Seven Days: Vermont's Independent Voice

Call of the Wild

The cry of a bird, the whistle of a gusty wind ... Tuva’s Huun Huur Tu make a traditional concert sound more like a walk through nature. The foursome is known for preserving the ancient art of xöömei, or throat singing, where vocalists produce two to three music notes at a time. The group pairs the resulting pitches and drones with rare instruments like the doshpuluur and igil — as well as more familiar keyboards, drums and guitars — for sparse, sinuous songs. It boils down to “throat singing tempered by electronica,” as the Huffington Post puts it. TIME Magazine says to “save it for when in a cosmic mood.” Better hope that mood strikes next Wednesday morning, when Huun Huur Tu perform as part of Chandler Music Hall’s daytime performance series.