The incredible awesomeness of Tanya Tagaq
Last week I wrote a review about the incredible work of art that is Yakushima Treasure, a soundscape by Suiyoubi no Kampanera singer KOM_I and experimental musician Oorutaichi.
Earlier this year I recommended another amazing soundscape by Inuk throat singer Tanya Tagaq, called Toothsayer. It’s Tagaq’s ‘sonic contribution’ to an exhibition about the Arctic in the National Maritime Museum in London.
It’s an incredible and haunting piece of music (actually five pieces) that describes the Polar world with sound. You can hear the ice break, almost feel the freezing wind and the dark loneliness of the Arctic landscape, with Tagaq growling threateningly over and under it, like a hungry animal, now and then erupting into blood-curdling screams as if in a violent explosion of life and raw energy.
Orgasm
It is truly awesome, like witnessing the eruption of a geyser or the birth of an iceberg. Tagaq knows how to convey the immensity of nature unlike any musician I know of. She is wild and threatening, somehow also very sexual. The song above, called Submerged, starts cold and silent and then within a matter of minutes builds up tension and climaxes into an outburst of violently hot anger. Like a volcano or a predator killing its prey, becoming one with it, feeling its panic and fear and clinging to life, but it could also be a woman reaching orgasm or giving birth. It’s bigger than life. Or maybe exactly as big as life. An incredible feat on Tagaq’s part.
Force of nature
I have become a devoted admirer of Tagaq’s since discovering her music almost two years ago. She wrote a novel last year, Split Tooth, that’s as insanely overpowering as her music. It’s my favorite book of last year.
This woman is fierce, a force of nature and supernature, putting fear into you as much as she attracts you, because she, her art, is irresistable. I can’t praise her highly enough. Also follow her on Twitter to learn a lesson or two about racism, white supremacy and the global veganist movement. (PB)
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