Review by Patrick Joseph
“Grandmother’s Tears” is an ephemeral and deeply moving piece of music. You will be immediately transported to another realm of reality while listening to this piece. The tribalistic percussion patterns are enchanting while the vocal expressions are overwhelmingly beautiful. Part haunting, part inspirational, part meditative, listeners will experience a whirlwind of visions and emotions. Ariana Saraha & Flight Behavior defy traditional song structures. There exists, however, a natural rise and fall of intensity in this music that creates a deeply satisfying emotional narrative.
The conviction in Saraha’s delivery makes these lyrics incredibly poignant. They come alive over the pounding rhythms and intricate melodies.
“For Grandmother’s tears, They have fallen, Four thousand years, Almost forgotten.”
The song is like a call to action, oozing ancient wisdom in its construction and execution.
A drone sits underneath this music and creates a tension that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. The percussion parts are exquisitely arranged, providing both a trance-like repetition and fresh contributions to keep the music constantly evolving. The vocal melodies are spiritual and other-worldly. Saraha’s performance on this track is so captivating you will sink into the music while the world slowly melts away. The dynamic peaks and valleys are intense yet subtly achieved. “Grandmother’s Tears” is a truly unique song which honors many time honored musical traditions to create a vital and gut-wrenching piece of art.
About Ariana Saraha & Flight Behavior
In the windswept reaches, that is where you will find Ariana Saraha & Fernando Medina, aka FLIGHT BEHAVIOR. Ariana Saraha (vocals, percussion) and Fernando Medina (drums, percussion) met in the wind-torn and rain-soaked rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. After sharing the darkest winter of their lives, they narrowly escaped to keep wandering... They’ve since found themselves lost on snow-crested peaks, serenaded by cacophonies of birdsong, and resting deep in the quiet desert heat... Destined, it seems, for the difficult but beautiful, all along the muse whispers, “Here, in these reaching leaves. Here, in these sun-bleached bones. Here, in the flutter of this wing. Here, in the sound of water over stones...”
Musically, these two follow in the footsteps of bands such as The Creatures and Dead Can Dance in their capacity to create whole sonic worlds with primarily the voice and rhythm. They have released two albums as Flight Behavior: Songs of Christmas: To Warm the Dark Nights (2020), and From the Wild (2022), an homage to the untamed earth that flows even in our veins...Weaving spells from the very fibers of life—starlight, storm and stone—Flight Behavior incants the songs and paints the rhythms of the unheard earth and the forgotten ancients.
FOR FANS OF: Dead Can Dance / Lisa Gerrard, Heilung, Myrkur, Wardruna, Anilah, Azam Ali, Eivor, Loreena McKennitt, Tori Amos, Ofra Haza, Pink Floyd
GENRES: Dark Folk / World / Alternative / Pagan / Ethereal / Ambient / Middle Eastern / Celtic
For more information about Ariana Saraha & Flight Behavior visit their website
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