Jarboe - Durga & Her Smile Of Radiant Vengeance mp3 album

Navadurga (नवदुर्गा), meaning ‘the nine forms of Goddess Durga,’ refers to the nine different aspects of the manifestation of the deity. These are Śhailaputrī, Brahmachāriṇī, Chandrakaṇṭā, Kuṣhmāṇḍā, Skandamātā, Kātyāyanī, Kālarātrī, Mahāgaurī and Siddhidātrī that are worshipped during Navrātri. Each divine aspect has a special significance and a different appearance. Navadurga must have served as inspiration for Durga And Her Smile of Radiant Vengeance, the album which might be the most accessible of Jarboe’s MahaKali-related releases. It has its share of darkness but nothing as brutal and sustained as Dark Consort or MahaKali itself.Vocalising forms an integral part of the sound on the eight mainly instrumental tracks where Jarboe’s background vocals imitate and merge with the instruments. Spectacular harmonics arise from the constantly blending and disengaging solo and choral voices. The vocal tracks, Mother of Changes and Inside the Temple of Changes, each contain a spoken poem. The ominous drumming, cymbals and rumbling atmospherics of the opening track, A Jewel Shone On Shakti's Crown, become enveloped by intricate choral swirls and individual voices that rhythmically approach and recede. These polyphonic waves seem to move back and forth through space and time.In the Devimahatmya (Glory of the Goddess) and Sri Durga Saptashati, Raktabija is a demon who multiplies with every drop of his blood that reaches the ground. Edgy cello, ominous drones and mournful disembodied voices create a sense of disintegration, until displaced by an escalating call & response between two croaking otherworldly voices. Durga’s manifestation Kali ultimately slew Raktabija by lapping up his blood before it reached the ground.The buffalo demon Mahishasura constantly shape-shifted when the goddess confronted him. After battling him in many forms her patience finally ran out and she slew him in his original buffalo shape. On Durga's Patience, the faint sound of distant choirs frames plonking drops of water and the grunts of the buffalo demon. A rhythmic, uptempo orchestral piece, Durga's Patience (Reprise) comprises surging drones of guitar, synth and voice over the grunts of Mahishasura. What sounds like rhythmically swinging, swaying chimes opens Shiva Could Not Be Defeated and closes Shiva Implores Eternally. This driving, uptempo track has a compelling blend of sonic patterns – some rather unusual – with intriguing give and take between guitars, vocals and shaking drones. The orchestral piece Blood Horizon sounds like contemporary classical music. Here again the instruments and vocalising fuse and become more than the sum of its parts. It concludes dramatically with a howling gale and words spoken in distress. Layered wordless vocals on Lotus Weapon unfold according to an advancing and retreating structure with a shimmering, reverberative effect. According to Hindu mythology the lotus in Durga's hand is a symbol of certain success but not finality. The flower represents the continuous growth of spiritual qualities amidst a world of greed and filth.The pulsating Mother of Changes evokes a primal sense of ritual with its driving guitars and drums, fervent ‘Gregorian’ chant and contralto chorales. Then Jarboe’s monologue proceeds, a prayer to Kali as ‘beloved of time.’ These extraordinary textures and the striking arrangement leave a powerful impression long after the song has faded. Spacious percussion with persistent echoing beats carries the second recital to the deity as ‘mother of time’ on the track Inside The Temple Of Changes. Certain of Jarboe’s words are echoed at intervals by a male vocal. The Sanskrit word MahaKali is the feminine form of MahaKala or ‘Great Time’, which may also imply death. MahaKali is the wrathful, ferocious aspect of Durga who transcends time. The final track, Shiva Implores Eternally, bursts forth in a robust rock/industrial groove which fades for a concluding section with whispers, murmurs and mournful atmospherics. A striking ‘warbling’ sound emerges while the rock storm still rages and then it rises and morphs into the aforementioned swinging, swaying chimes at the end. Durga & Her Smile is a triumph of exquisitely layered, multi-textured masterpieces. The soundscapes are so strange yet so cohesive that it’s difficult to pinpoint the instruments at play in any given section. There certainly are guitars, bass and keyboards but there must be others too. Vocal fragments, solo voice and choirs seamlessly interact with the rhythms, drones and one another to bring forth atmospheres with a distinctly non-human feel. However, only a minority of these create unease. By no means are all of them alienating or threatening. Sublime is an approximation but ineffable would be more accurate.

2009 has seen a series of CDR releases by Jarboe which include "Skullgirl", "Ugra", "Daksinakali", and the release reviewed here "Durga & Her Smile Of Raiant Vengeance".The CDR is centered on the Goddess Durga from the Hindu scriptures where she is referred to as the "Mother of the Universe - she represents the infinite power of the universe and is a symbol of a female dynamism."Largely a instrumental release, my assumption is that each track focuses on different aspect of her tale. For instance the track "Durga's Patience" is, I assume, a reference to the fact that "Durga manifests fearlessness and patience, and never loses her sense of humor, even during spiritual battles of epic proportion"The musick itself varies between noise/soundscape reminiscent of Boyd Rice in tracks such as "Solitude", to more rhythmic pieces ritualistic beats. Jarboe's voice is not the focus of the release, and is only really featured as singing (background singing) on the opening track - "A Jewel Shone On Shakti's Crown, Its Gleam Was Bright And Red" and then in spoken word style on both "Mother Of Changes" and "Inside The Temple Of Changes". Other tracks feature Jarboe's voice... but it is featured as more of a growl or gurgle than a traditional vocal performance.I have always considered Jarboe a channeler. I have heard she often sequesters herself during recording process. and that solitude evidently allows her to conjure up vocal sounds that appear to be from another source. Is there studio trickery involved? I doubt it. I tend to believe that she truly becomes possessed by the spirit invoked in the song/piece. This is very evident in tracks like "Durga's Patience" where the vocal sounds are down right amazing - even non-human. That's what make this release so special. It is said that Durga, in Sanskrit means "She who is incomprehensible or difficult to reach.", that's a fitting description of this release. I have listened to it many times and have found new treasures each time.