Record Reviews
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  | WSPAK ~ RADIST Z NEBA!
FOR TUNE 0166 (Barcode: 5906395808823) ~ POLAND ~ World Music & Folklore
Recorded: 2023 Released: 2023
This is the debut album by Polish vocal duo WSPAKFind albums by this artist, which comprises of Adrianna Kafel-WozniakFind albums by this artist and Aleksandra Pura-CidyloFind albums by this artist. The vocalists accompany their vocals by playing Polish folklore instruments, like the Bilgoraj suka, Plock fiddle and wspak (a viola like instrument, but with reversed symmetry). The album presents eleven tracks, most of which are Xmas carols from Eastern Poland, sung in local dialects.
The music is absolutely delightful, soul wrenching and penetrating the heart instantly. The melodic sequences are sophisticated and the vocal harmonies are plainly out worldly. The delicate instrumental accompaniment is perfect in every sense and fits the vocal front line like a glove.
The vocal harmony between the two voices is one of the most refined I ever came across in folklore music and sometimes almost unbelievable. If there was a custom of “rubbing one’s ears”, I’d have probably done so many times while listening to this album. It is amazing how just two voices can produce a harmony perfectly pure and often sounding like an entire choir.
The Xmas period always produces an abundance of albums with carols, but this one is like nothing else in that tradition. It is pure Art and perfection incarnate, regardless if you are a Christian or a Martian.
Overall, this is a perfect Xmas carols album, which puts almost everything in that genre far aside. If Godsend has a musical manifestation, this is probably it, plain and simple.
| | Updated: 18/12/2023Posted: 18/12/2023 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
  | WSPAK ~ SONGS OF THE RISING SUN
FOR TUNE 0169 (Barcode: 5906395808861) ~ POLAND ~ World Music & Folklore
Recorded: 2021 - 2023 Released: 2024
This is the 2nd album by the Polish vocal duo WSPAKFind albums by this artist, which comprises of Adrianna Kafel-WozniakFind albums by this artist and Aleksandra Pura-CidyloFind albums by this artist. The vocalists accompany their vocals by playing violin and Polish folklore instruments, like the Bilgoraj suka, Plock fiddle and wspak (a viola like instrument, but with reversed symmetry). The album presents ten tracks, which are Lemko (Polish Carpathian region ethnic group) and Ukrainian folk songs, arranged by the duo and sung in local dialects.
The music is every bit as moving and enthralling as that on their debut, featuring exquisite vocal harmonies and superb instrumental support. Although the verbal message of the lyrics is lost to listeners not familiar with the regional dialects, but that does not take away the beauty of the music and the prevailing atmosphere, which is way more powerful than any verbal context.
The duo decided to explore their roots, rather than create contemporary new music, and considering the wealth of these regional traditions, they have a vast cultural zone, which is inexhaustible. As a result, we can expect more such explorations in the future, which is heartwarming.
On the purely musical plane, the vocal harmonies this duo is able to create are some of the finest one can hear, and regardless if one is a World Music buff or not, they are absolutely worth being heard, which I of course recommend wholeheartedly.
Overall, this is a brilliant album in every aspect, full of breathtaking vocal harmonies and beautiful melodies, sublimely performed by the duo and excellently recorded, presenting music for all seasons and completely universal, despite its clear Easter European roots. This is beyond recommendation!
| | Updated: 12/11/2024Posted: 12/11/2024 | CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend |
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