when the leaves are falling, and the weather is getting colder, signaling the approach of winter. The theme of not being in control is a reminder that life is unpredictable and that we need to be flexible and adaptable when things don't go as planned.
Line by Line Meaning
No sabía bien, donde estaba
She was lost and unsure of her whereabouts
no sabía bien, lo qué buscaba
She didn't know what she was seeking
no sabía bien, que sospechaba
She had suspicions but wasn't sure
y era el cien por cien, una cagada.
And it was 100% a mess
No sabía que si quería podía tener lo que quería.
She didn't know that if she wanted something she could have it
Era tarde... un as en la manga.
It was late and she had an ace up her sleeve
encendió la mirada, es tan simple.
She lit up with realization, it was so simple
Y de pronto el mundo le cayo a los pies...
And suddenly the world fell at her feet
no quiso volver.
She didn't want to go back
No quiso volver
She didn't want to go back
no quiso volver
She didn't want to go back
no quiso volver
She didn't want to go back
(qué intensidad)
(what intensity)
Es octubre, no llevo pijama
It's October, I'm not wearing pajamas
la luz se apaga y pasó lo que te esperabas.
The light goes out and what you expected happened
No sabía bien, lo que añoraba
She didn't know what she was yearning for
y se lanzó a correr a donde no la amaban.
And she ran to where she wasn't loved
NO TODO DEPENDE DE MÍ
Not everything depends on me
QUE NO TODO DEPENDE DE MI
That not everything depends on me
HAY COSAS QUE SALEN MAL
There are things that go wrong
AUNQUE ESTÉ CONCENTRADA
Even if I'm focused
NO TODO DEPENDE DE MI
Not everything depends on me
HAY COSAS QUE SALEN MAL
There are things that go wrong
AUNQUE VIVA ENTREGADA
Even if I live with dedication
No sabía bien...
She didn't know exactly...
Writer(s): Dolores Sanchez Beltran, Martin Cain Riba Pastor Copyright: Warner/Chappell Music Spain S.A.
Contributed by Molly P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.