Coexistence

Korean duo Dal:um return for a second album of duelling gayageum and geomungo (plucked zithers from the Korean classical tradition). The opening tracks see Ha Suyean unspooling sinister sequences on her dulcimer-like gayageum while Hwang Hyeyoung makes much of the aggressive potential of the deeper geomungo. It’s all very stirring and cinematic, but the soul of the record reveals itself once the storm subsides. ‘Dodry’ draws from Korean imperial court music. This ritualistic heritage inspires a stately sense of calm, but what might be merely meditative is elevated by an achingly beautiful melody. The soaring bowed strings of ‘Alive’ are similarly affecting, while the impish folk of ‘Poison and Antidote’ and the fugue-like interplay of ‘In the Deep’ also delight. A deft fusion of Korea’s ancient musical traditions with modern influences.