Friday, November 23, 2018

Band Review: Tanya Tagaq

Tanya Tagaq has multiple creative outlets, but I was listening to her as a musician.

From Nunavut, Tagaq uses throat singing to create her music, but it is different from Inuit throat singing, which is performed in duets. Without a singing partner, Tagaq learned how to perform solo.

It is not easy listening.

That is partly a matter of habituation. Guttural, echoing, and not really melodic - at least in the expected way - there is no place of comfort to rest in the music. Given the subject matter, there shouldn't be.

Tagaq deals with environmental damage, colonialism, and rape on many different levels. It should not be comfortable.

When I reviewed Snotty Nose Rez Kids, the word "unsettling" came to mind and took on a new meaning. That applies here too.

It is unsettling, and it should be.

http://tanyatagaq.com/

https://www.facebook.com/tanyatagaq/ 

https://soundcloud.com/tanya-tagaq

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgOeD7Q8nrTI9FYGJowQCFg

https://twitter.com/tagaq

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