Avant'n'Gard: Colinde Netemperate
[TLM013]
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An album based on traditional Christmas carols from Romania
that sounds nothing like "Christmas carols" & that you'll probably end up listening to all year long & that everyone around you will ask you to play again and again for the first time since you became obsessed with "weird" music... Limited edition of 100 CDs in hand-made & numbered paper gatefolds +/or Digital Album (FLAC recommended). 9 tracks, 43'05". Drawings by Maria Balabaș (main cover) & Maria Rakitzi. Artwork design by moody alien. Packaging design by Pat Kiout Productions. ........................................ Maria Balabaș – voice, keys Mihai Balabaș – electric guitar, electronics, violin, kalimba Călin Torsan – flutes, kalimba Gabriel Bălașa – percussion featuring Norzeatic – lyrics & recitation between songs (& a weeping dog on La sfârșitul lumii) Recorded at Traian 150 Studio (Bucharest, Romania) Sound engineer: Costin Dumitrache Additional mastering: moody alien ........................................ Originally self-released in December 2011. Released December 1, 2017. ℗ & © Thirsty Leaves Music |
REVIEWS.
"[...] There is also a narration so there is a story being told and it is undoubtedly a dark one as fairy tales, whether festive or not, inevitably are but the recurring beauty and naturalness of Maria Balabaș’s voice made said story seem inspirational rather than cautionary and, despite the casual pacing and the no doubt intentional discord introduced by the mix of organic and synthetic sounds, it was likewise inevitable that I should be drawn inside the music.
Beauty does not require language to be understood and I did not understand a word within the walls of “Colinde Netemperate” yet I just knew that it was simply beautiful."
Bluesbunny
. . .
"[...] It isn’t every day a bunch of musicians can achieve what these four have, perhaps it is the region they’re from which makes this release stand out so starkly; then again, these little revelatory excursions have become part and parcel for everything I’ve heard from their corner of the world. Admittedly, my exposure is limited but thanks to Thirsty Leaves Music my frame of reference is expanding. Holidays or not, they tell no lie when they state you’ll probably end up listening to ‘Colinde Netemperate’ all year long. They’ve made a gateway to pass through into a strange, unexplored land so do your bit and play this around as many other people as you can."
Peter Marks for Santa Sangre
. . .
"[...] There is also a narration so there is a story being told and it is undoubtedly a dark one as fairy tales, whether festive or not, inevitably are but the recurring beauty and naturalness of Maria Balabaș’s voice made said story seem inspirational rather than cautionary and, despite the casual pacing and the no doubt intentional discord introduced by the mix of organic and synthetic sounds, it was likewise inevitable that I should be drawn inside the music.
Beauty does not require language to be understood and I did not understand a word within the walls of “Colinde Netemperate” yet I just knew that it was simply beautiful."
Bluesbunny
. . .
"[...] It isn’t every day a bunch of musicians can achieve what these four have, perhaps it is the region they’re from which makes this release stand out so starkly; then again, these little revelatory excursions have become part and parcel for everything I’ve heard from their corner of the world. Admittedly, my exposure is limited but thanks to Thirsty Leaves Music my frame of reference is expanding. Holidays or not, they tell no lie when they state you’ll probably end up listening to ‘Colinde Netemperate’ all year long. They’ve made a gateway to pass through into a strange, unexplored land so do your bit and play this around as many other people as you can."
Peter Marks for Santa Sangre
. . .