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)
Occur Goes Global - The Music of Brunei
Melissa Bobbitt 0Metal lives in this Islamic Asian sultanate. Pop still pops, and rock ballads rule. Traditional music such as the adai-adai, the call of the fishermen, wafts in the air. In spite of sharia law being...
Dec 14, 2015Meshell Ndegeocello Demands 'Comet, Come to Me'
Melissa Bobbitt 0Sultry and daring singer Meshell Ndegeocello has announced the June release of her latest album, Comet, Come to Me, on Naive Records. If her recent Boombox feature is any indication, the collection's sound will fall...
Feb 15, 2014Comments
Recent posts
Subscribe!
Receive updates on what's going on in live entertainment, events, and music.

