Stellamara
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
Gothic ethereal from traditional/world sources
Status:
Most recent release, The Golden Thread (2009)
See also:
Stellamara's site
Comparisons:
Dead Can Dance, The Changelings
Covers/own material:
Adaptions/arrangements of traditional materials
Against shimmering electronics, brittle dulcimers, dolorous bells, and percolating poly-rhythms, Sonya, the lead singer's, voice unfurls. Like Lisa Gerrard, her vocals are a bewitching mix of Eastern and Western vocal styles, and while the group (a duo, with Jeffrey Stott handing other duties, including guitars and oud, an African harp-like instrument) is influenced by the same liturgical music, there's a different feel. With Dead Can Dance, I feel the music is almost escapist; with Stellamara, there's an anthropologic reverence, that's not so much *academic* as it is *resonant* with history. Part of this is due to the fact that the lyrics are taken from actual medieval texts—there's a song in Croatian, a Persian song, and musical forms from Serphardic Jewish music. (ethereal_lad@livejournal.com)
Recommended first album:
Star of the Sea only album we've heard
Recordings:
Release info:
1997—City of Tribes Records, 3025 17th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110, U.S.A.—cotcd-017
Availability:
U.S. sources that carry indie labels
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended if the description sounds good to you
Group members:
Sonja Drakulich—voice, bendir, riqq, zills, keyboard samples
Jeffrey Stott—oud, darbuka, bendir, hammered dulcimer, guitar, bells, keyboard samples
Guest artists:
Gary Haggerty—violin, viola
Susu Pampanin—darbukas, riqq
Marika Hughes—cello
Michael Emenau—bells, gongs, sampling, programming guidance
Produced by:
Sonja Drakulich and Jeffrey Stott
Comments:
Please see general comments above.
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