Aural Fixations

SIGMATROPIC
Sixteen Haiku & Other Stories
(Thirsty Ear)
Sixteen Haiku & Other Stories is one of the more unusual projects to cross my desk in some time. Greek musician Akis Boyatzis, who records under the name Sigmatropic, produced an album some time back that put the work of Greek poet and Nobel Laureate George Seferis to music. After a great deal of success in Greece, Boyatzis decided to record an international version, with Seferis' work translated to English and vocalized by a diverse group of indie rock and underground artists. The catch: most of the pieces selected for the album are in the form of haiku, the three-line poem that is no more and no less than a literary snapshot, a condensation of emotional expression into a bullshit-free bite-sized chunk. One could argue that a haiku isn't unlike a three-minute pop song, but we won't go into a fruitless comparison of one art form to another here. Regardless, the challenge stood before the singers recruited to work on the project: not only figure out how to put Seferis' haiku into song form, but also to do it with accompanying music already provided by Boyatzis. Since it's unlikely that anyone would work on this record unless he was passionate about the concept, it's unsurprising that the singers rise to the challenge. Besides, Boyatzis' guitar-laced electronics leave plenty of room for interpretation, whether it's Walkabouts frontperson Carla Torgerson's clear tenor on "Haiku Five" and "Haiku Six," Sonic Youth guitarist Lee Ranaldo's forceful rant on "Haiku Twelve" and "Haiku Sixteen" or singer/songwriter Simon Joyner's creepy croon on "Haiku Eleven." Other guests include indie rock thrushes Cat Power, Edith Frost and Laetitia Sadler of Stereolab and underground studs Mark Eitzel, Steve Wynn, Mark Mulcahy (formerly of Miracle Legion), James William Hindle and Alejandro Escovedo. There are a few breaks from the format for variety's sake. Prog legend Robert Wyatt lends his ethereal swoon to a full length poem, "On Stage, 2," used as the collection's introduction; Bad Seeds percussionist James Sclavunos and Giant Sand grand poobah Howe Gelb also vocalize longer, non-haiku pieces. In fact, the latter's lazy, guttural diction fits both verse and music so well it almost seems that "This Human Body" was written for him. This is an ambitious project; merging poetry (which Boyatzis is wise enough to print in the booklet) and music is usually begging for trouble. Not here, though—this masterful blend of concentrated passion and cool atmospherics works on every level. Proof positive of the good taking chances can do. Michael Toland [buy it]