Music

What We're Digging Right Now: 9Bach

How do we navigate this strange world where we are wedded to our devices, yet so much media are encouraging us to get back to nature? The mixed messages can be frustrating to interpret and live up to. Can we straddle the digital and organic realms without tearing ourselves in two?

 

Lisa Jên of Welsh group 9Bach ponders this duality in the recently released Anian (Real World Records). Though sung in a language spoken by only about 800,000 people, the spirit of the enchanting songs transcends the tongue.

 

Amid medieval flutes, dreamy pianos and alternating electronic and tangible beats, Jên’s voice rings like a Disney princess’s. For those generally opposed to the New Age genre, opening track “Llyn Du” is an ideal intro, with its Florence + the Machine-like harp and the menacing Bjork-ish bass. There’s a spookiness to the song, like My Brightest Diamond twisting into a double helix with PJ Harvey.

 

We recommend 9Bach for their time-traveling ability, flawlessly taking listeners on a journey from ancient times – with its mountainous refrains – to the present, as a respite from the fast pace of modern life. With Anian, the tranquility finds you wherever you are.

More from Melissa Bobbitt (See All)
Permalink to
Music
Occur Goes Global - The Music of Djibouti
  Melissa Bobbitt      0

Nearing its 40th year as an independent nation, the eastern Africa port country of Djibouti is considered one of the sturdier states in the continent. However, with four-term president Ismail Omar Guelleh squelching opposition by...

Jul 17, 2016

Permalink to
Music
Reflecting on My Chemical Romance
  Melissa Bobbitt      0

It's not the kind of news you'd want to - or expect to - hear at 9 p.m. on a Friday. But there it was: the announcement that emo favorites turned area rockers My Chemical...

Mar 23, 2013