JAE

A fascinating release. Ilienses is the collaboration of Mauro Medde and Natascia Talloru, their name taken from the tribes who lived in the heart of Sardinia in Barbagia during the Nuragic Era. They play the contemporary and traditional instruments of Barbagia as well as some they constructed themselves. They sing in Sardinian language and make use of "a tenore" chant, a Sardinian autochthon kind of throat singing. They describe their music as "ritualistic, thickly atmospheric, and deeply evocative of Barbagia's mysteries and spirits." To merge their creative efforts to searching through time for ancient roots, they find that our matter is that of the cosmos and subject to communication. "We tried to understand how the forms that make us up also make up earth, water, fire and stars, and how they reach us through an audible and silent language. We recognize their vibrations but not their location in our mind, and hence the need to find the key, the 'Jae' of the mystery that opens hidden portals."

As I said, fascinating stuff. This is unlike anything I've heard in quite some time. It was an adventure. It was exploration. It was the musical equivalent of an architectural dig and way beyond the convenience of usual genre descriptors like folk or psych or raga or drone, though it certainly crosses into each realm at different times. It is another prime example of the divergence of progressive rock from progressive music, falling completely into the latter camp. This is not rock. Each of the seven tracks are a feast for the senses and put you right there at the campfire with the musicians, under a jet black sky deep in a Sardinian night. During their searching, they claim to have come across some "esoteric figures, some appealing and some ominous," and you are right there with them, a testament to the vision and ultimately the execution of Jae. It feels complete and authentic to me in a way that much of what is sold as "world music" never comes close to.

The songs build up around what feels like bizarre tribal ritual of sorts with hand drumming, drone-like strings or stringed-sounding instruments, and chanting/singing. The volume and densities increase, creating oftentimes a feeling of anxiety and hallucinogenic, out-of-body experience, but also at times serenity. To offer musical comparisons, one could struggle to find appropriate examples. One that I might offer up is what Peter Gabriel did with his soundtrack for the Passion film, in terms of both breadth and sometimes sound. To a lesser degree, moments from Popol Vuh, Third Ear Band, Voice of Eye, and even Antonius Rex come to mind. Vocally speaking, the singing at times reminded me of the experimentation and unique styling that Bjork undertook on her incredible Medulla album. But these examples only give an idea of proximities because this is a completely original work. Despite the foreboding and the warring factions of chaos and order inherent to the material, I was most moved when that fell away a bit into sections of softer beauty that allowed some melody to come through. It is there, but it is sometimes buried in the drama. The CD version comes with a 20-page booklet. Truly an impressive project. 9/10

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