Waralungku – Arrkula Yinbayarra
Arrkula Yinyabarra a group of women from the remote Gulf of Carpentaria have preserved their endangered Indigenous languages through the beautiful album Waralungku. With lyrics in ollection of songs in Yanyuwa, Garrwa, Gudanji, and Marra languages, the album honours community, family, Country, the old ways, and the current way of life in Borroloola now. Arrkula Yinyabarra are truly inspirations for Indigenous and Australian musician, finding magical ways to encase their heritage. Waralungku was launched on boxing day last year, Woodford Folk Festival it most definitely was a crowd pleaser. A ten-track album, with gorgeous melodies, Waralungku is a worthy listen.
Come With Fierce Grace – Alabaster DePlume
With his album Come With Fierce Grace, Alabaster DePlume presents a percussion focused sound, which contrasts with his 2022 album Gold: GO Forward In The Courage of Your Love that showcased the most opulent strains of ’70s spiritual jazz.
Most of the album’s program consists of drum thwacks, rimshots, clicked sticks, woodblocks, sleigh bells, chimes whereas DePlume primarily plays the tenor saxophone. His unique and modern track encourages an elemental purity of thought and demonstrates a raw, brutal immediacy as reflective of an egoless musical ideal as a drum circle. Deplume’s music is the sort that one makes instinctively, banging on whatever’s handy and yet effortlessly creating in inspirational sound.