Rwanda Sings with Strings [LP]

The Good Ones - Rwanda Sings with Strings [LP]

LP version. The celebrated Rwandan folk duo returns with a resonant fifth album, Rwanda Sings with Strings. The record combines their signature earthy vocals and acoustic instrumentation (guitar and hand percussion) with atmospheric cello and violin arrangements, creating a soundscape that vividly brings to life their powerful stories of resilience, memory, and longing. Recorded 100% live without overdubs in a hotel room by Grammy-winning producer Ian Brennan (Tinariwen, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Parchman Prison Project), the album delivers an unusually intimate listening experience. Reflective, unfiltered and deeply human. For The Good Ones' fifth album, Ian Brennan scheduled a cellist and violinist to accompany the duo. The entire album was recorded in single takes without written scores or demos. The arrangements were improvised on the fly by the two string players who also didn't know each other. Within minutes of meeting all four musicians were recording -- their only communication, musical. "It was all an experiment," reports producer Ian Brennan, "but the second the strings entered during the intro of 'Agnes Dreams of Being an Artist,' it felt like the room began levitating and there was no doubt that something magical and profoundly beautiful was occurring. The album is extraordinarily ethereal -- even by their high standards." The session fulfilled the group's long-held dream to have main writer, guitarist, and lead vocalist, Adrien Kazigira's songs performed with strings. Sequestered in a Washington, DC hotel room the day prior to The Good Ones NPR "Tiny Desk" session, the musicians recorded nineteen songs in just three hours. Kazigira was so happy with the experience, afterwards, he wrapped his arms around the cello, as he lay chuckling and exhausted on the couch. The album's sound is steeped in a romanticism, longing, and a sense of resigned grandeur that echoes Malian balladeers like Boubacar Traoré or even Nick Drake and Astral Weeks. Perfect Sunday morning listening. Decidedly an underground group, The Good Ones' renown is nonetheless evidenced by the stellar musicians who've collaborated with them in the past, including members of Wilco, TV on the Radio, Sleater-Kinney, My Bloody Valentine, and Fugazi, and also by the vocal supporters that they've attracted such as Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant. Kazigira states, "We are so thankful that music has taken us so many places that we never dreamed of visiting. And this new album has given us hope and really carried us through the hard times." 01. Agnes Dreams of Being an Artist_x000D_ 02. One Red Sunday, You Lied & Tried to Steal My Land_x000D_ 03. Kirisitiyana Runs Around_x000D_ 04. In the Hills of Nyarusange, They Talk Too Much_x000D_ 05. I Love You So Much, But You Refused to Marry Me (Your Beauty I Cannot Unsee)_x000D_ 06. Mediatrice, You Left This World Too Soon_x000D_ 07. You Were Given a Dowry, But Abandoned Me_x000D_ 08. The Valley of the Turkeys (The Things I've Seen)_x000D_ 09. Everyone, the Earnest One_x000D_ 10. The Older Girls Lead the Little Ones Astray