Re-Covers [IMPORT]

Yat-Kha

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 20, 2005)
• Original Release Date: August 30, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Sony/Bmg Int'l
• ASIN: B0009K33MI
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #220,349 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist
Throat-singing - what the hell is that all about? If you've never seen one mouth singing two or three separate simultaneous melodies, you really need to get out more. Go to Tuva, for example, a remote republic in Siberia surrounded by mountains and filled with moonshiners, miners and cows. There you will find shamanic folk songs played on unpronounceable instruments by bearded men with grizzly, guttural voices that will pimple your skin forever.

And if you're really lucky, you'll stumble across Albert Kuvezin and his band Yat-Kha. Fighting against Communist musical censorship that tried to tell him what styles he could and couldn't play, Kuvezin has forged a near-impossible international reputation for his music. And with Yat-Kha, he combines Tuva's traditional music with the Western heavy rock he loves, chugging an electric guitar as he goes "Oh yeeeeah" in his filthy double-bass vocal.

After several albums of this punk-folk mish-mash, the logical next step is a covers record; and what a beast this is. From the opening strum of Led Zeppelin's 'When The Levee Breaks', 'Re-Covers' sets its stall as a reverent but unapologetic album. Simmering the song to its bones, Kuvezin rebuilds it as a Siberian folk masterpiece, his unnervingly deep growl spinning a magical, mesmeric tale over the delicate instrumentation.

And so they are all reworked. Kraftwerk's 'The Man Machine' becomes a haunting canvass of guitar effects and acoustic play-about, with overtone chanting roaming for carrion. These eerie high-frequency melodies knock against the rich deep-throat bass vocal. Quite how they could come out of the same larynx - simultaneously or not - is a miracle.

Captain Beefheart's 'Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles' takes on a dreamy Celtic quality; Motrhead's 'Orgasmatron' swirls with black magic; and 'Play With Fire' is a fair old walk from anything The Rolling Stones ever meant to write.

But it's not just rock stuff that gets the folk-me-up treatment. Hank Williams' 'Ramblin' Man' takes that age-old tale of a man whose heart belongs to the train tracks and gives it a darkly wistful edge, with minimal rhythm pulsing like a heartbeat. Joy Division's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' falls slightly flat, its beautiful acoustic guitar lines marred by slightly off-key bear-growl vocals. And a Bob Marley track joins People's Music from Russia, Ireland and France, bobbing joyously with sweet percussion and a voice that sounds like a million cigarettes but is actually the product of one too many homemade vodkas.

This mix'n'match approach to traditional and Western styles sticks Yat-Kha miles above their contemporaries from Tuva, Mongolia and Russia, with excellent but less ambitious folk bands such as Egschiglen finding international appeal while choosing to stay loyal to their countries' sound.

Product Description
Yat-Kha’s unique sound revolves around the marriage of the traditional - 'khoomei' throat-singing, endemic to the group's native Tuva (the smallest and most remote republic in the Russian Federation), which allows the singer to hold more than one note simultaneously - to the modern - the (then-underground) rock and punk which inspired Albert to pick up his first electric guitar. Albert’s bone-shaking double-bass growl, coupled with his high harmonics, provide the foundation while the music is driven along by a mix of traditional instruments which contrast with Albert’s beloved electric guitar. 'Recovers' recorded late last year after the band suffered a number of disasters including stolen musical equipment, stolen passports and a car crash, Albert Kuvezin took time out to reflect on what started him on this journey in the first place, which led to the recording of this album paying tribute to the music which influenced the band. Here you can hear Joy Division, ! Led Zepplin, Captain Beefheart, Chieftains and others as you never have heard before, as Yat-Kha bring a new element to these songs.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars May be a bit too rich and eclectic to take in one sitting, December 27, 2006

By	loce_the_wizard "loce_the_wizard" (Lilburn, GA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Re-Covers (Audio CD)

I'm not sure exactly what I was expecting nor exactly what to say about what I've been hearing. Hence, first a bit of background.

Yat-Kha is a band from Tuva, a landlocked place deep in the Russian Federation. This fact of geography has tended to both isolate and preserve the traditional music, and perhaps to have limited exposure to Western music.

Lead by vocalist/guitarist Albert Kuvezin, who is the mainstay in a changing, evolving lineup, Yat-Kha plays a melded music that incorporates traditional Tuvinian music and rock and folk music from a range of time and places, but delivered or interpreted through Kuvezin's throat singing style. This style of singing is described as droning or chanting, which could tend to put off a timid or casual listener.

His band mates, Scipio and Evgeniy Trackev, are accomplished and creative conspirators here. This ensemble creates an eclectic but not eccentric arrangements, or "Re-covers," on a startling range of songs from America and Europe and tosses in a couple of folk tunes for good measure.

Sometimes its hard to tell which song is being "re-covered" until a break or chorus triggers that "aha" moment. The various traditional instruments Yat-Kha employs impart a wildly different mood and energy to these interpretations.

The CD packaging is interesting and well-crafted, and Kuvezin's insights into why he picked these particular songs give some perspective to the thought behind this project. For instance, he writes the following about why he chose Black Magic Woman (Carlos Santana version):"One more my favourite artist. This song is somehow connected to Siberian black shaman women whom I like very much."

The music here may be a bit too rich and eclectic to take in one sitting-- sort of like trying to gulp a liter of imperial double stout -- and smaller doses may be in order. Not everyone will be ready for this music, but everyone should be prepared to listen.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is delightfully surreal !!!, July 11, 2007

By	William R. Forstchen - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Re-Covers (Audio CD)

Maybe I'm biased because I've spent a lot of time in Mongolia and am enthralled by their rich cultural traditions, especially throat singing. . .so with that bias in mind I have to say this has become one of my favorite works.

Throat singing is an ancient tradition, what is fascinating is how the various regions in Mongolia (mountains, steppes, desert) produce different "styles" which Mongols claim are representations of the unique natural sounds of that region, such as wind in the trees, etc. To actually sit before a throat singer and both watch and listen to him perform is incredible, especially if you hear one the way I first did, I was literally riding a camel, and heard a herder in the distance singing, a call to round up his camels. . .an incredible moment.

Anyhow, back to this recording. There is a unique culutural "fusion" going on in Mongolia today, and in other regions of Central Asia such as Tuva where this artist hails from, where traditional music is fusing with western. I attended one concert in Ulan Bator that left me stunned with the incredible merging of shaman chants and modern rock.

Definitely check this recording out. And when you play it, especially for friends, (and I must add if they are a bit "toasted" when you first play this for them, expect them to freak out!) and expect one of three reactions. Either they'll just freak and after thirty seconds think you are crazy. Or, they'll freak and be laughing so hard they're in tears (I'll admit I even grin when it comes to "Black Magic Woman" and think it is far better and more "earthy" than the original), or they will react as I do, and be absolutely mesmerized by the incredible talent. Listen carefully for the traditional and ancient sounds of Central Asia, the beat of the "horse head" fiddle, the strange, haunting whistling sounds of the throat singing, and then be amazed when suddenly you are hearing a very different take on Hank Williams, Santana, etc.

This one is a treat you won't forget!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!, January 29, 2007

By	Earcentric Earnestine - See all my reviews

This review is from: Re-Covers (Audio CD)

Heard "Love Will Tear Us Apart" on the Coverville podcast and had to get this. It keeps growing on me. I love it, although my co-workers are getting tired of me playing it at work!

If you've heard of Tuvan throat-singing and been curious about it, this is a great way to dip your toe in, since at least the songs are familiar.