Retribution

Tanya Tagaq's music somehow manages to feel completely out of this world, and at the same time deeply plugged into the earth. While she might accurately be described as an Inuit throat singer, Tagaq's output challenges us to re-evaluate what, in the 21st century, this would mean. Although her vocal style is based around katajjaq, traditional throat singing rich in harmonic overtones, her music is just as likely to be admired by metal-heads as by fans of world music.

With Retribution, Tagaq has succeeded in making a record that is both more accessible and more explicitly political than its predecessor, Animism. The album's overarching theme is exploitation, not only of indigenous women in Canada who have endured decades of violence, but also of the wider communities to which they belong, and the environment on which these communities depend. With the title-track's menacing warning that ‘retribution will be swift,’ the album overall evokes an eerie feeling of karma about to unleash itself. Embracing a range of musical forms including rap, rock, and Tuvan throat singing by Radik Tyulyush, Retribution is Tanya Tagaq's most ambitious and exhilarating work to date.