If you feel a bit down, take a listen to Anna Makirere, a singer from the Cook Islands whom Little Axe Records just reissued. Your doldrums will be destroyed.
Folk
[Music] The Hare And The Moon – The Hare And The Moon
The Hare And The Moon were a folk horror (yes, it’s a genre) band out of Scotland who finally ended their run in early 2017 after a string of astounding discs.
This disc seems to be the first one they released in 2009. Their sound reminds me of early Current 93, especially during the period when they released Swastikas For Noddy (Goddy). A truly exquisite gem in all of its weirdness.
[Music] Soliman Gamil – A Map of Egypt Before the Sands
It’s for albums like this that I have such a love of Bandcamp. This release originally came out in 1997, and was a collection of pieces of Soliman Gamil’s other records for the Touch Label. Though they would have made lovely soundtrack music, it’s more an exploration of and experimentation with Egyptian classical music. A well-done reissue by Mike Harding and Touch.
[Music] Abu Obaida Hassan – Abu Obaida Hassan & His Tambour: The Shaigiya Sound of Sudan
Abu Obaida Hassan had a wonderful career during the 1970s and 1980s making the kids sway in Khartoum, Sudan with his tambour, but by the second decade of this century, Sudanese media pronounced him dead. Thankfully, he is far from it, and courtesy of Ostinato Records, he has a fine retrospective coming out on May 18, 2018.
[Music] “The Deer’s Cry”, or St. Patrick’s Breastplate, sung by Angelina
A happy St. Patrick’s Day for you Catholic and Orthodox who celebrate his feast. The day has a special meaning for me personally as, last year on this date, we moved into our new home. I was the first to enter the home, and the first benediction, as worthless as it was as I’m no priest, was to utter St. Patrick’s Breastplate before moving items into the house.
[Music] 破地獄/Scattered Purgatory – 山險峻/Sua-Hiam-Zun
Scattered Purgatory are a heavy psychedelic band out of Taipei, Taiwan, whose influences seem to include Krautrock bands like Can and Amon Düül II, as well as Japanese psychedelic-folk bands like Ghost.
[Music] Rasa Serra & Saulius Petreikis – Dzūkija
Multi-instrumentalist Saulius Petreikis pairs with fellow Lithuanian musician, the vocalist Rasa Serra. It’s ethereal music that would, in some way, appeal to fans of Dead Can Dance as well as those who enjoy Baltic music in general.
[Music] Zeresh – Sigh For Sigh EP
I love unsolicited material coming into one of my many inboxes. I ended up having the pleasure of discovering Zeresh, a neofolk band out of Israel who rather deftly interpret, on three of the four songs, the poetry of William Ernest Henley (of Invictus fame).
There is a lot of dark, pulsating music that would have been rather comfortable inside of the earlier releases of Current 93. Looking forward to hearing more, obviously.
[Music] Camarão – The imaginary Soundtrack to a Brazilian Western Movie
Analog Africa’s clutches are reaching out farther and wider with this release by Brazilian legend Camarão. It’s a reissue of work he did in around 1960 and is a lively mix of ethnic music, cha-cha, accordion music and something you would hear in a very hazy, psychedelic Spaghetti Western.
Expect this release to ship out starting on February 20, 2018. It’s been well worth the wait!
[Music] Katarína Máliková – Pustvopol
There’s not a lot of music I could compare Slovak chanteuse Katarína Máliková to. Her sound is utterly unique, and I could only imagine bands like Dead Can Dance as sharing her ethereal vibe. The instrumentation could fit somewhere comfortably between folk, fusion and Fourth World Ambient (think Jon Hassell).
For fans of these genres and of artists like Loreena McKennitt.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 