Korean musicians have created some of the most exhilarating, unexpected folk-rock fusion work of the last few years, with bands such as Jambinai and Black String matching traditional instruments against guitars and electronica. Now comes composer and multi-instrumentalist Park Jiha, who is also fascinated by ancient Japanese instruments and influences, but takes a more gentle, hypnotic approach – which can still prove unexpected and often unsettling. In the past she played in the duo known as [su:m], who have collaborated with Arthur Jeffes of Penguin Cafe Orchestra, but on her solo debut album, Communion (tak:til/Glitterbeat), she takes a different approach. She is still writing new music for ancient instruments, and switches between the piri, a harsh-edged bamboo flute; the yanggeum, a hammered dulcimer; and the saenghwang, a mouth organ constructed from bamboo pipes. But she is now joined by saxophone and bass clarinet, vibraphone and percussion.
The result is an intriguing instrumental set that mixes minimalism and melody with bursts of furious energy and experimentation, with echoes of anything from ambient styles to free jazz. This is music that ebbs and flows like the sea. There are passages where vibraphone and dulcimer provide throbbing, repeated and percussive backing for piri, or horn solos that gradually build up and erupt like a furious storm before the calm eventually returns, as in the lengthy All Soul’s Day. And there are gently tranquil, atmospheric passages where the saenghwang sounds like an organ – as on the exquisite The Longing of the Yawning Divide, inspired by the Belgian monastery where she rehearsed with her band.
Also out this month
Imarhan are a young Tuareg band who grew up in the deserts of southern Algeria and bring a distinctive, fresh and breezy approach to desert blues. Their second album, Temet, was recorded with help from Tinariwen’s Eyadou Ag Leche, and matches thoughtful acoustic passages with sturdy desert-blues-rock guitar riffs and solos on rousing songs such as Alwa and Tumast that will guarantee crossover success. From Nicosia, the engaging trio Monsieur Doumani mix Greek Cypriot folk influences with blues on their third album, Angathin. Their rapid-fire vocals are backed by the unlikely combination of bouzouki-like tzouras, guitar and trombone, and their angry, poetic songs tackle everything from fake news and greed to environmental concerns. Thankfully, a translation of the lyrics is provided.
