Music I Liked – Sinmara, Blue Hummingbird on the Left, Kraftgalli, Integral Rigor, Kel Assouf

This week I almost managed a theme for the music I liked. If you think about it broadly, Sinmara, Blue Hummingbird on the Left, Kraftgalli, Integral Rigor, and Kel Assouf are all celebrating indigeneity and folk traditions with their music.

Sinmara

So of course I lead with the weakest link to the theme. Sinmara are among what I think of as the FWoIBM (First Wave of Icelandic Black Metal). They haven’t been around as long as Svartidaudi, but they are in the batch of bands that first grabbed international attention for Icelandic black metal. It’s not quite a folk tradition, but Iceland does black metal so very well. Hvísl Stjarnanna is their latest.

Blue Hummingbird on the Left

It sounds like the title of a surrealist painting, but Blue Hummingbird on the Left is apparently the name of an Aztec war god. I’m automatically interested in anything with an indigenous backstory, and I’ve always thought Mexican black metal had a much stronger leg to stand on with the anti-Christian angst than the Norwegians, who were converted by their own kings many hundreds of years earlier. BHotL is an indigenous Latino black metal band, and the music on Atl Tlachinolli stands up to the story.

Kraftgalli

Closely related to the interest in all things indigenous is a fondness for folklore, so naturally I was intrigued by Trítill, a project inspired by and sort of dedicated to a Faroese mythological creature called the trows that sound similar to brownies. Grapevine link for details. Kraftgalli is a pseudonymous project by Reykjavik musician Arnljótur Sigurðsson, whom I first heard as a member of Ojba Rasta. Trítill’s kind of silliness is more my speed than reggae.

Integral Rigor

Okay, the three secret weapons of grabbing Gemma’s attention are indigeneity, folklore, and interesting origin. Integral Rigor are from Iran. What could be more metal than coming from a country that even the US is afraid of? The Middle East has amazing music traditions, but metal is not usually part of the mix. On Alast, Integral Rigor prove metal works with an Iranian twist.

Kel Assouf

I’ve been vaguely aware of desert blues for a long time, but I didn’t really start paying attention until Tinariwen converted my little girl at Pickathon last summer. Most people equate the sound with Malian band Tinariwen, but of course they aren’t the only ones making blues rock in the desert. Kel Assouf is another, and on the album Black Tenere, he does it very well. Good luck trying to hold still while you listen to “Tenere.”