Rough Guide To Australian Aboriginal Music, The

The image of Australian Aboriginal music is the didgeridoo, and it's still an important component. But these days, as this collection richly shows, that's only one facet of the music. Although it can be raw and primal, as with the tracks by Alan Maralung that bookend this disc, it can also be sinuous, working around clarinet to create something that's really avant-garde on "Moonlight." But you can also hear wonderful singer/songwriters like Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu, the harder edge of Archie Roach, the almost industrial vibe that powers Tjupurru's "Stompin' Ground," and something akin to abstract Aboriginal hip-hop on "Uwa Wiya." This disc does keep returning to the didg, however, a reminder of its importance to the Aborigines, and the way its music forms a connection to the earth, often beautiful, sometimes terrifying -- the transition from the intensity of "Fantastic Plastic" to Saltwater Band's acoustic song "Djilawurr" is like a dive into cool water, a shock and a thrill at the same time. Not everything is great -- Kev Carmody's track is just a little too reminiscent of Dylan, and Alan Dargin's "Hitchhiker's Nightmare," though a didg lesson, is too dry for this affair. But Kutcha Edwards is wistfully militant on "Is This What We Deserve?," offering a telling reminder that, although the music is flourishing, the political estate of Aboriginals remains low. ~ Chris Nickson|