Psarantonis - World Network Vol. 4: Crete – Son of Psiloritis

 

Artist:       Psarantonis & Ensemble

Album:     World Network Vol. 4: Crete – Son of Psiloritis

Year:         1991

Line-up:    Psarantonis (Xylouris) – lyra, vocals

                 Georgios Xylouris – eight-string lauoto

                 Achilleas Persidis – twelve-string lauoto

Label:       Network Medien

”Our home is up in the woods and in the caves of the mountains!”

There is no place quite like the island of Crete. It is a place where the legend, the myth, the past and the present are seamlessly merged. In ancient mythology it is believed to be the birth place of Europe as it was Zeus, the supreme god and the protector and ruler of mankind, who disguised as a bull seduced and kidnapped the Phoenician princess Europê and brought her to the isle of Crete. The myth also tells us that the roots of Europe lie in the Middle-East. Due to its geographical location it has also served a essential sea route to Egypt, Middle-East and Anatolia thus becoming a true melting pot of cultures in Europe.

On the northern slope of Psiloritis, the highest mountain slope of Crete (2,456 m), the village of Anogeia can be found – the last village before the majestic mountains. To outsiders the people of Anogeia might seem as reserved and rather silent. Yet, there is also open-mindedness and rebelliousness among its people. Historically, Anogeia and the neighbouring villages have been home to the mountain rebels who have fought against the Turks during the Ottoman rule of the empire and the Germans during the World Wars.

Anogeia has also been the home of the island's most famous lyra players and particularly the Xylouris family which has produced some of the most well-known musicians of Crete. The most famous member of the Xylouris family is considered to be the composer and singer Nikos Xylouris who died too early of laryngeal cancer. His bother Jannis also works as a musician but the third brother has now taken the family crown as the leading musician. He goes by the name of Psarantonis and has dropped the family name since he felt that only his late brother Nikos deserves it. Thus Antonios Xylouris adopted his grandfather's name, Psarantonis in which echoes the rebellious past of Cretans and the people of the villages on the slopes of Psiloritis. The grandfather of Antonios was known for his active resistance against the Turkish occupation in the 19^th century and thus earned him the nickname Psarantonis which is a combination of the name Antonios and the Greek word fish (ψαρα, psara) – the one who catches the Turks like fishes in the net.

In addition to singing, Psarantonis plays the principal instrument of Crete which is the threestringed fiddle lyra which is held on the thigh or the knee of the player. The strings are not pressed down against the neck as in the violin or the cello but grazed with the fingernails which allows fast and dynamic playing and the subtle use of ornaments. Normally, the lyra is accompanied by one or two lauotos; instrument similar to the lute with four or occasionally six double strings. On this record, Psarantonis is accompanied by Achilleas Persidis on twelve-string lauoto and Georgios Xylouris (the son of Psarantonis) on the more traditional eight-string lauoto.

The folk music of Crete bares some resemblance to its people: it might appear rough, harsh and monotonous at first but closer listening reveals the same unspoken magic which the whole island has. At the same time, the music of Psarantonis sounds almost ancient and rather strange, yet so familiar and new. People often refer to Psarantonis as the wild bard due to his looks, character and music. The dynamics of his music range from tender to temperamental, from gentle to wild, from almost a silent whisper and whisteling to moaning and screaming. His bow dances across the strings of lyra effortlessly. Even tough his repertoire includes performances of traditional Cretan folk music, the major part of his art is his own compositions and poems. His interpretations of traditional songs, his playing and singing are all very distinctive, independent and experimental by nature. This is also what makes him stand out as an artist to his own right.

If you are looking something which is old but new, strange yet familiar at the same time and something which captures the magic of Crete, this album is the perfect place to start your journey with Psarantonis.

Take a listen to the first track:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPPOdW1Zyhc

Written by Παναγιωτιης

Estradasphere - Palace of Mirrors

 

Artist:    Estradasphere

Album:  Palace of Mirrors

Year:      2006

Line-up:

              Tim Smolens: contrabass, electric bass, surf guitar, keys, mouth harp

              Jason Schimmel: electric & acoustic guitars, organs, lapsteel, keys, fuzz bass

              Timb Harris: violin, trumpet, electric & slide guitars, mallets, orchestral perc., mandolin

              Kevin Kmetz: shamisen, electric guitar

              Adam Stacey: accordion, piano, clavinet, rhoder, tack piano, melodica, organs, 

                                     synthesizer

              Lee Smith: drums

Label:   The End Records

Estradasphere is an interesting USA-based band of multi-instrumentalists that were most active in the early 2000’s. To best describe their style would probably be to compare it to those of bands such as Secret Chiefs 3 and Mr. Bungle – indeed, they are one of those bands that, when asked “what genre of music do you play?”, answer with: “all of them.” This of course makes for some wonderfully demented if not utterly insane musical experiences, but the album I will be talking about now is probably their most restrained and stylishly consistent one (although that’s not saying much when it comes to this band).

Released in 2006, Palace of Mirrors is the band’s fifth full-length album and at least for now the last one they made. The first thing that comes to mind when listening is that it is very cinematic. The album very much resembles a soundtrack, just without a movie to go with it. This does not make it feel incomplete, however, as the listener is free to imagine their own film to go along with the music. It’s actually quite uncanny how visual some of the songs are in this way. The amazing title track, for example, would of course be the main theme of the movie, heard alongside slow camera pans of the scenery in which the film will be taking place (the first 40 seconds or so would be heard on the DVD menu).

A few songs evoke the work of the great Ennio Morricone, which somewhat explains these soundtrack-like feelings I get from the album. But it’s not like Palace of Mirrors is only repeating film music tropes (although they are in there) – the band very much makes its own twist on things. The absolute standout track for me is A Corporate Merger, which starts off groovy but restrained, and in the end takes a sudden (and awesome) turn into metal in the last repeats of its main theme. Another very memorable track is Smuggled Mutation, which sounds like a metal band found themselves at the rehearsals of a violin virtuoso, and just decided to start playing along. The weirdness of Flower Garden of an Evil Man also reminds us that this is indeed no ordinary soundtrack album.

Palace of Mirrors for me hits a sweet spot in keeping its tone consistent while also exploring a huge variety of moods and musical styles. Just pop this into your headphones and transform any boring walk through town into an interesting cinematic experience.

The title track on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6Io220_J2I

Written by Those Who Know