I am beyond excited to get to share this band with as many people as possible. Ever since my first exposure with Korpiklaani as a kid, I’ve been obsessed with Folk hybrid bands. The blend of traditional instruments and songwriting elements with more contemporary arrangements never ceases to be creatively fascinating, and this band is no exception.
Otyken, as stated on their website, are a group comprised of Siberian natives from the composition of small peoples (Chulyms, Keto, Selkups). Both their look and sound are intensely striking, attention grabbing, and unique. Within seconds of seeing a video of them I was hooked. I feel that fans of acts like Heilung and The Hu will immediately want to add Otyken to their regular rotation.
Here is what the band had to say about the song, taken from their youtube community page:
‘The new song is based on Khakass ditties. This is a song about an obedient girl who cares about the well-being of her parents. The girl walks in an old torn dress and refuses to buy a new dress. She understands that her parents are kind, but very poor.’
Legend is the first single of a yet to be released album of the same name. The main melody is played on a stringed instrument called a khomys and feels haunting and a little unsettling, sitting in a strange spot in the meter once the driving drum beat kicks in. The main vocal melody compliments the motif well and ties both elements together. The use of throat singing and mouth harp adds another layer of texture and interest to the sound. It has a definite groove to it, and I couldn’t help but bop along to the beat.
You can listen to the song, as well as the bands discography here:
Or, for the full package, I would recommend watching the video here:
-Written by Charlie Sackett
#newrelease #newmusic #otyken #legend #folk #folkhybrid #musicvideo #newsingle #throatsinging #siberia #siberianmusic
