Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu ‎– Gurrumul

    Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu ‎– Gurrumul

    06 Jul

    By

    Label: Skinnyfish Music ‎– SFGU080201LP
    Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album
    Country: Australia
    Released: 2009
    Genre: Folk, World, Country
    Style: Folk

     

    I’ll never forget that moment when I first heard a song from this album. It had an instant and profound effect on me.

    Australian indigenous artist Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu was one of the most distinctive and acclaimed voices ever to come out of Australia. Blind from birth, he had a serene nature that conveyed a sense of wisdom and vulnerability, a quiet voice, and an energy that was simultaneously profound and confronting.

    He was a former member of Yothu Yindi and the Saltwater Band who truly came into his own after he became a solo act. A multi-instrumentalist, he played drums, keyboards, guitar and didgeridoo, but it was the clarity & sensitivity of his singing voice that attracted rave reviews.

    Known simply as ‘Gurrumul’, he sang stories about his experiences and the land in Yolŋu languages such as Gälpu, Gumatj or Djambarrpuynu, and in English. He possesses an exquisite, yearning and soulful voice and his sturdy, sad-edged songs are packed with such strong, quietly grand and epic melodies that many of them sound like instant standards.

    This self-titled debut album was originally recorded for a small indie label in Darwin, where it was first released in 2008, but it became an unexpected success right across Australia, where Gurrumul was praised by one major newspaper as “the greatest voice this continent has ever recorded”.

    This music is rare and transcends any culture. Gurrumul’s voice has an extremely soft delivery as he lays ethereal vocals over the top of a soft acoustic guitar and a double bass. Rather than sing in English and focus on political themes, he opts for a focus on the music itself, singing in a more geographically isolated language and using lyrical content related more often to his own life experiences.

    The music moves along from track to track, popping into English briefly here and there, but otherwise flowing seemingly without a break in the ambience & mood. The sound is otherworldly, but rather than being the result of production and manipulation, it is solely the result of Gurrumul’s voice and his skill with sparse compositions. However, to focus on the style and composition of this album is of limited value and I believe misses the point.

    This is a deeply personal collection of songs sung by a sensitive, vulnerable man with an innate ability to draw you in and communicate exactly what he feels even though he is singing in a language that you may not be familiar with. There is a deep emotion here, a longing, a sadness that seems to originate from a very long time ago, like the voice of an ancient being who doesn’t belong in this time and space.

    I first became aware of this album when the song “Gurrumul History (I Was Born Blind)” played in the background at a dinner with friends. It was emanating from a TV at low volume behind me and it put a chill up my spine. I tuned out of the dinner conversation, turned around and listened to the rest of the song as it faded out. I turned back to the dinner but couldn’t concentrate on the conversation. The song was playing in my mind over and over and it had really affected me.

    This is what this album does for me and I hope that it will resonate with you. It is supreme, compelling, story telling and very powerful. It connects you to the human spirit and imagery of a lost people, a vast land, hardship and a spirituality that transcends labels such as race, colour or conventional appearances.

    Track listing

    Wiyathul
    Djärimirri
    Bäpa
    Gurrumul History (I Was Born Blind)
    Marrandil
    Marwurrumburr
    Galiku
    Baywara
    Gäthu Mäwula
    Galupa
    Wirrpaŋu
    Wukun

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