Rodney Anonymous vs. the World

Republic of Tuva

by Rodney Anonymous

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Published: Oct 25, 2006

Artist: Albert Kuvezin and Yat-Kha

Album: Re-Covers

Country of Origin: Republic of Tuva

This publication does not endorse the use of illegal substances. That said, those of you who regularly abuse hardcore drugs, such as attempting to inhale freon vapors while chewing human pituitary glands and mainlining scorpion venom, will really, really enjoy Re-Covers (World Village) by Albert Kuvezin and Yat-Kha. To put it another way: If you've ever found yourself insisting that it's not really an LSD enema unless it's being administered by TV's Grizzly Adams, then you and your fellow inmates at the asylum may rejoice in the knowledge that someone in the far-off wilderness of southern Siberia is making music just for you.

On the surface the concept behind Re-Covers, that of having a group of traditional Tuvan musicians and throat-singers (a vocal style that involves the ability to sing while concurrently creating eerie oral undertones) redoing songs by artists ranging from Led Zeppelin to Hank Williams to Joy Division, sounds like the worst idea since, well, since anything involving Toby Keith and a recording studio. But not only does it actually work, it works on a scale so mind-blowing that you might want to wrap your skull in duct tape before taking in Albert and the boys' reworking of Captain Beefheart's "Her Eyes Are a Blue Million Miles."

The formula for success is deceptively simple. Albert has chosen songs that he loves — but he can't always say the same of the artists who recorded them. Albert's comment about the Rolling Stones — "I never liked very much and even less the Beatles" — should be smeared in a combination of blood and feces across the doors to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

And the Verdict...

The denizens of Tuva are far too proud to accept a blatant handout from the U.S. of A., but after repeated listens to AK and Yat-Kha's cover of Motorhead's "Orgasmatron," it becomes perfectly clear to even the casual drug user that they require our children for an important sacrifice on the winter solstice.

(r_anonymous@citypaper.net)

 

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