Worldes Blysse

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Hark all ye fans of Dame Darcy, Gothic Archies, and madrigal dinners! The Mediaeval Baebes follow-up their Christmas-themed debut with Worldes Blysse, an imperfectly enchanting homage to the cycle of life and death. Numbering the mystical 13, the Baebes are Miranda Sex Garden's Katharine Blake and her girlfriends, supplemented by a somewhat older period instrumentalist who, along with Blake, is the only classically trained musician. Fancied mistresses of dark faerie tales and maidens of Lilith Fair, the Baebes, bedecked in diaphanous gowns and locks like Rapunzel, perform traditional plainsongs of the 13th through 15th centuries, as well as originals written in that style. Acoustic period-inspired accompaniment flits round a cappella numbers and is given the spotlight on the frolicsome instrumental "La Volta." Giving hardly a hoot for chops, and rather reveling in vivacity, the Baebes court the image of themselves as a naughty flock of strumpets: scooping and sliding into notes at times like rosy-cheeked choirgirls ("Kinderly," "Beatrice"), and at others sounding like bratty children tromping through a village green ("Ecci Mundi Gaudium," "How Death Comes"). Not for purists or classical snobs, Worldes Blysse is a weirdly wonderful windfall for melancholy teens, drama queens, and hipsters too cool for authenticity. --Paige La Grone

Worldes Blysse,The Mediaeval Baebes,Nettwerk Records,Choral,Christmas,Classical Artists,Early Music,Ethnic Fusion,Goth Rock,Medieval,New Age / Meditation,Pop,Popular Music

Worldes Blysse

Tracks:

Kinderly
All Turns To Yesterday
Love Me Broughte
Beatrice
Ecci Mundi Gaudium
Waylaway
Alba
When Thy Turuf Is Thy Tour
Erthe Upon Erthe
Passing Thus Alone
La Volta
Pearl
Swete Sone
So Spricht Das Leben
C'est La Fin
How Death Comes

Amazon.com

Hark all ye fans of Dame Darcy, Gothic Archies, and madrigal dinners! The Mediaeval Baebes follow-up their Christmas-themed debut with Worldes Blysse, an imperfectly enchanting homage to the cycle of life and death. Numbering the mystical 13, the Baebes are Miranda Sex Garden's Katharine Blake and her girlfriends, supplemented by a somewhat older period instrumentalist who, along with Blake, is the only classically trained musician. Fancied mistresses of dark faerie tales and maidens of Lilith Fair, the Baebes, bedecked in diaphanous gowns and locks like Rapunzel, perform traditional plainsongs of the 13th through 15th centuries, as well as originals written in that style. Acoustic period-inspired accompaniment flits round a cappella numbers and is given the spotlight on the frolicsome instrumental "La Volta." Giving hardly a hoot for chops, and rather reveling in vivacity, the Baebes court the image of themselves as a naughty flock of strumpets: scooping and sliding into notes at times like rosy-cheeked choirgirls ("Kinderly," "Beatrice"), and at others sounding like bratty children tromping through a village green ("Ecci Mundi Gaudium," "How Death Comes"). Not for purists or classical snobs, Worldes Blysse is a weirdly wonderful windfall for melancholy teens, drama queens, and hipsters too cool for authenticity. --Paige La Grone

Customer Reviews:

AMAZING.......2007-03-22

I heard the Mediaeval Baebes at a renfest in Florida a few years back, and was amazed by their voices and their song. They are truly incredible. This is my first Mediaeval Baebes cd adn it's incredible! Anyone who wants to listen to something "new" should buy this cd, and if you ever get a chance to go see them live, take it!

More medieval revival music from a truly unique "girls' group".......2006-10-01

"Worldes Bliss" continues where the Baebes' debut album, "Salva Nos" left off, with a few more lively numbers and more acoustic instrumental accompaniments. Medieval and Renaissance lyrics, mostly Middle English, are married to director Katherine Blake's intriguing compositions--some earthy and full, others innocently ethereal. I find her hypnotic rounds and call-and-response arrangements especially effective. While the a capella solos are distinctive, I find the numbers that combine both vocals and instrumentals to be the most appealing, and this trend continues in the group's subsequent releases. The Baebes' lineup for this recording the same as for their debut album: Nicole Frobusch, Carmen Schneider, Katharine Blake, Nichole Sleet, Karen Lupton, Teresa Casella, Marie Findley, Audrey Evans, Clare Ravel, Ruth Galloway, Rachel Van Asch, Cylindra Sapphire, and instrumentalist Dorothy Carter on a variety of stringed and wind instruments, with guest artists Derrick Melcan on pipe and Trevor Sharpe on drums and percussion. The next release of the Mediaeval Baebes is "Undrentide," followed by "The Rose." For more medieval revival fare, try the work of Faun, Qntal and Wolgemut. And for a bit of the real thing, check out "Music of the Gothic Era" by David Munrow and the Early Music Consort of London, "Schiarazula Marazula" by Christian Mendoze's Musica Antiqua, "Songs and Dances of the Middle Ages" by Sonus, "Istanpitta" 1 & 2 by New York's Ensemble for Early Music, "Bestiarium" by La Reverdie, "New Britain" by the Boston Camerata, and "La Bele Marie" by Anonymous 4.

Þe Mediaeval Baebes been SO keele!.......2006-07-21

I first heard about Mediaeval Baebes from back in my file-sharing days when I downloaded a song of theirs. Immediately upon hearing it I ran out and bought this CD! I absolutely adore it, but for review purposes I give it three stars. Why? Well here are the reasons--

First: The pronunciation of the Middle English is often wrong. They seem to mostly know how it's supposed to go, so I don't know if it's slips of the tongue and they didn't have enough studio time left to try rerecording the songs after messing up, or what. One especially strange example is in a song with the words "night" and "fight." They pronounce night pretty accurately, like "neat" but with a kind of soft Germanic 'ch' sound for the 'gh.' Yet fight is then pronounced in the modern way. The words are obviously supposed to rhyme with each other, there is no sensible reason they should be pronounced so differently.

Secondly: The "song" So Sprech Das Leben. This is the most horrible song I've ever heard, basically an old lady reading a poem in pseudo-Shakespearean English with a hurdy-gurdy playing in the background. "No! Not the 'So sayeth Life' song!" I cry, and race to skip the track whenever those tingly notes start up from the speakers! This song is so awful I very nearly gave this CD no stars at all, because in cause this song it is really worth deducting them all; it is only for my love of the rest of the music that I gave it so high a mark.

Now, with that out of the way, I otherwise really like this CD. The music is great, you can even dance to most of it. I also like how most of the lyrics are included in the CD jacket, often with translations. The performances are great aside from the afore mentioned problems, and I totally expect to buy more of their CDs.

A Day At The Faire.......2006-04-04

It is the Year of Our Lord 1372. The place, a rural county faire somewhere in Medieval Europe where one and all have come to celebrate the bountiful harvest. Along with the villagers there are also gathered minstrels, jugglers, actors and a town fool or two.

The smell of flowers, wine and fresh meat cooking in open fire pits fill the air offering a sweet boutique to all attending this joyous annual occasion. Complimenting these gastronomic fragrances is the most wonderous array of color and texture one could imagine. Allow yourself to become mesmerized by the bright, flowing dresses, scarfs, hats, wreaths and banners stretching out before you for as far as the eye can see.

Soon the intoxication becomes complete when the sound of female voices are added to the olefactory and visual delights. The vocals are enchanting, theatrical, whimiscal, heavenly and wantonly pagan simultaneously. Let the music carry you away on a magical journey to days gone by when man and nature were one, and song and dance was a way of life! Such Blysse!

I've just described what it's like listening to 'Worldes Blysse' a marvelous -16 track- CD by the Mediaeval Baebes.

Yeah, it's kinda like that.

One of my favourite albums of any genre.......2005-04-23

I picked this up in a music store a few years back because I thought the album art was so interesting. I love madrigals, but they're always presented as stuffy-looking and boring. I almost as impressed with the album's creative aesthetics as I was with the music!

The Baebes are lovely witchy women with a very romantic and unique appeal, and their music is as catchy as it is dark and esoteric. Fans of classical/dead languages, beautiful & pure a capella harmonies, and wicked medievel musical instruments will need to purchase this... as will anyone who finds themselves enraptured by the music of ages past :)

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