Anda Union @ NAC
Simply, utterly compelling.
From Mongolia and straight out of the pages of "world music" bible Songlines come Anda Union. A collective of nine musicians with backgrounds in various strains of Mongolian traditional music, at first listen this is outside the musical forms and traditions I am used to.
Aside from percussion, a couple of flutes and the fleeting appearance of a guitar, the instruments are predominantly two or three stringed, bearing passing resemblance to fiddle, lute, banjo, guitar and bass. At times, the music is melancholic to the point of heartbreak but there’s also beauty and joy. Despite the strange instruments and sometimes odd (to these ears at least) time signatures, the music isn't that alien. No, for that, it is the moments of throat singing that take the honours. How the human throat produces those noises is a wonder but hearing five people do it in harmony is a strangely compelling thing to behold.
So did I enjoy this? Well, over two sets totalling over hour and a half, I didn't check my watch once. That probably says more about how good this was than any amount of blathering on about beauty, melancholy or joy. Simply, utterly compelling. Anyone who missed this should check out the Anda Union documentary From The Steppes To The City.
