Sunday, January 17, 2010

An Auditory Masterpiece

Anathallo (Greek): to shoot up, sprout again, grow green again, flourish again

Anathallo is an incredibly talented band that has flown below the radar for far too long. Their live performances are hard to forget, as a whole slew of instruments and artists crowd onto a tiny stage for a true show-stopper complete with stomping, giant stamp up drums, and bells! Beyond the band's vocal and instrumental abilities, their lyrics are also astounding. This group has such a captivating way of weaving deep, difficult themes into their songs. In one example, Kasa No Hone, the band crafted a poem-like Japanese tune that turns on the themes of brokenness and restoration. This band has something to teach both listener and musician; their music is neither monotonous nor fadish. While one song may feature heavy vocals, intermittent yelling and six or seven different instruments, another may be completely instrumental and involve a small number of players/instruments.

Linked below is a little treat from the band's "Canopy Glow" album:.


This band captures well the essence of a poem entitled "Unexpressed" by Adelaide Anne Procter from her Legends and Lyrics series. Here's a bit:

Dwells within the soul of every Artist
More than all his effort can express;
And he knows the best remains unuttered;
Sighing at what we call his success.

Vainly he may strive; he dare not tell us
All the sacred mysteries of the skies:
Vainly he may strive; the deepest beauty
Cannot be unveiled to mortal eyes.

Like Anathallo, Procter has a distinctive quality about her work and a remarkable talent for using imagery to tell complex lessons in a beautiful way. Both Procter and Anathallo have a strong grasp on what it means to show, rather than tell, and as a result have garnered audiences in varied settings and from varied backgrounds. To understand either of their approaches as artists, it takes more than a passing glance, but by digging deeper one may find gems of immeasurable worth.

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