Mal-di-tos: the collective singular, from the spanish word maldito, or androgynous, plural, Malditus.Oakland, Ca., Malditos is a quartet embarked on a concept of sound they refer to as "dark-zone desert psych", featuring pulsating rhythms, melodic vocal phrasings, sonic guitar passages and heavy atmospheric textures conjured via analog synthesizers, tapes and percussion.Formed in late 2011 for a performance in the Dismal Swamp, the group recorded material for a full length S/T album which was released on the band's own Alchemy Coffin label in 2012. These songs feature lyrics in French and English as well as a cover of Serge Gainsbourg's classic composition, "Requiem Pour Un Con", which ends up running the gamut at over eight minutes in length, sounding more like Faust processing Gainsbourg than its funky predecessor.Two digital releases followed, Ruins/Black Shirt Flag (slated for release as a seven-inch single) and Suivez Nous, the digital single to the cassette release, Suivez Nous Vol. 1.Malditos sophomore LP, Le Reve, as the title suggests, takes the listener further into the desert-psyche mind frame. The result is a richer tapestry of Eastern inspired melody and dramatic vocal expression while maintaining the Malditos sound. From the bombastic and demanding opening track, Azadeh, through the ritual trance state of Momen and title track Le Reve, this album will take you to new musical regions.Mixing the scenes in support of friends and bands such as Alaric, Pere Ubu, Loto Ball Show, Indian Jewelry, and Noothgrush, Malditos performs almost as sporadically as their recorded output, though the members remain active in many forms throughout the bay area.
