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CD Review
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The Absolute Sound, CD Review >>
by Derk Richardson
Those holding preconceived notions about Tibetan chants – that they are too esoteric to enjoy as music or that their sacred qualities can only be compromised by too close an association with Western idioms and modern studio manipulation – are in for a not-so-rude awakening with Selwa, unless of course they are already primed for these radical sonic experiments by exposure to Drolma and Tibbetts' 1997 debut Chö.
Tibbetts is a Minnesota guitarist who - on such recordings as 1994's The Fall of Us All and 2002's A Man About a Horse - balances fiery, post-Hendrix licks and explosive percussion with mystical and surprisingly complementary atmospherics. Drolma is a Tibetan Buddhist nun who has founded a school offering broader education than previously available to women in her culture. Together, this seemingly odd couple builds a compelling case for a seamless continuity between ancient holy traditions and modern secular technology.
On eleven tracks, Tibbetts and frequent collaborator percussionist Marc Anderson subtly adorn the stirring, contemplative vocals they recorded in Boudhanath, Nepal. They sue acoustic and electric guitars, cymbals, gongs, drums and multi tracking to highlight and shade the spirituality - the quest for awakening and freedom - explicit in the chants and embodied in Drolma's radiant voice. Lee Townsend's production puts a light, transparent gloss on spaciously arrayed sounds that move gracefully around the soundstage. The sonic result is a slow dance of crystalline elements through a diaphanous, faintly swirling mist. As aurally intriguing as the most finely wrought ambient soundscapes of Brian Eno or Robert Rich, Selwa yields the ineffable bonus of deeply moving and refreshingly ecumenical devotional content.
FURTHER LISTENING: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan / Michael Brook: Night Song; Bill Laswell/Dalai Lama/Tohinori Kondo: Life Space Death.
02/01/05
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