ARARATh

Davit Drambyan, born in Armenia and living and working in Germany, is a musician and composer with a considerable number of skills, some outré (heavy metal on carillon, for example), others more standard (electronica and orchestral compositions). On this album, however, he calls on the simplest of resources: his voice and nylon-stringed guitar, sometimes using studio technology to double-track his vocals or add discreet ambience.

It’s clear that ARARATh is a labour of love. A collection of arrangements of Armenian folk songs, it has been a work in progress for well over a decade, and Drambyan was moved to complete and release it in response to the recent brief and unequal conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It’s also clear that he is a more than capable guitarist, with a grasp of numerous styles, and a sure sense of chiaroscuro. Because this clearly means a good deal to him, it’s a shame that his vocal technique is sometimes not really up to coping with these generally undemanding songs, and that his self-imposed restrictions lead to a lack of variety. His singing is at its best on ‘Go and See’, while the multi-tracked a cappella ‘Silencio & Reminiscencia’ provides a bittersweet and effective closer.