Rusalka Cycle: Songs Between The Worlds, The

9-member Bay Area female vocal ensemble turn to Slavic folksongs based on Rusalka “restless spirts, thought to be women who had died unjust or untimely deaths.” As you’d expect it’s dark, disturbing, and haunting. Amazingly beautiful vocal harmonies combine with unpredictable rhythms and dissonant counterpoints to produce gorgeous sounds; lightly backed by cellos & perc. It’s almost scary at times (#7 is really unsettling), a successful evocation of ghosts. Play it all, this is seriously good.

1. Dark, dramatic, soaring and compelling. Powerful & moving.
2. Slow, fragile a capella solo slowly builds, stays beautifully delicate.
3. A powerful voice flies in, restless spirits chatter, gets scary.
4. Cello runs darkly behind a forest of voices. Spooky & dramatic.
5. Ethereal, layers of melancholy beauty. Slow & lovely.
6. A soaring, nasally chant w/otherworldy voices, like banshees.
7. A voice in torment crying. Insistent strings, drums. Terrifying.
8. Gentle, mournful lamentation w/grace and tragedy.
9. Cello/voice – slow, gentle, slow & elegantly tragic.