Re: Trio Bulgarka's wailing

[agough@sedona.intel.com (Andy Gough)]

In article <9311090707.AA09017@pilot.njin.net>, vickie@pilot.njin.net (Vickie Mapes) writes:
> agough@sedona.intel.com (Andy Gough) writes, wrt HoL:
> 
> >Agreed.  Amazingly consistent quality.  The only weak song is "Mother Stands
> >For Comfort."  
> 
> I definitely disagree. IMHO, it's a strong and chillingly powerful song.
> 

Perhaps "weak in the context of HOL" would be more accurate of my opinion.
I would say it's a _good_ song.  I would rank it in the 4th quartile of KaTe's
work.

By itself, it's fine.  Perhaps the biggest annoyance I have with this song
is its position on HOL.  It comes right after a bunch of peppy, up-tempo songs.
So I'm listening and I hear:  <peppy up-tempo songs!> <really slow MSFC> 
<The Ninth Wave begins>.  Although I don't have a better suggestion on where
it should go in the track listing--except maybe moving it to NFE!

> >Serious question:  Are they famous for wailing like that?  
> 
> Actually, yes. They are world-famous for their singing. That type of
> "wailing" (which is a very good word for it) is very old, an important
> part of traditional Bulgarian music. I personally love how Kate
> incorporates their ancient sound in her modern music.
> 
> >If so, okay then, I just don't like what they do, but I can agree that they
> >wail with the best of 'em.  
> 
> It can sound alien, especially the way Kate uses their voices. TB's album
> "The Forest Is Crying" is (so I've heard) quite hard to find now, but if
> you ever see Le Mystere des voix Bulgares' first album, just called 
> "Vol. 1" I believe, I highly recommend it. It's strange and beautiful,
> and the Trio Bulgarka singers are on it. Hearing it may make you
> understand a bit better what traditional Bulgarian music, and the 
> wailing singing style, is all about and you might appreciate what they
> do better. Or not...that style of music isn't eveyone's cup of tea.
> 

I'd probably like them better by themselves.  I think I'd find it easier
to appreciate their different style of music in its pure form, not mixed
with rock/pop style.

> 
> You live in Sedona? I *love* Sedona! (And Oak Creek Canyon and Jerome
> and every other inch of 89A, the most beautiful stretch of highway in
> America after 1/101 in California, Oregon & Washington)
> 
> Vickie (who still has a few dozen more listens to go...:-) thanks, mjm)
> 

Alas, I don't live in Sedona.  I live in the Phoenix area.  But, Sedona
is a shorter drive from Phoenix than from Chicago.

"Sedona" is the name of the workstation that handles all the mail for
our building.  If you have hundreds (thousands?) of workstations, you need
a lot of sources for names for them.  So we've gone through cities in
Arizona, the planets, the chemical elements that aren't too hard to spell 
(I wouldn't want _my_ workstation to be named "Ytterbium"!), etc...

Regards,
Andy
-- 
Disclaimer:
     All views expressed are my own opinions, and not necessarily 
     those of Intel Corporation.
_______________________________________________________________________________
 Andy Gough                     |  Internet: agough@sedona.intel.com
 Intel Corporation  CH3-69      |            agough@az.intel.com
 5000 W. Chandler Blvd.         |      "Knowledge is power."
 Chandler, AZ  85226            |                -- Francis Bacon
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