Feast of Silence

Vas

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 18, 2004)
• Original Release Date: May 18, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Narada
• ASIN: B00020HDJO
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #62,845 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

In their early days, Vas was often compared to Lisa Gerrard and Dead Can Dance, but they transcended that comparison long ago. Their sound is forged deep in Middle Eastern and Indian percussion with singer Azam Ali extolling a supralingua style of singing that morphs from ecstatic hieroglyphics to Bulgarian choirs. Born in Iran and raised in India, Ali's pristine voice is steeped in the traditions of those countries. Greg Ellis surrounds her with a global percussion orchestra of the imagination, mixing udu drums, frame drums, mridangam, dumbeks, and just about anything else from his global groove storeroom to create the throbbing rhythmic undertow of their music. His own "Moksha" for percussion, cellos, and bass is an epic, symphonic journey. Azam Ali sings in English for the first time on Feast of Silence, setting Longfellow's "The Reaper and the Flowers" and her own title track. "Feast of Silence" is a veiled reference to her personal travails of the last four years including the death of her mother, her first trip back to Iran since she was a child, and the demise of her personal relationship with Ellis. Despite the personal fractures in the vessel of Vas, Feast of Silence remains as cohesive and powerful as their three previous CDs. --John Diliberto

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Time Enough, August 4, 2005

By	Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

I've followed Vas haphazardly for some time now, from the days when they were true minimalists, focused on Azam Ali's expressive voice and Greg Ellis's percussion work. The strong Medieval and Middle Eastern flavor was haunting as Ali created her own language to express emotions both plaintive and ecstatic. Their work gradually filled out and became increasingly complex and then, suddenly, they stopped recording. Sometimes the connection between love and creativity takes a long time to break and heal over.

Feast of Silence marks an overcoming of differences. Ali and Ellis work so well together that it's a bit of a relief to see that they have managed to find a new accommodation. Even more interesting it the fact that the music is a genuine departure for them in the midst of Ali's traditional stylings experiments like 'In Our Faith' appear. The music is mostly acoustic, but it dances on the edge with occasional electronic tidbits. In addition Ali steps over into the use of actual lyrics, revealing and underlying poetic spirit in work like 'Feast of Silence.'

For most of the cuts they work together. Each also has a track without the other - 'Moksha' (Elllis) and 'Feast of Silence' (Azam Ali). If I had to pick a favorite, though, it would be Izgrejaia, which is one long joyful effort. Joining the two leads are Tyler Bates one guitar and keyboard, Pejman Hadadi on tombak, Deepak Ram on bansuri, Cameron Stone on cello, Justin Meldal-Johnsen on bass, Naser Musa on oud and Brent Meyer on bouzuki. Far more musicians than they usually work with.

I hope this presages more albums to come from an innovative pair that have created their own musical niche.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A spellbinding, hypnotic album, September 7, 2004

By	Erica Anderson (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I have been curious about Vas, namely their new album "Feast of Silence". I first came across the album a few months ago in the used cd bins. I was immediately intrigued by the album cover. I have been putting off buying this album until I read a review of "Feast of Silence" in Outburn magazine. I was intrigued since I enjoy Dead Can Dance's music and Vas has been compared to the now defunct DCD. I bought a copy of "Feast of Silence" over the holiday weekend. I am glad that I did. I found the music to be spellbinding. There were times on this album I felt like that I was listening to Dead Can Dance and other times I thought I was listening to Enya but she was singing Middle Eastern music. Vas' music is an interesting mix of Middle Eastern, Indian, and new age music. I quickly fell under the spell of Azam Ali's vocals who reminded me a little bit of Loreena McKennitt (a little bit) and maybe Enya too. She has a beautiful voice. Greg Ellis' arrangements complemented Azam's vocals. This is my first Vas purchase so I can't really compare this album to their other music but according to the editorial review, this album is the first time that Azam sings in english. I can only imagine how amazing her singing voice is when she is singing in other languages. All of the songs on this album is a real joy to listen to, choosing a favorite song on this enchanting cd would be too difficult. I felt like I was taken on a trip around the world while listening to "Feast of Silence". I recommend this for anyone, Dead Can Dance fans or not.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Vas Release Thus Far, October 18, 2004

By	B. Bauer "Brandita" (Kabul, Afghanistan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have been a long-term fan and observer of this Californian duo, and was excited to purchase their latest album. While being let down a bit by their previous release (In the Garden of Souls), I have to say Feast of Silence is my favorite one thus far. This recording blends the instrumental and vocal talents perfected by Ellis and Ali over the last decade and really shows them off in true form. My favorite piece is the title track itself; take a listen and you won't be disappointed. To quote John Diliberto of NPR's Echoes, "This is the type of music that turns living rooms into temples." I couldn't have said it better myself, John.