For the uninitiated, Dwelling craft music based on Portugese Fado, apoetic and emotive folk singing style that usually deals heavily inthemes of sorrow or love. Dwelling's approach is through acousticstring instrumentation begun by Nuno Roberto and the powerful andlovely voice of Catarina Reposo, who sings both in English andPortugese. Strangely, their music has also gained them a very largefollowing in the goth and metal communities, though the music rarelyapproaches anything resembling hard core or aggressive. This does notmean the music is not at all powerful, however. Humanais the ensemble's first full-length, after releasing an EP in 2000, andthe very least I can say is that their hearts are very much in thismusic. This is very much the motif of Fado, so it's not surprising, butthe guitar interplay and addition of violin are exquisitely played withsuch passion and life that there can be no doubt this group loves whatthey do. I found it especially interesting that there is no percussion,nor is any necessary. These songs are just fine the way they are, likea troupe of travelling minstrels entertaining the courts of manydignitaries. The borderline flamenco guitars, the fluid and stabbingviolin, and the voice of Reposo are captivating and hypnotizing. Not tosay that every song is a work of art, though, as I honestly prefer whenReposo doesn't sing in English, as it adds that layer of mystery, andEnglish with this music just smacks of wanting to reach a largeraudience. The overall feel is still incredibly moving, and fans of darkcompositions will find a lot to love here. - Read More
