Yet it's so right. They just play their music with skill, humor and energy, on a variety of instruments with childlike curiosity. Me either, but in all cultural explorations the good, the bad and the ugly all have to have their two minutes, and this set offers them all, from post-punk opera to strange reggae. Two fascinating albums have been hanging around my disk player a lot the last few weeks. Each takes a distinctly different approach to a common theme and a common set of instruments, the drone of the didgeridoo and the mystical qualities of all music.
Reconciliation is a band of exploration.
Dublin musician Simon O'Dwyer had been experimenting with how to play ancient Irish brass horns with the percussion and flutes of Co. Kerry dweller Maria Cullen. On tour in Australia, they were introduced to aboriginal artist Alan Dargin and his didjeridu, and were struck by the sound, technique and philosophy his instrument and Dwyer's horns shared. Australian musician Phillip Conygham joined, and Reconciliation was born. The songs delve into irish folk music and Australian trance songs, pulling together their similarities and allowing the subtle differences wide ranging space. The results are stunning, the music honest and strong, the sounds amazing.