McGlashan & Smith Bathe In The River

If you followed the instructions in the Crowded House post here, you are now the proud owner of their new album Time On Earth. If you took the next step and bothered reading the liner notes on the album, you would have noticed that one of the artists appearing on the album (euphonium and backing vocals) is Don McGlashan. Don is a very well known New Zealand artist. Crowded House fans probably know him from his band The Mutton Birds (discography here).

Don has composed the soundtrack for a new movie called Naming Number Two (German import DVD available here) and I was sent a promo version of the album. If you like music from the pacific islands (like the Hawaiian music I posted here), there are some delights on this album. There's also a beautiful and haunting vocal by Hollie Smith (Bathe In The River) that alone makes this album worthwhile. Her smoky voice will make your hair stand on end.

I must admit I am prejudiced against most rap music (I just haven't learned to appreciate it yet) and so the opening track (by Samoan rapper Tha Feelstyle) was a turn off. but if you can get past the two rap songs, there's much to like on this album. Some snippets of music from the soundtrack are interesting (e.g., Nanna's entrance) but not impactful without having seen the music in the context of the film.

I was tempted to feature the Fijian Festival Performers "Wai Ni Bu Ni Ovalau" on this blog too, but I ran into the interesting problem of having too much that's worth introducing to you. Don McGlashan's "Sai Levuka Ga" is also an interesting experience that reminded me of the Andy White-Liam O'Manlai-Tim Finn collaboration ALT. It sounds like some friends sitting around a campfire singing folk songs. On the other hand, you have the pure operatic experience of Shaun Dixon's Core'ngrato. To have rap, opera, jazz, folk and more on the same album lends itself to a unique and enriching experience. If you truly consider yourself to have eclectic tasts in music, this album is for you.

On the blog, I have featured the unforgettable Bathe In The River as well as Che Fu's Hold Tight. You can find more information about the movie and the album at http://www.myspace.com/namingnumber2/. The movie won the "audience choice award" at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. The soundtrack is available on iTunes.

UPDATE (5/17/2010): Although these MP3s were placed here at the request of the music publisher (who sent me a CD to review), I have been told it violates the DMCA and been asked to remove the MP3s. These two MP3s have therefore been DELETED.

1. Mt. Raskil Preservation Society feat. Hollie Smith - Bathe In The River (5.1 MB; 128kbps MP3)
2. Che Fu - Hold Tight (4.34 MB; 128 kbps MP3)