Tuvan throat singing is an incredible guttural growl, a vocal that you will never forget once you hear it. The human voice has never been this bottom end heavy. It’s simultaneously joyous and spooky and Albert Kuvezin is perhaps the best-known exponent of this traditional art that comes from the tiny republic that borders Siberia and Mongolia. Kuvezin though has never been one for the traditions, having previously released albums covering Led Zeppelin, Iron Butterfly, Santana, and even kraftwerk, and gaining much popularity for his music on the back of a couple of documentaries. There’s a real mixture of styles on his albums, a respect for the traditions but also a desire to move forward, clearly influenced by 70’s rock, yet also as this albums suggests, English folk music?
He is joined by a British backing band that features Simon Edwards (Billy Bragg), Lu Edmonds (The Mekons/ PIL), and vocalist Melanie Pappenheim who play amazingly understated, in deference to this amazing voice. The album was recorded on the Scottish Island of Jura, a place best known for whiskey and the place that George Orwell wrote 1984. The songs are in Tuvan and Russian; however there are also English translations of Japanese poetry that Kuvezin was engrossed in during the recording. It’s a very strange mix, elegant and stately, yet also powerful and passionate despite its completely acoustic nature. Kuvezin’s heavily accented English is a real treat and his ability to growl out these low key lullabies imbues his music with a rough hewn sadness, which in turn is accented by the music.
Whilst not as immediately gratifying as his covers albums, there are enough complex and disparate threads flowing through Poets and Lighthouses to keep you fascinated. If not you can just bask in Kuvezin’s incredible voice.
Bob Baker Fish
