Village Voice : Consumer Guide, April 30, 1997

NEIL ROLNICK: Reqiem Songs-For the Victims of Nationalism (Albany)
by Kyle Gann

Subsequent to his travels in the former Yugoslavia, Rolnick set sopranos Amy Fradon and Leslie Ritter singing Balkan-style in a kind of electronic folk music. Whether the strategy works politically is open to the usual debate, but the innocent simplicity of the vocals is an effective foil to such sardonic lyrics as ''Ethnic Cleansing'' and ''The Wedding Party'': ''Why are you drinking? Why are you dancing? The bride you were bringing was killed last night.'' Meanwhile, Todd Reynolds fiddles and Rolnick provides electronic distortions with a light, reverent touch. On the virtual flip side, Screen Scenes is a lively experiment with computer-triggered quintet improvisation. B PLUS

Addresses:
Albany Records, P.O. Box 5011, Albany, NY 12205-0011.