Natacha Atlas & Marc Eagleton - 'Foretold In The Language Of Dreams' (Mantra)
3/5
By: Thomas Hannan
Western Music prides itself on its ability to draw from music in cultures all over the globe. Be it the sound of Latin America, German electronica or run-down US ghettos, in recent times all have found their way into our listening-patterns.
Sadly though, there seems to have been very little that's influenced our music from further east than Moscow. A few brave souls have tried in vain, but Kula Shaker's attempts did all sound a bit 'gap year in India', whereas Papa Roach's recent nu-Bollywood operatics were just plain weird. Otherwise, bar a few exceptions, it seems that Western music believes a musical Iron Curtain is firmly in place - and that the east is a no-go area.
As it happens, we're being laughably short-sighted. 'Foretold in the Language of Dreams' is the result of what happens when Natacha Atlas - songwriter, belly-dancer and UN Ambassador extraordinaire - combines her many talents for Eastern music with those of Marc Eagleton, a producer with a penchant for combining her distinctive style with more contemporary Western backdrops. Some will lump it into the horridly dismissive 'World Music' category (which naively classes anything from outside Europe or the Americas as a big 'none of the above') and not give it a second thought, but the more patient and enthusiastic listener will find themselves blessed with a brooding cacophony of unfamiliar sonic experimentation that will absorb, occasionally confuse, but consistently impress.
For the untrained ear, this is by no means an easy listen. Familiar songs and structure is out of the window, replaced by ambient sound, Atlas's quite extraordinary and meandering, high-pitched vocals, and a vast array of instruments it's unlikely most will have heard of before (have you been practicing your Qanun lately? Thought not). The whole shebang also happens to be incredibly long - the lengthiest song, 'Simun', pushing the ten-minute mark, and it's by no means alone in terms of its prolonged wandering.
As such, there's most definitely an experimental air to the whole affair. And, consequentially, it's a criticism of acts billed as 'projects' that they seem to have less interest in whatever it is that makes 'bands' so special, perhaps the urgency or vitality that even the most chilled-out folk quartet still harbour, instead counting the search for something far out and exciting as more worthy of their attention. A few times too often, Atlas and Eagleton fall into this trap, but frequently their pioneering pays off, especially with the fabulous studio-sound reversing trickery at play on arguably the standout track, 'Sobek on the Prowl', although the equally commendable 'Yeranos' gives it good competition.
If Western music seems to be becoming stale, it need look no further for thoughts on where it can venture. The amount of ideas on display here is staggering, but it forgivably begins to retrace its own steps when nearing the 70-minute mark, travelling round in musical circles.
Fittingly, the album begins by offering 'to take you on a strange journey', but if the LP is meant to finish at some final destination, it's not all too clear where you've ended up. But, let it never be said that it hasn't been a very surreal, engaging and enchanting ride.
Artists in this article: Natacha Atlas & Marc Eagleton
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment