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Helena Espvall & Masaki Batoh, "Overloaded Ark"
Every great once in awhile an album comes along that completely blows me away. This is one of them. Within the first few chords of the opening song I can feel Overloaded Ark singing in my bones. It is an album that reminds me of the power music has for elevating the mind and spirit. When listening to these songs it is hard to be unmoved and unhappy. Overloaded Ark is rapture made audible, joy stirred by a resonant interplay of voice and strings, a pure sonorous ecstasy.
Helena Espvall and Masaki Batoh expand upon the stratagem they began on their first self-titled album, by recording a mixture of pieces they wrote themselves, and those of a repertoire drawn from sources as diverse as late renaissance classical and the Cuban folk music of Silvio Rodriguez. The result of their efforts is a work of impressive unity, the cover versions and traditional music they play blending seamlessly with their own songwriting. The virtuosic performances are made all the more gripping by being bathed in a psychedelic infusion of electronics that ranges between subtly glowing minutiae to expansive over arching effects.
The album opens with a version of the medieval Salterello, here called “Little Blue Dragon,” a piece of merry exuberance. These initials sounds of festivity and celebration carry over throughout the course of the album, even its darker moments; and it is here that one of the key players, Haruo Kondo, first shows off his skill as a specialist in ancient musical instruments. The sounds of old world woodwinds like the crumhorn and rauschpfeife, along with the drones of the hurdy gurdy perambulate their way throughout the album. The driving force of the drums, played by Batoh’s fellow member in Ghost, Junzo Tateiwa, carry over from the Salterello into the powerfully tribal title track. He beats on the frame drum like a shaman, with the steady syncopations that can easily put anyone into a light trance. Wind like textures flutter through an electronic breeze. The song pauses briefly for a burst of high frequency electronics that cause my head to buzz pleasantly, as if the sound is emerging from inside my skull. A strummed chord on an acoustic guitar helps to keep the beat while buzzing wind instruments and cello dance in curving melodious spirals. The pressure inside “Overloaded Ark” keeps building up, eventually spinning into a controlled yet spastic frenzy.
Helena’s talent, not only as a cellist, but as a vocalist is fully displayed on this album. She confidently sings beautifully in several different languages: Spanish, French, and Japanese. In “Sueno Con Serpientes” (originally by Rodriguez) her voice is silken, pure, and heartfelt. I may not understand a word of it, but she is able to carry a feeling of deep emotion that resonates across any barriers of language. This song also remains faithful to the original, while at the same time embellishing it, updating it, adding more reverb and electronic innuendo to sounds that were only implied and hinted at in the first, perhaps not being technically feasible at the time. On “Until Tomorrow,” one of the originals, she sings in emotive cries, the same ancient non-language she used so well in her work with Anahita. Batoh’s voice joins Helena’s in thick whispers, swishes, and swoops. His guitar playing on this song is liquid, like a mountain stream tumbling over rocks. If it were poetry it would be lyrical.
The album ends with a loving rendition of “Sham No Umi,” a song from Batoh’s back catalogue. Here once again, Helena’s vocals shine, with Batoh’s buried slightly underneath. It is one of those songs I start over and over again after completing. The guitar playing is hypnotic and lilting, joyfully lighthearted and technically complex: in other words, exceptional. A shimmering piano played by Kazuo Ogino underscores the guitar adding weight and emphasis. A few minutes in and the trill of a synth marks the point where all gravity is left behind. This song stays stuck in my head for days on end, bringing me much happiness. And it’s just one great tune among many that make Overloaded Ark one of the finest records to have come out this year.
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