FLK
Sun
CNI /Italy (www.cnimusic.it)

Unlike a thrash-punk ska band from South Carolina of the same name, this group hails from the region of Friuli, an area in northeastern Italy, just a stone's throw from Slovenia and Yugoslavia. Their dynamic sound combines folk-rock, some funk, and traditional instrumentation that places their musical geo-center somewhere over northern Europe. While FLK originally began unearthing the folk traditions of their home region, they later explored the music of other world cultures.

"Praia de Meaipe"

With their third album Sun, their journey takes us to distant cities, across an urban landscape where the multi-ethnic blends into a homogenous, and palatable, expression of deep feeling. We embark with the opening track, "Praia de Meaipe," a ballad of homeless people emigrating to a promised land. The lead vocals of Cristina Mauro, singing in the Friulan dialect, provide the musical foundation for the instrumental excursions. The album closes with "Rain Soldier," a plea to end the injustices of war. The theme is ever distant but never too far from home. - Wayne Whitwam

Comment on this music or the web site.
Write a Letter to the Editor