Maria Usbeck's solo debut, Amparo , is a collection of songs written and recorded across the span of three years in Ecuador, Buenos Aires, Santiago, Barcelona, Lisbon, Easter Island, Costa Rica, Florida, L.A. and her home in Brooklyn. Though the songs were composed electronically, Amparo called for an acoustic treatment, so Usbeck (former frontwoman of new wave act Selebrities) spent a winter in the studio recording the arrangements live with producer Caroline Polachek (Chairlift) and engineer Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson. Fleshed out in full sonic color on the marimba, xylophone, quena flute, piano, and harp, the album stretched out into something hifi and expressive, meditative but not meandering. A1 Isla Mágica 4:30 A2 Moai Y Yo 4:03 A3 Llámame 3:27 A4 Camino Desolado 3:23 A5 Uno De Tus Ojos 4:21 B1 Ciudad Desnuda 4:57 B2 Playa Escondida 2:57 B3 Lapislazul 3:43 B4 Jungla Inquieta 4:56 B5 Tarántula 3:44
