Yat Kha are band from the small southern Siberian republic of Tuva who have gained widespread international notoriety for their unique fusion of Central Asian folk, Western rock, and the breathtaking throat-singing styles of their homeland. (For the uninitiated, throat-singing is form of vocal exertion which allows the human voice to produce and combine two or more tones at the same time. The results of this are overtones which can vary in pitch from high keening whistles to deep buzzing drones.) And that notoriety is hopefully set to expand with their latest release, an album of covers. The collection includes songs by Led Zeppelin, Hank Williams, Kraftwerk, Captain Beefheart, Bob Marley, The Rolling Stones… and these two, which are up in mp3 format on their website – Love Will Tear Us Apart by Joy Division, and Motorhead’s Orgasmatron. Download them now and marvel at some of the most preternaturally deep vocals you will ever hear.
And, of course, if you like what you hear, you can purchase the album there. (Thanks to the WFMU blog for alerting me to the arrival of this release.)
Posted by Warren at June 20, 2005 12:56 AM | World