''Tuvan throat-singing occupies a special place in the hearts of folks who dig music from far-flung lands. Even though one’s collection might include instrumentation like sitar or oud or shakuhachi or a listener might be well into Indonesian puppet-theater music or the sounds of Arabic nomads, well-indoctrinated “world music” lovers are still stunned by the sheer uniqueness of the deep, guttural sounds of Tuvan throat singers. It’s a primal sound, as resonant as the voice of God and it strikes a special chord with its sheer simplicity. Yet, Tuva — a tiny area of deep Mongolian influence in isolated south Siberia — is a land that’s finding its cultural history evaporating as its residents move from farming villages to industrial cities. However Albert Kuvezin — an electric guitarist and throat singer from Tuva — is doing his part to keep kanzat (his particular brand of throat-singing) vibrant with Yat-Kha, perhaps the only extant Tuvan rock band. Though “Yenisei-Punk” is far from being a punk rock record in the Western sense, the melding of Tuvan instrumentation with electric guitars and a rock & roll attitude means that it’s a seriously forward-looking update on some very traditional music. Largely low-key and brooding, this album does little to reflect the live power of the band, but is certainly possessed of a power of its own.''
yenisei - punk
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