Fans of the legendary molam singer Angkanang Kunchai will be delighted to know that a compilation of her early singles, Isan Lam Plearn, a version of which was originally released in 1975, has been released by Zudrangma Records of Thailand, EM Records and Soi 48 of Japan. The LP, which is available in vinyl and CD formats, was released in Japan last month, with the great lady attending events in Japan to celebrate the launch.
Angkanang Kunchai.
The DJ duo of Maft Sai and Chris Menist, who put together the reissue, also hosted Angkanang at a show in Bangkok last year, her first in the capital for many years, with their Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band.
I wrote about Angkanang’s early career in a previous column and the liner notes here fill in some of the details of her early recordings and in particular the creative period she enjoyed with bandleader and songwriter Surin Paksiri and his Ubon-Pattana Band, which began in the early 1970s (her commercial peak was in the mid-70s). She joined his band after the success of her first recording, Lam Glorn Nang Nok Kra Yang Kao, on the Krung Thai label.
Surin, a former DJ and movie soundtrack composer, was keen to experiment with the lam sound. As the liner notes tell it, Surin would work on the arrangements and the music, while Angkanang would improvise and extrapolate the lyrics and vocals. The result of their first collaboration was the single Isan Lam Plearn, which was later used in the soundtrack of the 1972 movie Bua Lampu. The liner notes are quick to point out that the sound created on this track — starting slowly in lam style and then segueing into a full luk thung-style arrangement, then back seamlessly to the lam sound — was being produced for the first time. Later it would be commonplace and become known as luk thung Isan. Angkanang should be credited with being one of the first to adapt her vocals to the new style. I would be hard-pressed to name a favourite from this compilation. The first songs I heard performed by Angkanang and which started my interest in her singing — Isan Lam Plearn and Lam Sarawan — are on the album along with a host of other delights like the Phu Thai classics Lam Sao Putai Rampan, Lam Plearn Koi Aai and Lam Plearn Pattana.
This album is a must-have for fans of Angkanang Kunchai and of lam music in general. And if you do like her music, then there is the added bonus of getting to know the bandleader, Surin, who she worked with during her golden period in the early to mid-1970s. Highly recommended. Visit www.zudrangmarecords.com.
New releases to look out for
On a recent visit to my folks, I came across an original Welsh-language band that hails from North Wales, the region I visited. 9Bach is a band that reflects the folk music of the region but with a modernist sound — perhaps a bit like the Warsaw Village Band. Haunting sound. Check out the album Tincian (Real Word, UK) and the spellbinding song Pa Le?. Another one I liked from the UK is the new release by Susheela Raman, Queen Between.
As an amateur harmonica player I’m always interested in new harmonica bands or ones that feature harmonicas; the last one I introduced readers to was the blues band Hazmat Modine from New York.
The latest one to perk up my Hohners is the Finnish outfit Svang. These four intrepid harmonica heroes have created a wall of sound from their “gob-irons” that defies belief; sometimes sounding like a spaghetti western soundtrack, then switching to haunting melodies and spikey vamps. I never saw these guys coming — where have they been hiding? Check out Svang’s latest release Karja-La (Galileo) — highly recommended.
This column can be contacted at: clewley.john@gmail.com
