Volume 5: Anatomic

Amazon.com
Their debut album broke down many tediously outdated barriers. Now the Afro-Celts are back with another genre-bursting, non-preachy, multi-culti soundscape. There has never been anything bland or generic about the ensemble's output as their concept of one-world music is less color-blind than color-appreciative; in other words, they don't ignore our differences but celebrate them. Anatomic continues an ongoing pilgrimage of respectful collaboration, wherein Western studio mastery abuts Irish flutes and percussion, harp-like West African koras, keening bagpipes, and gutty Greek bouzoukis, all presented over a resonant, crunchy bottom with beats and electronica for days. Iarla Ó Lionáird sings in English and Gaelic, sitting in with Sevara Nazarkhan from Uzbekistan (who is lovely if disembodied on "My Secret Bliss") and Dorothee Munyaneza, a genocide survivor whose soulful pipes made such a strong impression on the soundtrack to Hotel Rwanda. As always, Simon Emmerson's guitar fulfills dual roles as a melodic vector and tireless rhythmic powerhouse. --Christina Roden

Tracks:

When I Still Need You
Secret Bliss
Mojave
Sene
Beautiful Rain
Anatomic
Mother
Dhol Dogs
Drake

Amazon.com

Their debut album broke down many tediously outdated barriers. Now the Afro-Celts are back with another genre-bursting, non-preachy, multi-culti soundscape. There has never been anything bland or generic about the ensemble's output as their concept of one-world music is less color-blind than color-appreciative; in other words, they don't ignore our differences but celebrate them. Anatomic continues an ongoing pilgrimage of respectful collaboration, wherein Western studio mastery abuts Irish flutes and percussion, harp-like West African koras, keening bagpipes, and gutty Greek bouzoukis, all presented over a resonant, crunchy bottom with beats and electronica for days. Iarla Ó Lionáird sings in English and Gaelic, sitting in with Sevara Nazarkhan from Uzbekistan (who is lovely if disembodied on "My Secret Bliss") and Dorothee Munyaneza, a genocide survivor whose soulful pipes made such a strong impression on the soundtrack to Hotel Rwanda. As always, Simon Emmerson's guitar fulfills dual roles as a melodic vector and tireless rhythmic powerhouse. --Christina Roden

Customer Reviews:

An Antti Keisala Comment: The Temples of Sound.......2007-02-06

I'm preparing some commentary on Iarla Ó Lionáird, one of the true voices of our contemporary music. He has only released three albums so far, as much of his time has passed with this band, a sort of a super group of celtic fusion, or into whatever the brand we wish to demote them, if in the mood. So I'll start here, with their best album.

I prefer the quietude of Ó Lionáird, but the Afro Celt Sound System is, in its inexorable energy, a rather successful blend of the kind of febrile search of tapestries of sound, a play of culturally coloured and multilayered instrumentations and polyrythms, all tied together by the modern Western sonic dance beat heritage. Most people use the word 'fusion' with their music mostly because it resembles so seemingly and seamlessly the well-known formula of dance beats straight from the club floor, that somehow this is an intergration of the realm of world music and club beats. But I think the whole idea of their music goes beyond mere fusion of genres, a 'definition' already turgid enough to provoke resentment to the writer who unknowingly and happily happens to use the word. Let's talk about more cultural a word, that being 'tradition'. I'm no historist at heart, but to think of the streams of musical influence as traditions of influence is an attractive one. So we get to think of the collision of world music and modern dance music in this album as not as collision of genres but of the ways of approaching to music as tradition. Tradition, that is, the perspective of listening and producing music.

At this writing I've compiled only a single list of records, a Top 40 with only a single album from each artist. "Anatomic" was my selection for the Afro Celts, although their debut "Sound Magic" came close. And they are similar.

If you listen to the five volumes in retrospect, there is the visible (or rather, audible) change and evolution in how the different instruments are being blended together. The harshness, almost extraneous soundscapes of "Sound Magic" have in time been turned into lush and broad landscapes, temples of sound. I really like the solacing and otherwordly primitive atmosphere of "Magic", yet what was lost then and what has now been found is the ability to integrate. That is, to integrate and unify the whole traditions, concepts, into not only sweeps, but into dimensional sounds and impressions. In this they are growing and advancing with each new release, but what is not as easily determined is the other side of unity, and that's how the songs fit together.

"Magic", although being a sort of an impressionistic sound-piece, is surprisingly whole. The other albums in between, rather not. There were the epics like "North" and the transcendentals like "Cyberia", the pearls, but the whole was smaller than its parts. At last I've found an album that pragmatically states otherwise. There are some of the best Afro Celts songs to be found from here, "When I Still Needed You" and "Mojave", but also the most sophisticated structure they've yet pulled on us. Don't get me wrong, I could never critize the state-of-the-art engineering of these albums, as they are all as expertly made as ever, and at the same time they offer us the purest experiences in music; sort of sonic profundity. My idea on the other hand is that the whole album grows into and out of itself, through songs that complement rather than just follow each other. And whereas "North" is epic, "Mojave" is majestic. The only flipside is perhaps Sevara Nazarkhan's "My Secret Bliss", of which "Nevermore" or "Green" is the fuller counterpart; Nazarkhan doesn't fit perfectly (which in itself in its friction makes it still interesting), but you should really listen to her album "Yol Bolsin", which is deliciously gigantic in its intimacy, reminding me of the serenity of Yungchen Lhamo.

At its best, Afro Celt Sound System is soulful and as far from discrepancy as their size as a group would imply, and "Anatomic" sounds their finest moment yet; and never have they lost, even if they've changed, the huge energy and passion for music, for which I give extra points in any case. I recall the autumn of 2005 with fondness, for then were we blessed with two astonishing records: the first one is this, of course, and the other is Ó Lionáird's blissful "Invisible Fields". This is an amazing record.

With best regards,
AK

Relaxing envigorating refreshing music for your day.......2007-01-27

I enjoy the masterful blending of rhythm, tone, beat, instruments, and voice that to me is so well done by Afro-Celt Sound System. And this album is their best yet.

My current favorite song is "Mojave" - the third track on this album. I love to put ACSS on in the background as I'm working through the day, and Mojave takes me from a quiet start on an emotional journey through different stages and moods and then gently back down at the end. One day I was playing my way through the album and after hearing Mojave (which is nearly 11 minutes long) I wanted to hear it again, so I just set it to repeat. About 90 minutes later I got up and realized that I wasn't tired, wasn't bored, wasn't even remotely tired of taking the same journey again and again. That, to me, is the test of great music.

Afro Celt Sound System Volume 5: Anatomic.......2007-01-09

This is my second buy for the Afro Celts. I may like this one better than the first one. I'm sure this won't be the last. Thanks for asking.

Very Mellow.......2007-01-03

The songs were very beautiful and well done, however extremely mellow and something you could fall asleep to.

Buy it - now!.......2006-11-23

To be honest, I had to listen to this CD about three times before I got it. I was used to the faster paced earlier works but wow - the wait was worth it. I can't put it down now. The layers of melodies in each song blew me away. With ACSS, there are always layers and deeper sounds in their music. If you take your time and listen closely to this CD, it will blow you away. I highly recommend it.

Average customer rating:

what makes an irish heart beat

Volume 5: Anatomic
Afro Celt Sound System
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

New Age | Celtic | International | Styles | Music

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Volume 3: Further in Time

ASIN: B000B7QOXY
Release Date: 2005-10-11

Tracks:

When I Still Needed You
My Secret Bliss
Mojave
SenWorking the Land)
Beautiful Rain
Anatomic
Mother
Dhol Dogs
Drake

Customer Reviews:

what makes an irish heart beat.......2005-11-22

The latest offering by the Afro Celts is as great as the previous two installments. The album starts off with some dreamy worldbeat (`When I Still Needed You`) and then the trad Irish/dancehall stylings kick up into high gear with `My Secret Bliss` & the staggeringly beautiful `Mojave`. For those of you who prefer the `Nos` singing of Iarla O Lionaird, he makes the album sparkle with the songs `Mother` and the album's finale `Drake`.

For whatever it's worth, I'm convinced that the Afro Celt Sound System is the most important Celtic group of the 21st century. The end of the 20th century saw Sean O`Riada, Christy Moore and Shane MacGowan lead Irish music to a brave new world and the Afro Celts have managed to lauch the best of Irish music into deep space (marrying it to African music as they went along) Since Shane MacGowan's observation was dead on when he said there were "more pricks than kicks" it's great to find a band you can constantly get a kick out of ;-)

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