Electric Koraland - House of Luck (Album)
This review has taken me seventeen days, eleven hours and thirteen minutes to write. I fear a phone-call from the editor every moment, but it’s difficult to write a review of an album that is so very left of centre that I find it difficult putting into context. Electric KoraLand is a world music group, fronted by West African harp playing Jamie David, hailing from Perth.
Formed for the Fremantle Street Arts Festival in 2003, when David electrified the Kora harp, Electric KoraLand have expanded to encompass various percussion instruments, cello and vocals. Their debut, House of Luck, is a curious mix of world music and electronica, creating a consistently dreamy, textured album, and some great lo-fi music.
Spacekatwalk, the albums' second track, seems to best sum up the sound of the album, which can range from David Bridie-esque string arrangements to gypsy. Another standout track is the third, Incognito, with similar string arrangements but with a sound that I can’t quite place; could it be Hong Kong or might it be some bazaar in the Middle East?
The Original Impossible Person is my favourite track, blending a psychedelic sort of gypsy that’s hypnotic and interesting. The Burning Ghat and Holocene, the final two tracks are lo-fi enough to chill out to, but interesting enough not to put you to sleep.
If there was to be any criticism of this album, its that many of the songs have very similar themes and the instruments David uses aren’t varied enough. Still, I’m no expert on West African harp, so I know as much about that as Daniel Craig knows about acting.
If you’re looking for a cool world album, some good percussion and interesting sounds, then this is the one for you.
