Kołowrót

I became familiar with Bastarda a couple years ago through their albums and, lovely albums where the clarinets and the cello enchant the ear, but it seems that the trio has branched out in 2021, publishing two collaborations in the same year, the first being an exploration of fado variations with, the next being this album, a collaboration with the evocative vocalists of the SWPS University Choir, though the tracks are all composed and arranged by Bastarda. Apparently the concept for this album is a look at the ceremonies and rituals surrounding the cycle of the seasons. Grunts, chants, yelps... yep. It's all there. I can't help but think about the opening line of The Waste Land:

April is the cruellest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land

But it's not all avant-garde vocals. The cello establishes itself like the deep arms of the Earth, embracing the entire soundscape, cradling the dual clarinets and allowing them space to rise in punctuated spurts, like shoots.