320: The Sound of Siam, Vol. 2: Molam & Luk Thung from North-East Thailand 1970-1982, by Various Artists

Various Artists (Thailand)
The Sound of Siam, Vol. 2: Molam & Luk Thung from North-East Thailand 1970-1982 (2014)
19 tracks, 67 minutes
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It’s our third journey to the world of molam and luk thung – the musics of the country folk of Laos and the Isan region of Thailand. We’ve had the traditional, acoustic side of things from the Molam Lao ensemble and the modern, plugged-in yet still traditionally-grounded electric phin of Khun Narin. Now, with this compilation from Soundway Records, we get to hear what happens when the musicians take those sounds and take them to another place altogether.

The great thing about this album – and its equally good predecessor, with the subtitle Leftfield Luk Thung, Jazz & Molam in Thailand 1964-1975 – is that it explores such a wide range of music, all connected by the broadest definition of molam and luk thung. The pieces here may have a soul-funk feel (such as Saksiam Petchchompu & Pornsurapon Petchseethong’s organ-led ‘Jeb Jing Jeb Jai’), or a surf-rock vibe (Banyen Sriwongsa’s ‘Lam Plearn Kon Baa Huay’), or a sultry jazz sway (Angkanang Kunchai’s ‘Kid Hod Chu’). And they all have different relationships to the traditional source: for some, only the subject matter or poetic structure remain the same; for others, it’s just a couple of amplifiers and a rock drummer that separate them from the music’s deepest roots. My favourite track of the whole thing falls into this latter category, the sparring khaen and electric phin of the Petch Phin Thong Band on ‘Bump Lam Plearn’ bringing all of the inherent funk of the molam to the fore while still sounding irrefutably Thai at every juncture.

Since recorded music has been the norm, styles can change rapidly. Musical forms with long histories can spin off into hundreds of sub-genres and hybrid styles. The Sounds of Siam compilations do a great job of documenting the explosion of molam and luk thunk from traditional Lao and Isan music into pop styles of many different faces from the time when these musical experiments were at their height. The result is a wonderful musical tree with united roots and excitingly diverse fruits. It’s an extremely pleasant 67 minutes to swing among its bows.