Interesting point. I guess maybe my definition of folk is a little narrow. I tend to think of anglo/american when I think of folk but obviously it is a much broader category.

^ Don`t worry,fazstp ! As you can see from recent posts, these genre terms are open to plenty of debate. One problem is these musicians who just won`t stay in their little category boxes. They are such a nuisance !
For instance, what do you think of this guy,who, like yourself, is presumably Australian :-

Not a big fan of the didgeridoo but I can appreciate his technique. It looks like he has certainly perfected circular breathing.

If you can talk about "circular breathing", then you already know a lot more about the didgeridoo than me.
In fact, I don`t like the sound that much, either: rather like the bag-pipes, it`s an instrument that`s going to sound mournful whatever you play.

Altogether happier is this song, which was the first big hit (recorded in Kinshasa in 1956) by the undisputed colossos of Congolese music, Franco :-

I have to admit I have a bit of a blockage when it comes to non-english lyrics. I feel like I am missing a huge part of the song when I don't understand the language. Even when I can appreciate a song aesthetically I find it hinders any emotional connection.

Yeah, that makes sense. I enjoy a song that has good, understandable lyrics, like this nautical ballad :-



But I`d much rather listen to foreign language lyrics that I don`t understand than bad English lyrics that I do understand ! I guess, in my head, I listen to a foreign language song the same way I listen to an instrumental, like there`s no verbal message at all.

LOL. Mind you I'm a fan of Dead Can Dance and I have no idea what Lisa Gerrard is singing. Apparently she often makes up words just for their resonance.

:laughing: That sounds interesting ! Maybe I should check them out as I`ve never heard their music.

This is a track off their first album. Their albums are balanced nicely by her partner at the time Brendan Perry sharing vocals on many of the tracks. I guess you could say their music is inspired by world instrumentations. Definitely worth checking out.

LOL. Wikipedia describes them "as an ethereal neoclassical world music duo".

^ That`s a really fabulous sound ! On the strength of that track, I`m going to try and find the album. Thanks very much.
^ LOL. Yes, that`s quite a turn of phrase, isn`t it ?