a r t i s t : Auto Da Fe
t i t l e : The Spectre
d a t e : 2006
l a b e l : Secret Eye
c a t : [AB-OC-24]
s o u r c e : CDDA
g e n r e : Folk
r l s. d a t e : May/2008
t r a c k s : 18
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 58,1 MB
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"The Spectre" spans a wide range of sounds from trad-flavored
freak-folk to Middle Eastern raga to 80's gothic minimalist
rock. Guest appearances include Joel Connell, Aaron Kenyon and
Henry Barnes from Man is the Bastard. Fans of Amps For Christ
will revel in its unique beauty.
REVIEWS
"Martin Kvisvic and Tara Tavi of Amps for Christ teamed up in
Auto Da Fe to mess up with the geopolitics of our planet.
Using a brilliantly mismatched arsenal of traditional
instruments, the two of them shatter cultural and political
frontiers. Through the course of the 18 tracks, the listener
is treated to guzheng (a Chinese zither), Tibetan cymbals,
tambur, balalaika (a Russian lute), bouzouki, and various
bowed instruments, in addition to Gothic harp and tablas
(performed by guest musicians), and more conventional (i.e.
Western) instruments. The songs -- all original, it seems, but
there are no songwriting credits -- mimic folk styles to add
to the cultural confusion. For instance, 'Past Times' sounds
very much like an old English song, except that Tara's voice
is backed by guzheng. Following a similar logic, 'Ne'er Do
will' could be a skiprope rhyme, 'Huar Weishenme' would be a
Jewish lament, and 'The Spectre' might be a frantic
East-European instrumental tune. But the instrumentation
always sends such issues out the window. What is left is this
duo's unbridled creativity, their knowledgeable disregard
toward tradition, and Tara Tavi's voice, at times charming,
haunting or scary ('Undun'). Several guests contribute to the
sound palette, including members of Man is the Bastard. The
overall attitude is definitely that of the underground folk
scene, but ignores its improvisational/jam aspect; The Spectre
is thoroughly composed and focuses on catchy -- if
unpredictably arranged -- tunes. A find to treasure and one of
the truly surprising albums of 2006." - Francois Couture in
All-Music Guide
"The title track rolls slowly out like a Chinese dragon,
breathing out fiery bouts of bowed strings and clashing
cymbals, before it is slain by a surfer, riffing on a
balalaika through an echo-plex, while "Ne'er Do Will" tells a
story that is almost at home with the Decemberists, if they
ever got out of Northern Europe. That is the charm of this
record, it tells a familiar story but in a completely
different way, using tools from other cultures, but enforcing
a universality to the music. This record is what happens when
a duo of forward thinking musicians take these exotic
instruments, master them, and then lay down a twisted new type
of music with it? somewhere between the gothic edge of This
Mortal Coil, the cracked Appalachia of the Books, and the
gypsy fervor through busted distortion pedals of Black Forest
/ Black Sea. Add to this Tara Tavi's hypnotic and powerful
voice and you really can't go wrong with any of the eighteen
tracks on this record. I can only hope that they continue
their journeys into these foreign lands more and more (making
them hopefully less foreign as they go)." - IndieWorkshop
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01-Past Times [01:59]
02-Little Alili [03:12]
03-Mao Meow [02:25]
04-Child Of Typhoon [02:45]
05-The Spectre [04:04]
06-Bao Ba Cha [02:14]
07-Ne'er Do Will [02:41]
08-Undun [04:19]
09-Just Now [05:27]
10-Huar Weishenme [03:05]
11-Tea House Tragedy [06:22]
12-Amanda Blaine [03:16]
13-MonkeyKing [02:08]
14-Dynasty Of Drums [02:53]
15-Sophie [02:53]
16-Neptune Society Ball [03:07]
17-Urum Ji St. [00:23]
18-Haricot Vert [00:47]
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54:00 min