Trakwerx 
17 Pygmies : 13 Blackbirds / 13 Lotus (US,2006)***°
On this double album there is so much change, while for each section (cd 1 or 2) moving slowly from one area to another without having a feeling there is really that much change ; it is a change that keeps your ears and (listening) mind open. The inner cover reveals the mysterious story of “sing a song for sixpence” (about crows baked in a pie) (wasn't that adapted by Joyce?) with old time illustrations, a poem/song which I think is taken as a basic inspiration. The music starts at its most pastoral folky (with a sweet dreamy voice like Agincourt/Fit & Limo), with nice acoustic guitars, organ, soft colourful acoustic percussion, but also echoing background natural-mechanical cushion beats. This rather psychedelic folkish song mode continues for a couple of songs, with some noticeable nice troubadourish guitar arrangements too, before changing with an occasional strange theatrical image-provoking mood, with dynamic atmospheric beats, darker and with a more wave-gothic-psychfolk atmosphere this time, strange and chilling-the-mind-out, before a few more delicate guitar arrangements in between, or with other dreamy songs with additional piano, keyboards and effects. The last pieces are led by a sort of new age romantic nostalgic piano pieces. I recognised the melody of a Simon and Garfunkel song (13), not sure if this was deliberate. And also the Beatles’ “Blackbird” is taken for a folkish version (female vocals) which was originally arranged with old time guitar.
While the first album was the ‘13 Blackbirds’ side, the second album is called the ‘13 Lotus’(?) side. This sounds like a remix idea of remixing, of occasional modernity and pop music (one song, 4, like “Britney Spears gone folk”), but more often like their version with elements of chill-out music and with this occasional ethno-flavoured GOA trance approaches (Arab singing and violin were mixed somewhere in the background) or even second occasions of dub which now all become more ambient-folkier than ever. The sounds of percussion are soft and echoing like adapted in a folk style influenced by the wave period, and with the dynamism of space and the original song and rhythmic-melodic inspirations intact. Not one of the looped space-dynamic beats is done with exaggeration, and accordion drones or new age flutes or whatever element seems to be equally important in the building. A strange additional album, still working like listening music.
