|
|
 |
CD Review
|
| Click Here to go back. |
Georgia Straight, CD Review >>
WARSAW VILLAGE BAND
People's Spring (World Village)
People's Spring is one of those rare recordings that leaves you in a state of exalted disbelief at first hearing, searching for points of reference and superlatives. The young artists of the Warsaw Village Band have succeeded brilliantly in fusing archaic and contemporary Polish sounds to create an album of wild, urgent, exuberant, and above all very beautiful music. On the evidence of these 15 tracks (which include two remixes) it's easy to understand why the group recently scooped the prestigious 2004 BBC Radio 3 Award for World Music as best newcomer on the scene.
The opening cut, a wedding song entitled "To You Kasiunia", establishes the overall tone and sets out the unique instrumentation.of People's Spring. After a languid intro on hammered dulcimer and bowed stand-up bass, thunderous traditional baraban drums herald the arrival of trumpets and what seems like a mini orchestra of droning strings which quicken the pace and lay down the simple, minor-key melody. The swelling, multi-layered sound subsides briefly as slightly dissonant and shrill female voices take over; until the instruments return in full force and the song accelerates to a swirling, powerful climax.
Though its repertoire comes from rural folk, the WVB's of Polish music and Indian music, while the reconfiarrangements are innovative and sophisticated. The remix of the moody "At my Mother's House" intriguingly blends elements elements of Polish music and Indian music, while the reconfigured version of "I Had a Lover" emphasises the trance-like qualities of the original ballad through the addition of dance beats, loops, echoes, and reverb effects.
The only criticism I can level at the WVB is the lack of information about sources for the songs its members have collected. People's Spring just sounds better with each play, and looks destined to launch a new wave of East European roots music.
• Tony Montague
03/20/04
|
| Click Here to go back. |
|
 |
|
|
|
