Title: Land Of Kush's Egyptian Light Orchestra - Monogamy
Label: Constellation
Cataloge No: CST066
Type: Album
Reviewer: Rich
Date: 29, May, 2010
Last year's debut album by Sam Shalabi's Land Of Kush was a huge surprise in how
instrumental orchestral music could be played using non standard Western world instruments
and babbles of electronics... it also, to some degree made me want to dance or at least bob
my head up and down like a muppet to the fiercely pulsing racket at times. And by and large
it went kind of unnoticed to half the world, quite possibly a fate that this, the ensemble's
sophomore record, may well sadly receive. (I say we blame Chris Martin... not for any reason
but just because.)
So this, their second release carries on from where their debut left off, mostly the same
players and sound, but at the same time entirely different to anythign that they have done
before... I know that makes little sense, but when you first hear the 'Fitter Happier' style
processed Mac voice launching into an almost continuous barrage of glitchy text to speech
blabbering, you will see what I mean. It's something totally different and totally
unexpected that at first feels completely alien and out of place. You can't really make much
sense of what is being said, though snippets fall into place here and there and it works a
treat. This is brilliantly realised on the excellent second piece Scars which features a welcome vocal from Elizabeth Anka Vajagic powering through an almost seedy sounding backing band. However, when things drop out and that processed voice kicks back in... it is utterly perfect, like a wall of sound from the 30 odd piece orchestra and one extra babbling loon just pushing it that little bit further. It's special stuff to say the least.
Things get ridiculously more and more surreal as the album progresses, by the time we reach Fisherman the electronic voice goes into overdrive, splurting out expletives and sexual desires for the majority of the piece! It's highly entertaining and certainly unexpected.. yet at no point does it distract from the brilliantly composed and played music, this isn't a lead vocal... it is part of the music. Clever eh?
Possibly my only gripe with this album is that it is slightly too long, other than that though, big band insanity with added pervy mac voice and exceptionally good composition is something that only Sam Shalabi can pull off well... and this time he has done it obscenely well (literally). Brilliantly entertaining stuff this!
Rich
As a side thought, this album isn\'t JUST about that electronic voice. Far from it, but it is at least at first the most striking thing about it. But further listens really do add more to this. Fisherman has some excellent vocals and musically its stunning.
Just thought I would point that out as I felt I had kind of sidelined the musical aspect of the album to some degree here.
