Burial, Bobby McFerrin

In Bobby McFerrin's un-heralded tapestry of human voices called Circlesongs, he approaches African chants and oral (and thus vocal) tradition through the multi-faceted lenses of minimalist repititions and jazz improvisations, calls and responses, dense circular patterns. In doing so, he crafts an intricate lullabye for the ages. I listened to this album every night for three years, from 1996 through 1999. In about 1999, I began to develop and nurture a deeper respect and appreciation for contemporary music, as more than just a lullabye, or a vehicle upon which to drape my own personal uses.

The eight year interim might be called a search. In the process of searching, it goes without saying that I all but forgot the concept of music as a lullabye; music that is so perfect, so complex in its rhythms, so intricate in its repititions, and so dense in its sonic tapestries, that it can be listened-to on a level above normal everyday senses; music that sinks so deeply into the depths of your innards that it can do little but lull you into a deep slumber, night after night.

The question is, what music is capable of this?

The answer includes, but is not limited to, Bobby McFerrin's Circlesongs, and Burial's two efforts thus far, "Burial," and "Untrue."