Lisnaholic

Blimey! I never imagined From Spain To Spain would be such an edgy, controvertial choice, though I did guess that some people would find it unexciting.
A lot of the tracks have a "churchy" sound, being dominated by female singers and choir, but SGR, and (more precisely) rubber soul point out that there are various sources and cultures involved. Here's what the liner notes say:-

I don't usually listen to it from start to finish as it has a running time of just under an hour, and I appreciate you persevering with it to the end, TH, despite your instinctive dislike from early on.

I love the slow build of the opening track, with its total focus on what I assume is the oud; focus, that is, until the oud stops and you realise that a sinister synth rhythm has been pulsing along behind it all the while.

Next track (Bells for The Virgin) introduces us to the pure beauty of the female vocals, before laying down a hypnotic oud (?) riff which made me think more of bellydancing than church music.

The most devotional Christian track, Maravillosos has an evocative, echoey sound to it, with odd bits of Spanish/Latin that can be picked out: Santa Maria / Andalucia.

Guiding Star has a variety of singers taking the lead: first the guys, then the girls, then a solo female vocal. That kind of variation helps a song that perhaps is overlong, although it does have a kind of soothing predictability to it too. My guess is that this was originally a Hebrew song, but I don't have any evidence to support that.

While The Birds Sing : I have a CD of North African music that sounds a bit like this, so my guess is that they're now singing in Arabic. Like the previous, if you're not caught up by the lilting voices and gentle rhythms, I can imagine people looking at the clock and wondering when it will end.

Deus ex Machina should snap you back to attention though: lots of strange percussion and electronically distorted vocals, this is my personal favourite, especially the moment when out of the indeciferable sounds comes the single, clear, recognisable name: Nosferantu, like some sinister revelation from the obscure past. It's like you're looking at a page of the Old Testament in Hebrew and suddenly notice the name Cthulhu. (Well, a bit like that.)

He Who Loves You = Same recipe as While The Birds Sing and prob my least favourite track.

Mirage is surely a Jewish dancing song, like others that have that excitement of increasing speed. Simple but contageous imo.

Bearer Of The Cups starts like the album began, with an oud intro before a girl joins in for a song that sways and coils around like a snake.

One surprise for me about this album was that it was made and masterminded, not in Spain, but in Germany, by a group that are prob musicologists as much as musicians. On this album, songs from diverse cultures have been carefully put together to convey the mystery and beauty of a lost time. Songs of love and seduction, with a touch of church, synagogue and mosque about it all too: that's what I hear on this album. 8.5/10

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"Am I enjoying this moment? I know of it and perhaps that is enough." - Sybille Bedford, 1953