Get the latest gossip

Bizhiki: Unbound review – commanding Native American songcraft


Powwow singing from Joe Rainey and Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings blends with electronic production on a spirited album that reframes a rich cultural tradition

Bizhiki (taken from Jennings’ childhood nickname, meaning “little buffalo”) deliver a stirring take on Native American music, splicing the elongated syllables of the traditional songs sung at tribal powwow gatherings with a range of electronics. Opener Franklin Warrior sets the tone, building an ambient soundscape of synth pads and dulcimer strings before Rainey’s voice enters the frame with a slow crescendo of plaintive, elongated vocalisations. Psych group Sababa 5 and Japanese singer Yurika Hanashima produce a charming brand of synth-funk on their debut album Kokoro (Batov Records), peaking on the soaring vocal melodies of the title track.

Get the Android app

Or read this on The Guardian

Read more on:

Photo of Native American

Native American

Related news:

News photo

Kevin Costner addresses Native American representation in 'Horizon': 'I'm not interested in spoon-feeding people'

News photo

‘We’re really funny people’: Native American director Erica Tremblay on Lily Gladstone, laughter for survival and breaking Hollywood

News photo

Apple Studios Hit With Lawsuit Over ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ Awards Exclusion: Native American Costume Designer Alleges Her Work Was Downplayed in Favor of Promoting Others