Soweto Necklace bring a touch of the African continent to Liverpool’s music scene, Getintothis’ Joseph Viney hits the dusty trail.
Here’s a lovely fact for you.
A ‘soweto necklace’ is a South African method of execution in which the victim has a burning tyre placed over their head and neck and then is subsequently left to die in any number of violent, horrible ways.
Not exactly the nicest background to set your music to and it might just put off anybody willing to put in a bit of research, but it’s with some relief that this Liverpool quartet proffer a smoother, more relaxed and indeed welcome sound than whatever connotations the name implies.
Beasts Of The Southern Interior is the first release on Modern Polymath; established in 2013 by a group of musicians and artists eager to release their music in an unconstrained and independent manner.
The EP is based around South African folklore and themes as well as African High-Life and Mbaqanga music, but also combines it with a homespun, relaxed and smooth groove.
Opener Klipspringer lounges into your ear drums with a clinical precision; a cocksure beat pierced by a lush guitar melody.
Olifants is the stand out here, its hushed tales of human and animal co-habitation of a vast space remains both lumbering and graceful concurrently. The song’s bass line keeps everything in check as pitch-perfect vocal harmonies almost give you a feel of the hazy, hot South African atmosphere.
Most of us may never get to enjoy Soweto Necklace in the wilds of the African continent, but it is perfect music for a hot day full of promise and idle dreams.
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