Trollheart

... and here they are!

Title: Gamel
Artiste: OOIOO
Genre: Experimental, Avant-Garde
Familiarity: Zero
Recommended by: (anyone?) Frownland

Expectations: When you read an introduction that says there's no way to classify or categorise their music, it's either going to be a hell of a discovery or a head-wrecker. Any bets as to which way this is likely to swing?

1. Don ah: All right, I feel like I've joined the Hare Krishnas or something. Lots of chanting, tinkling bells, now some banging of drums as everything reaches a crescendo and we're left with fast tinkling bells on their own, which takes us two minutes into this nine-minute-plus piece. And now a guitar comes in as the voices return. It's interesting, all right. Not quite sure where it's going. And now it's more a full-blown tune, with more chanting. I can get into this, sure. Who's Donna, though? Into minute seven and it's turned into something of a native dance. Yeah that was not bad.
2. Shizuku gunung agung: More tinkling, nice bass and some chanting vocals which sound like something I once heard on an old Vangelis song. It's all pretty relaxing for the most part anyway. Gets a lot more uptempo towards the end. Yeah, like this too.
3.Pebarongan: Slower with mostly bells and a sort of moaning chant ... and then gets faster and more energetic as it goes along.
4. Gamel ninna yama: This kind of sounds like death metal with bells in the background! And Asian girls singing. We-ird!
5. Gamel uma umo: Short one but a lot going on.
6. Gamel kamasu: Kind of hard to keep up with the changes, even though this is on Spotify: it jumps so suddenly from one to the next. This has a kind of wailing sax I think and those bells with some heavy percussion. Fast bassline with a kind of Mexican undertone. Sort of a marching guitar (maybe) at the end. Pretty sweet I must say.
7. Atatawa: Back to bells and bass with a chant, but sure it could go anywhere, as I'm beginning to realise.
8. Jesso testa: Kind of starts off with the sound Skype makes when it opens up! Gets a nice rhythm going. Bells are beginning to wear on my nerves a little, I won't deny it. Song builds nicely though and it's another one getting a Green.
9. Gamel udahah: This one's a little weirder than the others, and believe me, that's saying something. Still good all the same. Somehow though I'm not as mad about this one. Will I spoil a perfect Green? Let's hold off and see if the last two tracks also merit that, and then I'll make my decision. Decision made. Orange it is. Sad.
10. Kecupat aneh: I got to say, this is ****ing annoying. Back to track 9 to mark it Orange. This goes White. Ugh.
11. Gamel ulda: Although this is basically just bells and someone chanting, I kind of like it and it re-establishes the mood of the album that was going so well until "Keupcat" whatever. And now we're done.

End result: A Frownland album I didn't hate? That hasn't happened for a hell of a long time, has it? But yeah, this was pretty bitchin'.

So, Love or Hate? This gets a Love.

__________________
Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018