Last year’s single, Pora Sotunda, let anticipations raise high. Now, THE MYSTERY OF THE BULGARIAN VOICES have released their new full-length, featuring no one less than LISA GERRARD, the one great voice of Dead Can Dance.
The orchestration on BooCheeMish is rather sparing yet highly effective emphasizing the fantastic choirs. Next to the voices, percussive rhythms lead, while traditional as well as modern instruments create multifaceted sound patterns. Despite her exceptional voice, LISA GERRARD does not dominate the choir either; she rather melts with the ensemble, even during her solo parts.
It is the specific ancient atmosphere of the Bulgarian choir that captivates most. The tracks can be thoughtfully meditative as in Ganka and Zableyalo Agne, or stimulating as in Yove and Tropanitsa, and always unfold a cinematic impact.
Although the history of the choir already spans over 40 years, THE MYSTERY OF THE BULGARIAN VOICES never sounds old and dowdy. Much the opposite. The ethnically appearing songs sound refreshingly timeless and up to date at the same time.
BooCheeMish is like a fairytale. The odd combination of voices, ranging from throaty up to bell-like pitches, meet ancient and modern tunes between Orient and Occident and create an incredibly enthralling and unique listening experience.
Open-minded lovers of music should immerse themselves deeply into the atmosphere of BooCheeMish and enjoy its magic. Fans of (old) Dead Can Dance, Popol Vuh and Värttinä may be able to imagine how THE MYSTERY OF THE BULGARIAN VOICES sounds like.
LISA GERRARD once again delivers a brilliant vocal performance. But without her, BooCheeMish would have been a fascinating and wonderful record too.