The Hidden Genre, pt 12: Recap

Uncovering Pagan Music

In accordance with the best in Pagan philosophy, I’m honoring the season - and my body - by hibernating this month. But I couldn’t resist the opportunity for a quick look back. These were my favorite moments from this first year of the Hidden Genre:

late May - An Introduction

“To start latching on to whatever tunes or bands that I stumbled upon would have required a desperation that I didn’t feel.

One doesn’t build a house by randomly tossing bricks onto a pile. By the same token, one doesn’t create a work of art by carelessly throwing paint on a canvas, or words on a page.

I needed a whole new way of looking at music. And soon, that’s what I would find.”

April - Green Lung

“I listened to the album all the way through, and then listened to it again. The experience was similar to meeting someone new - someone who seems a little too perfect. I didn’t want to get my hopes up without being more sure about it, but heavy metal and I go back a long, long way, and it’s still close to my heart. Green Lung’s update on the sound is shiny, sleek, and charismatic.

At the same time, in other ways the band is woolly and defiant, and a little bit dangerous. It’s a potent combination.”

May: Heilung

“Then, in an instant, everything changes, as if some deity of altered consciousness has snapped its finger. The whole sound opens outward as the chant is replaced by long, held tones of throat-sung grittiness, creating an instant drone. Over the drone, a melody played by an ancient-sounding stringed instrument slowly rises, and the whole thing is lifted off the ground.

It’s a guaranteed hair-raiser of a moment.”

June: Drawing the Line

“I suspect that if one were willing to split the hairs and make the necessary estimates and judgment calls, there’s an argument to be made that the majority of music on this planet is pagan music.

Although it’s tempting, I’m not here to make that argument. What I find more interesting are the examples of truly fascinating music I’ve become acquainted with since this door was opened to me. That’s what I want to share with you.”

July: A Tergo Lupi

“Pagans have a built-in affinity for creativity and the creative arts. Pagans tend to celebrate the creative processes of Nature, and they do it in a multitude of different ways. On the other hand, Abrahamic religions take creation out of the toolbox for believers.

According to Abrahamic thought, creation is handled exclusively by The Creator. It’s either already completed and done, or it’s something we mere humans shouldn’t concern ourselves with. I think most Abrahamists get whiffs of heresy and apostasy from creative ventures, and that’s particularly true when the creative venture is unconventional or challenging.

I think it’s fair to say that most believers are at least a little bit suspicious of ‘artistic types.’ Pagans, on the other hand, tend to think of creativity as an activity bordering on Divine.”

August: Simrit

“Physiologically, it’s obvious that sound interacts with our bodies. The experience of feeling a bass speaker or a jet engine vibrate part of the skeleton is an obvious example, but there are much more subtle ways in which people can use sound (specifically, their own voice) to create resonance and sensations in their bodies. Metaphysically speaking, when that is done with intention, transformation can occur.

Chanting and singing mantras are techniques for achieving this. And this month’s featured artist, Simrit, is an expert in using these tools.”

September: Tortuga

“Endings are, in most ways, events that we accept because we have no choice. We acquiesce to them, and rarely is that a peaceful process.

Some endings, of course, are easy to talk about. The end of a season, or a childhood, or even a book or television series can be filled with nostalgia and warm feelings.

But none of that stuff is what I’m talking about today.”

October: Arrowwood

“The critical role that spending time in Nature played in Ms Robb’s healing can be heard in the way that some songs don’t feature any guitar or other keyed instruments. These pieces are saturated with small acoustic percussion instruments: shakers, bells, chimes, and others – all untuned.

My theory is that untuned sounds and instruments are better than keyed instruments at transporting the player (not to mention the listener) to a natural state of mind. After all, trees blowing in the wind are not tuned to any certain key, nor are insect wings, bodies of water, or the songs of birds. Nature itself is entirely untuned.”

November: Sowulo

“Songs about menstruation are not common, and songs that celebrate and honor it are even less so. For some reason, people tend to get very uptight about natural processes. And in a bizarre twist, the mammal/human processes that are most crucial for our survival are the ones that get the most scorn.

The point is, Mr Horbach believes that we’re doing ourselves a disservice by being so secretive and weird about natural processes.”

December: Rúnahild

“Rúnahild believes in a sort of universal balance. In this framework, the ultimate point can be thought of as an interaction and exchange between opposites, whether those opposites are life and death, hot and cold, or darkness and light. All of Life is an elaborate dance of rhythms, with opposites taking turns at their appointed times.

The goal is not the victory of one side over the other, but rather a deeper understanding of how the two can work together harmoniously.”

January: Bask

“The song ‘Dig My Heels’ practically defies explanation. It sallies boldly forth down a trail blazed over 50 years ago by Derek & the Domino’s ‘Layla’ - one rarely improved upon since - and again, the band does their inspiration justice. The new song picks up where the classic left off and brings it into the new century, but be warned: The middle section is heavily reminiscent of the piano interlude in Clapton’s song and has a similar capacity to reduce the listener to a puddle in the floor.”

======================

MANY THANKS TO YOU for being a reader, and even more if you’ve clicked on a link and actually listened to some of this music! I’ve got another year’s worth of artists who have agreed to answer my interview questions and let me ramble on at length about them, so I’ll be back after the March new moon with an inspiring tale of collecting extravagantly exotic CDs on a podunk budget. Here’s a sample:

======================