Landscape

South Korean percussionist Kim So Ra started learning janggu (the hour-glass drum played with a pair of lithe sticks) aged eight. She released her debut album, A Sign of Rain, in 2018, ahead of spectacular performances at WOMEX Gran Canaria and WOMAD UK. That album focused on emotions aroused before, during and after rain. This second album ranges wider with tracks named ‘Swaying Blades of Grass’ and ‘Old Road’, although they don’t seem musically descriptive. Some tracks, for instance ‘Joy’ and ‘I Can Go Anywhere’, are solo janggu. The album notes are not clear whether there are over-dubs, but I suspect not. ‘Swaying Blades’, ‘Old Road’ and ‘Waves’ involve wind instruments including taepyeongso and piri (oboes) and saenghwang (mouth organ), which on ‘Old Road’ are all played by Hong Ji-Hae. The standout track is ‘Waves’, with the rhythmic and melodic ingredients complementing each other to create a beautiful musical journey. It also underlines how difficult it is to bring off solo percussion on record. Seen live, Kim So Ra is extraordinary to watch with the micro-precision of her movements from one side of the janggu to the other, her arms a blur. But without the visual display it’s hard for the music to have a visceral impact.