issue 54 - AsiaLIFE Magazine

soundfix
album review
by Mai Lynn Miller Nguyen
Janka Nabay and
The Bubu Gang
En Yay Sah
Antony and The
Johnsons
Cut the World
Purity Ring
Shrines
James Yorkston
I Was A Cat From A
Book
Sierra Leonean singer Janka
Nabay began by performing
reggae, but he has built a career
with the lesser-known bubu
music. Bubu has its origins
in witchcraft ceremonies of
Nabay’s homeland and he
has breathed new life into the
centuries-old music, expanding
the genre beyond its flute and
pipe-based folk form to create
a popular, modern sound.
When civil war drove Nabay
to the United States, he rebuilt
his career as a musician while
working in fast food joints
to survive. In Brooklyn, he
began collaborating with a
band comprised of members of
Skeletons, Chairlift, Starring,
Saadi and Highlife. The group’s
first full-length record stays
true to the uplifting sound of
bubu, with beats designed to
move hips.
The core of Antony and The
Johnsons, Antony Hegarty is
not easily forgotten. On the
second track of Cut the World,
he presents seven and a half
minutes of his musings on the
moon, religion, feminism and
his transgender identity. Rather
than being overly indulgent,
his monologue — delivered in
an accent forged of his English
roots and American upbringing
— is as hypnotic as his falsetto.
Recorded live, Cut the World
culls highlights from the group’s
previous four full lengths.
Hegarty has always conducted
himself as an artist in the capital
A sense — performing with
international symphonies,
staging elaborate installations
and collaborating with music
heavyweights like Yoko Ono
and Lou Reed — and this latest
work is no exception.
From Bjork to The Knife,
various musicians have
carved out a niche that
celebrates the ethereal and
eerie. Purity Ring, a Canadian
duo from Alberta, are one
such act. Their carefully
constructed debut album,
Shrines, pairs Corin Roddick’s
electronic beats with Megan
James’ vocals. The result is a
haunting sound, reminiscent
of the witch house tunes of
Salem and Austra. Scratchy
synths layered with a
throbbing almost hip-hop bass
create dance floor rhythms,
while James’ girlish voice
floats over like a spectral
presence. Although selecting
a favourite from an overall
cohesive work is a challenge,
Ungirthed — the duo’s snappy
first release — remains one of
the record’s best.
With a substantial discography
from the past decade, James
Yorkston is one of Scotland’s bestkept
secrets. Inside the United
Kingdom, the singer-songwriter
maintains a loyal following.
Yet despite his notable Domino
Records imprint, Yorkston hasn’t
quite captured the breakout
notoriety enjoyed by fellow Fifebased
Scots King Creosote. That’s
not to say he’s undeserving.
His thoughtful lyrics, delicate
vocals and lithe guitar are
remarkable, but in a gentle
sense. Quiet and contemplative
music, even as honest and
emotional as Yorkston’s, has
the danger of being overlooked.
This latest album is solid and
will be appreciated by his fans
and perhaps attract some new
admirers, but ultimately his
audience must be measured in
quality over quantity.
84 asialife HCMC