Piewacket
by Puppetina
Pasha Nina Teen Recordings, Los Angeles,
USA, 2006
Audio CD, catalog # PNTR 1, $17.98
Distributors website: http://www.rerusa.com
Reviewed by Kathryn Adams
Australia
Kathy@pacific.net.au
Appropriately, this CD came to me
on a stormy Halloween afternoon. I say
appropriately because Piewacket
was named after Kim Novaks cat in
the bewitching film Bell, Book and
Candle, a movie about a modern day
witch who, along with her enchanting Siamese
cat, conspires to charm an unwitting James
Stewart. Piewacket was also the name of
a familiar spirit of a witch who was arrested
in Essex in 1644. With these witchy connotations
in mind my first listening was accompanied
by the sound of hail crashing down on
my iron roofa fitting introduction
to and perfect setting for this atmospheric
and whimsical auditory experience.
Puppetina is Anna Homler and Stephanie
Payne who have joined forces with Ethan
Holtzman on accordion. To produce their
strange concoction of haunting melodies
and sounds, they have not added eye of
newt, toe of frog, wool of bat and tongue
of dog, as I expected, but have fused
conventional and unconventional instruments
with the sounds of commonplace items such
as kitchen timers, toys, potato slicers
and walkie talkie static, to accompany
Homlers rich and ethereal vocals.
Homler, an internationally acclaimed performance
artist/singer, sings in her own invented
language in a style that is reminiscent
of folk traditions. She draws inspiration
for her work from world and eclectic music
as well as "from the world of myths
and dreams." Resonance describes
her as:
"[A] singer who can take the audience
by the hand and lead them along the weird
path between atmospherics and surreal
humour . . . . A witch with a few home-brewed
spells and a ray gun."
The instruments played by Stephanie Payne
are the perfect accompaniment to Homlers
vocals. Keyboards, samples and loops are
used as well as the ancient acoustic instrument,
the mbira. The repetitive nature of this
enchanting instrument gives the music
a meditative, minimalist feel that, along
with the hypnotizing loops Payne has created,
makes this a CD you definitely cant
listen to if youre in a hurry.
The duo havent focused on any one
particular direction for the album but
have incorporated a variety of musical
genresambient, country, and jazz
among them with the common thread being
the vocals and the unusual array of sounds
produced. They have used effected vocals,
counter melodies, and Eastern tonalities
to give the pieces a primordial and ritualistic
flavour. Each track is quite a different
experience from the next. The pieces are
so suggestive that you will find yourself
being transported from one imaginary setting
to the next, conjuring up images of chanting
Slavic women, Turkish belly dancers, dolphins,
gypsy caravans, sad clowns, French carousels,
or whispering witches.
In the movie Ishtar, Dustin Hoffman
sang "if you admit you play the accordion,
you wont get work in a rock and
roll band." Fortunately he didnt
mention eclectic, experimental bands because
here Holtzman has been able to add contrast
with his accordion. Some may find the
accordion jarring (and the constant V-I
cadences used during one piece particularly
tedious), but overall it evokes further
imagery from the macabre to the frivolous.
Preschool children will be drawn to this
music and despite the fact the language
is made up, they will more than likely
be able to tell you what it all means!
The repetitive, chiming sounds will captivate
them and their imaginations and tap into
their innate ability to interpret an unfolding
story with theatrics, turning them into
hobgoblins before their very eyes.
Both Homler and Payne have a common background
in art, and seeing them perform this live
would be mesmerising. This music would
not only lend itself to theatrical interpretation
but also it would be at its most compelling
there.
For those who are willing to indulge their
inner child or to simply take a flight
of fancy these strange, quirky pieces
are sure to cast their spell over them.
A bewitching trick and treat for all.