Invented Folksongs
Redshift, 2025
9/10
The Vancouver artist Anna Pidgorna brings her Ukrainian heritage to these fusion folk songs, where a handful of musicians are along for the worldly adventure.
“What Else Can I Give Him” starts the 6 songs with Gabriela Diaz’s animated violin and Nicholas Tolle’s lively cimbalom that complements Pidgorna’s bright voice with elegance and adventurousness, and “First Meditation” follows with much beauty via Leo Eguchi’s warm cello and Yoko Hagino’s unpredictable piano.
On the back half, Mike Williams’ atypical percussion and Even Runyon’s meticulous double bass add much to the vocal acrobatics of the eccentric “Drown In The Depth”, while “Second Meditation” offers graceful textures that possess both emotion and tension across the instrumental.
“Walk Under The Moon” exits, and illustrates Pidgorna’s stunning vocal abilities amid loud keys, thick strings and booming percussion.
An accomplished debut album, Pidgorna’s idiosyncratic voice surrounds the contemporary sounds, artistic templates and experimental versions of folk music that are presented in world music-esque fashion that few others could replicate.
Travels well with: No Hay Banda/Zihua Tan- what came before me is going after me; Nick Storring- Mirante