Search - Atman :: Tradition

Atman - 'Tradition' (Drunken Fish)

Mike Reed | USA | 01/03/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"'Tradition' is the band's second effort.Atman is supposedly the most astounding band to ever come out of Poland.I won't be too quick to argue with that,for 'Tradition' is a good CD that combines ambient-like new age with a spiritual vibe to it.This disc features guest vocalist Anna Nacher,joining up with Atman's line-up,which is:Tomek Gulinski-drums,vocals&harmoica,Thomasz Radznik-bass and Plotr Kolecki with Merek Styczynski-both multi-instumentalists.The tracks that make this CD worthy of repeated plays are the inspiring "Natural Landscapes 1",their Hendrix cover "Third Stone From The Sun",the sixteen-minute "Talking Meadow" and "Free-P".Can't help but to notice that the band makes extremely good use of both acoustic and electric guitars.Just might appeal to fans of Hash Jar Tempo,Loop Guru and rhBand."

Atman are GOD, or at least they know her (or him).

George T. Parsons | Nevada City, CA | 05/14/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I first heard that Atman had featured a female vocalist on their 2nd U.S. release, I was a little worried, visions of softened Windham Hillbillies from Poland, flooded my mind. But, if anything, this is an even better album than their instrumental first release, Personal Forest (`97 Drunken Fish). More organic flow, even more of a folkish psychedelic aura, they do an a capella wordless version of St. Jimi's Third Stone from the Sun, that's like dawn rising over planet-wide oceans, speeding it's lifegiving warmth and light to the sleeping dreaming world via; zither, dulcimer, guitar, bass and much more. These folks play a wonderful assortment of instruments, from, darabouka, didjeridu, lamellophones, czurynga, shamanistic frame drum, Slovakian pastoral fujara, and a wide assortment of flutes, bells and rattles. All employed to serve a wickedly beautiful modern mix of earthly powerful folk rock as ritualistic psychedelic invocation. As for my sexist "fears" regarding Anna, she up's the edge factor considerably with her intense and masterful vocalizations that range from song-sweetness to banshee-mad gibber and swooping bird-of-prey shrieking, calling to mind singers as diverse as; Diamanda Galas, Mimi Goese, Johanna Went, Hannah Marcus, Yoko Ono, Bjoerk, and Dagmar Krause. From the "safe" confines of the relatively songlike to pure sound, drone, mantra, improvisation, jazz, raga, and sustained exploratory atmospheric excursions, all oozing ancient European cavern-worlds of prehistorical psychic wisdom, beyond words or time. Atman are magicians, but these aren't tricks; this magic is real, just listen for yourself."