There are few artists whose development causes me more excitement than Marina Herlop’s. In the 2010s, the classically trained pianist released two, well, piano-centered albums. While worth a spin, they tend to be drowned out by the sheer number of Modern Compositions flooding the market. Yet, in 2022, Herlop dropped a bombshell in »Pripyat«: Suddenly, she combined Art Pop with Carnatic (that is: traditional south-Indian) music. Without losing her Western Classical sensibilities. »Pripyat« is among my personal highlights of the current decade.
Thus, I was rather excited when Herlop announced that follow-up »Nekkuja« as a collection of songs that are in a direct line of succession of »Pripyat«. So, how does it compare to its forerunner? »Nekkuja«, too, is situated in the matrix of Pop, Modern Composition and Carnatic music. »Pripyat« was slightly more percussive and made extensive use of vocal techniques like Konnakol. In comparison, »Nekkuja« feels orchestral and relies more on sustained choral arrangements. Additionally, it’s more atmospheric. For instance, »Karada« combines meandering improvisations with bird calls and purling water. Against short-ish songs and a total runtime of 26 minutes, such jaunts result in the album’s highlights getting relatively little space. Despite the interludes being good if taken by themselves. »Nekkuja« is one of the few albums I consider too short – which is quite a compliment.
Nekkuja
