Apr 28, 2009

Celebrate, World 3 Mediæval Bæ

Around The World

Mediæval Bæbes - Mirabilis (05 ^ 368mb)

The Mediaeval Baebes exquisite storybook beauty came to life in 1996 when ex-Miranda Sex Garden chanteuse Katharine Blake aimed to set her fascination with the Middle Ages to music and theater. She and 11 additional musicians and singers, Miranda Sex Garden's Teresa Casella, Audrey Evans, comic writer Marie Findley, Nicole Frobusch, Ruth Galloway, Karen Lupton, Claire Ravel, Australian native Cylindra Sapphire, Carmen Schneider, Nichole Sleet, and New Zealander Rachel Van Asch -- defined a contemporary musical approach while incorporating Middle Ages Paganism and spiritual moods and sentiments. Their 1997 debut, Salva Nos, shot straight to No 2 in the classical charts, and became one of the most fantastic classical recordings of the year.

Two years later, Worldes Blysse was released and that reached no1 on the British charts. Third album Undrentide, produced by John Cale, was issued in fall 2000. Frobusch, Lupton, and Sleet had also left the Baebes family, and Blake's vision had scaled down to nine women. The newly downsized group kept on, scoring the music for the 2000 black comedy American Psycho. A fourth album, The Rose, followed in spring 2002. Aside from singing in Italian, Latin, German, Middle English, and Medieval French, the Baebes added Medieval Welsh and Russian to their musical palate. In fall 2003, the John Cale-produced Mistletoe and Wine was released, their fifth for Nettwerk. By the time of 2005's Mirabilis, the Baebes' lineup included Blake, Casella, Evans, Van Asch, Sapphire, Findley, and newcomers Maple Bee and Emily Ovenden.

The Baebes are a study in contrasts, their work running fluidly between past and present. On Mirabilis they are collecting folk ballads, pagan dance music, ancient love songs, and parcels of pure mystery. Where some earlier albums emphasized synths and worldbeat textures too much, Mirabilis is happy with its zithers and recorders, finger cymbals and glockenspiels, and above all features voice. The Baebes really shine with something like "San'c Fuy Bellha Ni Prezada," with its unadorned vocal and twining autoharp, or "Musa Venit Carmine," sung in Latin, in the round, and stippled with dynamic percussion. The selections are exuberant, even catchy, but the mystery that lies in the heart of the Mediaeval Baebes' sound is never sacrificed. "Märk Hur Vår Skugga" is even better. The Mediaeval Baebes combine elements of Western European myth and folkloric tradition with their mystical blend of ancient linguistics, overdone sensualism, and lush soundscapes.



01 - Star Of The Sea (3:32)
02 - Trovommi Amor (4:38)
03 - Temptasyon (3:19)
04 - San'c Fuy Belha Ni Prezada (1:35)
05 - All For Love Of One (3:38)
06 - The Lament (3:27)
07 - Musa Venit Carmine (3:26)
08 - Kilmeny (3:59)
09 - Lhiannan Shee (2:56)
10 - Umlahi (2:14)
11 - Cittern Segue (0:52)
12 - Return Of The Birds (3:45)
13 - Tam Lin (4:24)
14 - Scarborough Fayre (3:23)
15 - Come My Sweet (3:20)
16 - Märk Hur Vår Skugga (3:42)
17 - The World Fareth As A Fantasye (4:07)
18 - Away (2:20)

5 comments:

  1. haha that's you must follow your dreams haha when you think to much about something, realize that is not gonna happend if you got and idea just do it and don't think about it, try get your chance like these womans.
    Good luck people, thanks for sharing, excellent post.

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  2. Excellent thanks so much for sharing, I own a little bar, and once I put your music in the place and people really liked.

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  3. Hello Rho - this looks intriguing - could you re-post it please?

    Hamish

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  4. Thanks very much....beautiful stuff!

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  5. Could you please reup Mediaeval Baebes? Thank you very much in advance.

    ReplyDelete