Hear The Track Here
Dear Santa (this is for next year, don't panic) I would like to find in my Xmas stocking this year my own personal copy of Don't Fear The Reaper (yep, that one) by David Pendragon and Tribe World Ensemble. Thank you. If you are interested in why I am reduced to begging a fictional character for a copy, I'd suggest you have a listen to the track at the above link and whatever you do play it at wall shattering volume. As a rule, I generally hate cover songs of my favourite tracks of all time but this one goes way, way beyond the cover version stigmata and becomes something else. For those who have spent the last year strip mining cowbells on the planet Weneedmore... David Pendragon and Tribal World Ensemble is one of the most exciting, and innovative internet groupings I have ever seen in all the years I have spent as a resident of this asylum. So much so that they snarfed a couple of Track Of The Year awards in my year end review of 2008.More to the point, there are fekkin thousands in this tribe. OK, OK, maybe not thousands.
The tribe encompasses some very well known internet musicians, not the least of them Mr Pendragon who I have liked as a solo artist AND as a member of the Ensemble. David has been doubly blessed by having an epic vocal style (warm, sonorous) that flows over your ears like treacle and an astounding production knowledge that ALWAYS lifts his tracks over all comers. In short, here is a band that could hit the road running should fame ever come knocking at their door, and that my friends is extremely rare. Just a listen to the mix of Australian aborigine and Bhuddist chants in the intro of Sacred River will show you exactly what I mean. World is what they say, and world is what they mean. Mind you at an absolutely mind-boggling eleven minutes and change, Sacred River is going to need a lot more nirvana buddy to keep us going than a few geezers chanting from their boots.
The main event kicks in around two minutes and develops from a deceptively light acoustic guitar playing harmonics into a full blown world anthem that just keeps getting better with each hearing. In tone and texture, it's the kind of track that could have come from anywhere in the world and that to me is the true mark of genius. I have to say though, that it is basically a soundscape but one I'll put money on that you won't be able to put down once you get past the intro - you would have to see what came next. Nothing whatsoever about back story from the song but judging by some of the ambient sounds that drift in and out of the music; this is a musical trip to as exotic a location as you could imagine. So, nice plate of jammy dodgers, a steaming mug of coffee as provisions for the journey and you'd be all set. Can't end this review without praising the excellent wind instrument turns that are essentially the meat of the matter because they supply that dreamy, other-worldly feel to the peice. All this, and not a cowbell in sight. Mirac-u-lous.
MUST HAVE world journey.
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