On his remarkable 2022 debut album Niineta, singer Joe Rainey warped the musical traditions of his Native American roots, blending vibrato-laden vocalisations with synth-derived strings and industrial kick drums. These experimental influences were facilitated by producer Andrew Broder, after the pair met at Bon Iver’s Eaux Claires music festival, and Rainey now enlists another Iver collaborator in drummer and producer S Carey, plus indigenous singer Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings. Bizhiki (taken from Jennings’ childhood nickname, meaning “little buffalo”) deliver a stirring take on Native American music, splicing the elongated syllables of the traditional songs sung at tribal powwow gatherings with a range of electronics.
Less angular and more densely orchestrated than Niineta, the 11 tracks of Unbound artfully use powwow vocals as a counterpoint to melody-driven arrangements. Opener Franklin Warrior sets the tone, building an ambient soundscape of synth pads and dulcimer strings before Rainey’s voice enters the frame with a slow crescendo of plaintive, elongated vocalisations. The title track also uses a downtempo synth melody, paired with a wailing topline sung by Jennings, using the voice as forceful emotive texture rather than a vehicle for lyrics.
