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From the liner notes: "Molam is a love jousting, a stylised courtship ritual. Male and female singers improvise in poetic or bawdy style, competing in rhyme... Molam is still the country's favorite entertainment, heard at farming ceremonies, family celebrations and raucous drinking parties. When you witness Lao singers trading amorous innuendo through microphones at a Vientiane party, it's not hard to see Molam as a distant cousin of rap music."
(I'd say very distant cousins, to compare these colorful, communal vibes to a the often-cynical urbanized rap stereotype).
Sinuously entertwined tones of the khene (a Laos bamboo mouthorgan), chiming cymbals and layers of tongue-twistingly polysyllabic vocals open Lam Saravane, to be soon pumped up by Wobble's warmly thrumming dub-style basslines. Drummier Lam Tang Way emphasizes the group dynamic as various vocalists sound off in lively accompaniment to Thongphiane Bouphavanh's lead.
At half the length of its more-masculine predecessor, Lam Tang Way (Female Vocal) reprises the former with Amphayvahn Phongsavanh delivering solo voice over the same melody and rhythm.
Island dreams flourish with the dreamy body-swaying loops of
Lam Bane Xoc, rich with a bass-heavy groove and acrobatic vocalizations in the native tongue of Laos. Drum 'n' bass stylings merge with the intricately trilled lyrics of
Lam Siphandone, a slightly more down-tempo number which smolders with mystery. Instrumental jam session Saravane ups the energy levels with its spirited display of multi-cultural musicianship.
Lightly strummed kachapi guitar and Sengphet Souryavonxay's resonant sing-and-chant delivery are backed by pounding beats and driving bass in Lam Phouthay.
Subtract a couple minutes and add a few traditional dub studio knockout techniques (and spliced-in bagpipes) and Lam Saravane Dub revisits the first track, (as the similarly stripped-down, echoed-up Lam Tang Way Dub does with the second).
The short track is Lam Long (1:47), where a decidedly Asian songstress quavers over dancing khene chords without added beats or effects. Jah Wobble and Chris Cookson trade guitar licks which spiral into a haze which picks up beats and tweedling ethnic reeds as the extended intro to Lam Phouthay Dance Mix. Bagpipes and brass swell into a glowing drone as Hill Music (10:21) rises to be joined by guitar, drum, bass and more in a spacious free-form semiambient/jazz ensemble, the only non-Lao-styled piece.
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