Review: Sainkho Namtchylak - My Dear Left - Reimagined (Ponderosa) [Trip Hop]
Mongolian, or in this case Tuvan, throat singing is something to behold. I can't remember the group's name, but I distinctly remember my amazement at the sounds coming from the vocalists at a live show at Womex in Copenhagen many years ago. It's still not a genre that I listen to by choice, but I'm sure happy and amazed that it exists. Just find a concert and go.
I have to admit that Sainkho Namtchylak has passed me by, but better late than never. I'm also not exactly sure what a seven-octave range is, but it sounds pretty impressive, and the fact that she transcended the local, male-dominated, female-discouraged scene, not to mention an early fondness for experimentation and improvisation just to make things trickier for herself, to cement a long and storied career, makes her achievements even more admirable.
I'm sensing something of a trip hop, if not revival, then renewed interest at the moment, and this new tune from Namtchylak is definitely a trip down memory lane. The production has a pretty cool, hopeful story for lesser-known producers as well. Russian producer Helfer started remixing some songs from the Cyberia album about fifteen years ago for his own amusement. The music eventually came to the attention of Namtchylak, who liked the productions so much that an official remix project was born; this interpretation of 'My Dear Left' being one of them.
The beats suggest early Portishead were an influence, and there are certainly worse bands to look up to. The mood is low-lit, the hour late, and the streets are empty as the pair, hoods up and heads down, roam the neighbourhood, to what purpose we shall never know. The beats set a low tempo, abstract, looped sound design adds the mystery, and then that voice. Namtchylak is in restrained, reflective mood the voice lighting the way through the gloom. Then halfway through, haunting strings suddenly turn the corner to confront the pair, the sonic intensity is immediately dialled up, and the vocals unsurprisingly rise purposefully and unbowed to the occasion. And then it's over. The beats vanish, an ambient fog rolls in, and Namtchylak softly but reassuringly guides the track back home with some tender tones.
For more traditional music given a modern twist, this time with a Nordic folk twist, check out Tomas Raae & Eline Hellerud Åsbakk's ...før de spredtes album.
Playlist Companion
Find Namtchylak in the Slow Oddities Playlist.
