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Paul Mounsey - “Nahoo” Review
“And the day they go, goes our language, goes our heritage… goes our identity.”
So begins Paul Mounsey’s first and most spectacular work, blending the stories and sounds of Scottish folk music with the rhythmic language of Mounsey’s adopted homeland of Brazil. Though at times it sounds dated, “Nahoo” is both thought-provoking and, at times, deeply arresting. Tracks like “Robert Campbell’s Lament” conjure up images of riots, police brutality, and of a world out of control–all without saying a word. Others, such as “As Terras Baixas da Holanda”, are almost comically cheerful, culminating in a wistful ending both unexpected and remarkably beautiful. Paul Mounsey has achieved an incredibly rich blend of humor, excitement, sadness and love using exceedingly simple instrumentation (drum machines, even!); yet despite its simplicity, the work conveys complex emotions far more effectively than one would expect. “Nahoo” work seems dedicated to those who have been pushed aside (by time, place, and culture), to those forgotten or being forgotten. Simultaneously honoring the Gaelic-speaking Scots (whose language is featured prominently) while remaining hopeful of the potential for cross-cultural polination, this album is truly in the grandest spirit of “world music”.
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posted 13 June 2008 @ 16:36 by D.M. Cook » One Comment
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BT - “This Binary Universe” Review
“…an unapologetically synthetic landscape: every texture, every flash of sound, sparkles with diamondlike precision through a halo of digital dust. It’s almost unbearably brilliant, seamlessly surging from chaos to harmony and back… [it’s] astounding how human, how soulful and sincere, this highly-computerized work really is.”
26 July 2007 » read » One Comment
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Enigma - “The Screen Behind the Mirror” Review
“…Tying all these disparate elements together is visceral, muscular percussion, growling deeper than you knew you could feel, rippling in dark brushstrokes across the album and culminating (at least for me) in perhaps the most singly beautiful track, “Endless Quest”. If the previous disc, “Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi!” was supposed to represent water, this is earth-- make that a desert! This is not the Enigma you’re used to-- it’s heavier, richer, and a lot more grounded (if you’ll pardon the pun).”
