Music Banter - View Single Post - The Album Club: "Molam: Thai Country Groove from Isan Vol 2" by Various Artists

innerspaceboy · 08-22-2017, 07:16 PM

While I am decently versed in world-infused musics which draw influence from Mali’s mande music, Indian drone, and other world elements, my exposure to genuine world music is quite limited. I suppose the closest I’ve gotten is the Vietnamese “Me Ru Con” vocal track issued on 1987. So I was definitely curious to give this a solid listen.

I definitely tried to keep my mind open throughout this record, but I was troubled by the limitations of its production value, which was particularly evident in the vocal register. I tend to gravitate toward incredibly high fidelity recordings, chasing the best masters I can find and going to extremes like that of the lowercase genre. As such, I struggled to enjoy this particular album, especially as the production varied greatly from track to track.

I liked some of the more relaxed selections, like the slow jam that comes in just after the eleven-minute mark, but overall there was little of this album that really grabbed me. Quite likely my ignorance of the genre and the culture contributed to my difficulty in connecting with the music. While I’m learning to listen more intuitively of late, my general approach has been highly contextual, and my pure novice failed to afford me that sense of familiarity and understanding.

The track around the 48-minute mark is likely my favorite, though personally, I would have preferred it as an instrumental. The tempo and fixed key gave it a drone-like quality that I enjoyed.

I don’t feel adequately equipped to score this record given my limited understanding. I’m always glad to hear something new to me, but this wasn’t my cup of tea.