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September 29, 2004
there's nothing left to say
Hala Strana - Streets of Raised Platforms
Hala Strana, a band that makes its home within the San Francisco-centric Jewelled Antler Collective, is led by Steven R. Smith and focuses mostly on incorporating Eastern European folk music traditions into more accessible song structures. The Jewelled Antler Collective as an operation is terrifically fascinating, and its constituent bands are almost scarily prolific, so it's tough to keep up with their goings-on, and even harder to find what could be considered an easy starting point in the Collective's wide-ranging discography. However, if I had to recommend anything, Hala Strana and this song in particular would serve as a good place to begin. 'Streets of Raised Platforms' opens with a plaintive, drawn-out violin figure, encased in gossamer metallic guitar work- very much reminiscent of some of Godspeed You! Black Emperor's quieter pre-crescendo moments- and finishes with some dazzling guitar interplay that cuts through the fog of the strings like a beacon, and ends the track on a resigned but hopeful note. By far one of the best new (to me) acts I've heard this year, Hala Strana are releasing their third album, These Villages, on the Soft Abuse label in the near future. 'Streets of Raised Platforms', however, is from their self-titled album on Emperor Jones [BUY].
Posted by matt at September 29, 2004 08:00 AM