Reviews: Recordings
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Written by Kaija Straumane - www.latviansonline.com
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Monday, 16 June 2008 |
 When Latvians go visit someone, they bring a ciemakukulis, a standard present for the host. It’s not generally necessary to overthink what to bring: you more or less know what to get your relatives and you know what your friends like. But what are you supposed to bring a capella group Cosmos?
Apparently, a pineapple will do just fine.
In the minutes before a recent interview in Rīga with the group’s three “Jankas”—Jānis Ozols (tenor), Jānis Strazdiņš (bass) and Jānis Šipkēvics (countertenor)—the pineapple provided a decent amount of entertainment. Šipkēvics and Strazdiņš evaluated its quality, while Ozols called dibs on one of the bags it was wrapped in, explaining it would be for his cat.
Cosmos also includes Juris Lisenko (tenor), Andris Sējāns (countertenor) and Reinis Sējāns (rhythm).
In less than a week, the group will be crossing the globe to spend some time with audiences in Canada. Šipkēvics, Strazdiņš and Ozols not only cleared away more than three-fourths of the pineapple, but, through light-hearted cynicism, humor and a certain degree of ever-present self-awe, they also provided insight into where Cosmos has been, where the group is now and where it is going.
Starting something new
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Written by Alexis Petridis - The Gaurdian
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Friday, 04 April 2008 |
 It's not often that one record can claim to have laid waste to an entire musical genre, but then, it's not often that anyone releases a record as unmitigatedly wretched as Bobby McFerrin's novelty hit Don't Worry, Be Happy. It wiped the collective memory of the glorious musical heights that can be scaled with the human voice alone - the gorgeous old doo-wop singles, the chilling, blood-spattered folk ballads, the Beach Boys' ethereal Our Prayer - in three minutes of revolting bumper-sticker sentiment and flatly dreadful advice: in the event that your landlord say your rent is late and he may have to litigate, there are several options open, but the one thing you definitely shouldn't do is follow McFerrin's suggestion, which seems to involve chuckling at him and saying, "Look at me, I'm 'appy." Ever since, acapella pop has been a cordoned-off area. Like one of those game Ukrainan businessmen who organises tourist trips around Chernobyl, Björk had a go with her 2004 album Medúlla, but the public remained deeply wary.
Read the full article here.
Comments (11) | Add as favorites (62) | Quote this article on your site | Views: 1553 |
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Written by CASA NewsLink
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Thursday, 17 January 2008 |
 Rahzel, who rose to fame as part of The Roots Crew, has announced the release of a new studio album, Greatest Knockouts The Album, Vol. 2, set to hit stores this summer via Ipecac Records. This album will be the third for the Human Beatbox. His last album was released in 2004, and was titled,Rahzel's Greatest Knockouts.
Rahzel spoke about the new album. He told Billboard, "It's still hip-hop. It's like the music I grew up on, the music that made all of these things that are present now in existence. So I'm continuing that with raw beats, raw rhymes, beat-boxing, rhyming. The whole nine."
Read the full article profiling Rahzel and his latest CD, here. Comments (1) | Add as favorites (85) | Quote this article on your site | Views: 2735 |
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Written by CASA NewsLink
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Tuesday, 15 January 2008 |
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A winning new recording by St. Louis musicians should demonstrate to anyone's satisfaction that the local classical scene is alive and well.
The St. Louis Chamber Chorus is surely the most consistent commissioner of new works — all for a cappella chorus — in the region. This disc, with music by both long-established and up-and-coming composers, offers some of the Chamber Chorus' most significant commissions in a studio recording.
Recorded in the nave of Our Lady of Sorrows Roman Catholic Church in south St. Louis by engineer Barry Hufker, it offers beautiful singing, clean sound and engaging music. Although Ned Rorem is the big name here, and his "Ode to Man," from Sophocles' "Antigone," is an important work, it's not the most impressive of the works on the disc.
Read the full review here. Comments (11) | Add as favorites (77) | Quote this article on your site | Views: 1874 |
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