The Paraguayan outfit Jodi sprang to life in the late ’60s through the combined efforts of teenage brothers Joern and Dirk Wenger. In 1971 they cut an extremely rare private press album, and upon the occasion of its recent reissue, Guerssen Records imprint Out-Sider posed this question: is it “the best lo–fi garage album from South America?” That’s frankly a stumper, but after soaking up the dozen tracks on this once impossible to find LP, it’s obvious Pops De Vanguardia belongs in the discussion. It’s out now on vinyl, compact disc, and digital with five bonus selections.
Born in Paraguay but of German descent, Joern and Dirk Wenger were like countless ’60s teenagers in their catching of the rock ‘n’ roll bug, but a big distinction in their story was life under the military dictatorship of Alfredo Stroessner. Well, that and the siblings, with Joern in the lead, built their own studio, appropriating a section of the industrial paintings-related factory owned by their family.
Prior to Jodi, the brothers had debuted on record as part of The Rabbits, a high school outfit that cut a 4-song garage/ beat EP for the Guarania label in ’69. Categorized as extremely rare (only 300 units were pressed), the set was recorded in a professional studio, and based on “Buscándote,” the one tune from the EP that’s tacked onto the end of Pops De Vanguardia’s CD and included on the vinyl download card, the contrast is striking.
The Wenger’s home studio was certainly an achievement, but it’s also undeniable that Jodi’s album is an excursion into lo-fidelity, though don’t misapprehend that descriptor as commentary on competence. Joern’s interest in studio recording eclipsed any desire for live performance, with his indifference to gigs spelling the end of The Rabbits. Part of the reason for the studio focus relates to the widespread influence of LPs, e.g. Sgt. Pepper’s and Pet Sounds, that were the byproduct of advanced recording techniques rather than practice space-bandstand synergy.
If the Wenger’s couldn’t manage a Beatles/ Beach Boys sense of scale, Pops De Vanguardia’s opener “Experimento” makes plain they could effectively grapple with the same spirit; a tidy two-minute rocker distinguished by assertive guitar strum, organ injections, and intermittent whistling, what’s ultimately more impressive is that all the instruments are audible and furthermore beneficial in the mix.
Dirk took care of drums and percussion as Joern was responsible for everything else, which on “Recuerdos De Un Amigo Ruso” included piano and assured vocals with a few la-las at the finale. If accurately tagged as garage, Jodi predominantly belongs to the melodic end of the spectrum, territory where their modest fidelity brings them added distinction.
Late ’60s studio productions frequently acquire a patina of datedness via stabs of contemporaneousness designed to conquer the marketplace of the moment, but Jodi’s LP avoids this scenario as the rhythmic chug and organ flourishes of “Reflexiones Heladas” still solidly reflect the album’s era; the bulk of the record was cut in ’69 with some selections dating back to ’66. “Onda Suave,” which consists entirely of folkish strum, Brit Invasion-ish vocal harmony and fortifying bass, seems likely to derive from early in that span.
The same applies to “Primavera Amarilla,” a flashy instrumental that flaunts their abilities (drum fills galore!) in a mode that’s easily traced back to ’60 R&B revues, with the track strengthening Jodi’s garage bona fides. “Arrivederci” follows and leans closer to Toytown psych, while “Jodi-Ritmo” swings the pendulum back in the other direction with a sound that’s halfway between Bo Diddley and a Mod place.
The organ additives are again a treat, and they extend into “Imagen En Rojo,” another R&B-ish instrumental reinforcing that with a couple added members Jodi could’ve developed into a solid club band. And yet the studio emphasis yields consistently interesting results; “Sueño De La Catedral” finds Joern’s vocals mixed lower than they would’ve been in any pro studio situation (one need only look at the bonus material here for evidence in support), a tactic that predicts subsequent developments in lo-fi.
Hard driving instrumental “Fantasmas Del Sonido” is bolder in its blend of bluesy garage punk, and it’s here that the comparison to The Monks becomes momentarily extant. Just as quickly “Canción Cariñosa” arrives with a bit of strum pop, and it’s one of the few instances on Pops De Vanguardia that cries out for a bigger production template. The album wraps up with its rawest plunge into garage-psych, with “Espíritu Fosforescente” thriving on an underbelly of oddness that reminds these ears (just a bit) of the 13th Floor Elevators.
The bonus material commences with “Sentimental Moment,” which derives from a 1970 private promo EP. Brighter and more polished in its pop-rock objectives but not disconnected from the LP’s spirit, its addition here is welcome. The same goes for The Rabbits’ “Buscándote,” this reissue’s most straightforward slab of pure garage, while the final three numbers, all previously unreleased and clearly professionally recorded, seem to point to the Wenger brothers’ later South American pop success (as Iodi).
“Little Butterfly” and “Awake,” both from ’69, are a pair of additional strum-pop pleasantries, but it’s “Poor Man, Rich Man” from the following year, its tones somewhat predicting the solo direction of John Lennon, that’s most interesting. It lends a nice capper to Pops De Vanguardia as Jodi becomes yet another name on the list of worthy resurrected international rock obscurities.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
B+
