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I adore Diamanda shamelessly, and think she's the single most interesting vocalist working today, both technically and in terms of her choice of themes. I've found the transition between the high-end conceptual work (Plague Mass & Masque of the Red Death cycle, Schrei, Defixiones) to her reinterpretation of the American songbook & blues absolutely fascinating - and the strong reactions it's provoked in her audience are equally interesting. I know a lot of the people who were initially attracted to the confrontational aspects of Plague Mass have been a bit turned off by recent work.
The Singer, oddly, is probably my least favourite album, but it's definitely worth picking up Malediction and Prayer, which is similarly song-based, and absolutely every track on that album is *phenomenal*. In particular Iron Lady, Gloomy Sunday, Keigome... oh, they're all wonderful. La Serpenta Canta is more bluesy, and probably slightly harder work than Malediction.
I think it's also worth looking into the cycle of recordings around Plague Mass - You Must Be Certain Of The Devil is one of my favourite albums of all time, and is probably the most accessible of the cycle. Divine Punishment & Saint of the Pit are more confrontational, with lots of gut-churning synths, wailing, speaking in tongues, screaming of Biblical texts. They're great fun. I think I'm probably the only person in the world who listens to Schrei, though...
So, in short, check out Malediction and see which way you want to go from there. Here is a video of her performing 'Gloomy Sunday'. That link also proves that Youtube comments represent the intellectual nadir of human history. |
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