Various Artists: The Unaccompanied Voice: An A Cappella Compilation

Sometimes it's tough to separate a singer from his or her words: The meaning of a song is so often tied into the melody that the two sides mutate into one unique element, just another instrument with its own tone and texture. The Unaccompanied Voice is a curiosity that forces listeners into an intimate world that's almost all vocals, distilling the essence of singing into all its various basic components. Some of these tracks are most notable for their lyrics, others for their sound. Still others exist in an experimental realm where even the simple sound of the human voice becomes a different animal entirely. Compiled like a collection of Alan Lomax field recordings, the tracks here run the gamut from intentional field-song homage (Appendix Out's "Four Nights Drunk," Richard Buckner & P.W. Long's "Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down," David Grubbs' "Medley: The Gypsy Daisy/Pinafore Blues") to sentimentality (Mark Kozelek's "Around & Around," Mimi Parker & Alan Sparhawk's "Kindly Blessed") to goof (Nikki McClure's "Blackberry," Danielson Famile's "Allhallow's Eve") to spiritual (Jandek's "Om," Jarboe's "And I Name Myself Hag") to near-hymnal (Pedro The Lion's "Breadwinner You," Drunk's "Rosary"). Many tracks are unexpected (Modest Mouse a cappella), while others are predictably strange (Elliott Sharp's "Tzara"). What they all have in common, however, is uncluttered artistry perfect for clearing the head—or, conversely, clearing the room. While The Unaccompanied Voice is too much of a novelty to bear many repeated listens, after 24 tracks of mostly gentle lullabies and dirges, the disc almost reaches that transcendent point in which the primal, natural execution can make you forget you're listening to an album and not overhearing sounds through a fortuitously open window.