A Sign of Rain

Kim So Ra is a formidable Korean percussionist. Her main instrument is the janggu, the doubled headed hourglass drum. Played with two sticks, it's an instrument that requires considerable athleticism (at least in the arms) and incredible precision. Every microsecond counts. But seeing Kim with her ensemble at WOMAD last summer, she clearly enjoys every moment and the exuberance of the live performance is what's most compelling, of course.

This disc features the same quartet as were playing at WOMAD, with Lim Ji Hye on gayageum (zither), Oh No Eul on piri (oboe) and Hyun Seung Hun as second percussionist. A Sign of Rain is a kind of concept album portraying moments before, during and after rain. Actually it's more about the anticipation of rain, with a ritualistic percussion opening with bells and gongs, a piri-dominated track about the clouds obscuring the moon, and a gayageum-led track portraying the stars. There's a solo janggu track, which seems to freeze the moment before the rain comes. The actual shower ‘DDok DDok DDok (Pitter Patter)’ sounds much more torrential than the translation might suggest. It's a thrilling percussion workout for Kim So Ra and Hyun Seung Hun. The final track featuring the whole quartet is about coming back to earth after the rain. Music that is original, ambitious and brave.