Xanthoula Dakovanou - Lamenta '2021

Tracks list

       Even without any knowledge of the Greek language whatsoever, it’s
not hard to guess the central theme of this album from Greek composer, lyricist
and singer Xanthoula Dakovanou. Featuring Magic Malik, a French jazz flutist
from the Ivory Coast, Lamenta was originally created to accompany a dance
performance of the same name. Taking the miroloi traditions of the Epirus
mountains – dealing with mankind’s varying approach to grief, loss
and longing – it fuses them with traditional Greek music, post-rock and
jazz.

Somewhat unforgiving and unrelenting in its despair and gloom, this collection
of 11 songs is probably better listened to with the visual accompaniment of the
choreographed performance for which it was designed, rather than as a standalone
work of pure audio. While sad songs sometimes really do say so much, sometimes
you wish they’d just stop and get over it. It’s hard to find much
pleasure or reward, other than in the satisfaction of enduring such piteous
expressions of human misery and suffering, from this nonetheless artistically
and technically accomplished work. Possibly one for dedicated scholars of the
most obscure aspects of traditional Greek music only… or masochists.

Tracklist:
1 01. Xanthoula Dakovanou - Mariola (08:25)
1 02. Xanthoula Dakovanou - Miroloi on Clarinet (03:19)
1 03. Xanthoula Dakovanou - Pogonisia of Separation (11:23)
1 04. Xanthoula Dakovanou - Vgika psila (08:20)
1 05. Xanthoula Dakovanou - Vlacha (04:56)
1 06. Xanthoula Dakovanou - Electric Berati (05:04)
1 07. Xanthoula Dakovanou - Tin ammon ammo (09:06)
1 08. Xanthoula Dakovanou - Fighting the Waves (03:16)
1 09. Xanthoula Dakovanou - Leventis (08:28)
1 10. Xanthoula Dakovanou - Charon's Feast (14:47)
1 11. Xanthoula Dakovanou - Zoe (01:09)

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