KTRU pick of the week: Radio Myanmar

By Miguel Quirch     12/4/08 6:00pm

Radio Myanmar (Burma) opens a door to sounds that are not often heard in this part of the world.The album's assortment of radio recordings from Yangon, Myanmar, from the spring of 2007, as well as tracks from 1994 through 2002, showcase Sublime Frequencies' signature style of interspersing "legitimate" recordings with soundscapes, ambient noise and radio-swill interludes. The album presents a broad spectrum of programming from the Burmese state-controlled radio station: Myanmar's Voice.

The album begins with an army song complete with a rousing brass line and joyous singing in Burmese. The song would generally be played at the start of the broadcast, and listening to the CD's tracks in order gives a good impression of a typical day of Burmese radio.

The Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) of Myanmar publishes its decrees in all forms of the country's media. Recited on Myanmar's Voice at the beginning of each day, these statutes appear on the numerous tracks labeled "National Objectives" or "Burmese Objectives." These tracks, recited in English and Burmese, feature government propaganda emphasizing the USDA's goals.

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There are over 40 tracks that range from government issued broadcasts in Burmese and English to classical, folk and pop styles to bouncy advertisements for jewelry shops and Burmese renditions of popular Western music.

Another track is a clip of Avril Lavigne's "Complicated" rendered into Burmese. The track feels like a karaoke mix, with weak recording and occasional sound skips.

Some of the most compelling pieces on the album are those that feature classical Burmese folk music, like the "Tribal Drums and Male Vocal" track. A group plays traditional drums while a man sings with accompaniment.

Radio Myanmar (Burma) proves to be a professionally done collection from Sublime Frequencies that will provide listeners an opportunity to hear the sounds issuing from the radio sets in one of the most repressively-governed nations on earth.

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