A Moving Sound

Founded by Taiwanese singer Mia Hsieh and American musician Scott Prairie, A Moving Sound draw on a rich history, offering an accessible glimpse into Taiwanese culture. A Moving Sound adeptly lure Taiwan’s past into the present. They claim that they draw on ancient culture not to recreate a copy of history, but to rediscover the ‘timeless, universal expression of life.’ Their self-titled album achieves exactly this – creating something ageless that is not a replication of tradition but rather grows from it.

Opening with ‘Silk Road’, a beautiful evocation of the trading route’s vibrant history, and flowing through elegant tracks, Hsieh’s voice soars above the zhong ruan (four-stringed lute) and erhu (spike fiddle). On ‘Gu Qin’ the bass guitar imitates the guqin, an ancient stringed instrument, whilst Hsieh gracefully sings an 11th century poem. The traditional song ‘Ghost Lake’ is another hauntingly beautiful song. Conversely, the zhong ruan violently roars in ‘The First Thunder of Spring’ and the folk song ‘Harvest’ conjures a lively communal gathering.

While the album as a whole offers a palatable gateway into Taiwanese folk music, it does not necessarily cater to Western ears – the rather hard to digest ‘Toh Deh Gong’ and ‘The Market Song’ spring to mind. However, it is this balancing between worlds – past and present, East and West – that makes A Moving Sound such an enjoyable album.