CD: Tanya Tagaq - Animism | reviews, news & interviews
CD: Tanya Tagaq - Animism
CD: Tanya Tagaq - Animism
Throat singing meets contemporary pop with compelling results
It’s not obvious, listening to her work, just how funny Tanya Tagaq is. Her modified version of Inuit throat-singing-for-one, introduced to a wider audience on Bjork’s Medulla, has been called many things: intense, powerful, primal.
Of course, as with much of Tagaq’s work, there are two layers to the choice of cover: an in-joke, yes, but also the calling card of a performer who has made a living out of putting her own spin on the traditional. Throat singing is traditionally performed by two Inuit women but Tagaq has trained herself to perform solo, meaning that even when her music sounds at its wildest it is a masterwork of control and restraint. Beyond the Pixies cover, few songs here have a recognisable vocal but each is challenging, immersive and compelling as Tagaq twists her inhales and exhales into animalistic growls and tender, soft yelps; into resonant whispers and death metal howls.
In fact, it’s surprising just how versatile what would seem a very specialised skill can be. There is horror here, as on “Uja", where Tagaq’s breathless, inhuman growls cannot escape an ominous, electronic pulse; and on the disturbing, insistent “Umingmak”, itself a fusion of minimalist vocals and heady electronica. But there is beauty, too, like the gorgeous melody line that opens “Rabbit” and the otherworldly “Tulugak”; and breathtaking paired compositions called "Flight" and "Fight". Open your mind, and open your ears.
Overleaf: hear Tanya Tagaq take on "Caribou"
rating
Share this article
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take a subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
Add comment