Undrentide

1	Undrentide 4:49
2	Isabella 3:32
3	Quan Vey la Lauzeta 3:12
4	Besse Bunting 1:57
5	E Volentieri 4:28
6	Cantiga 1:48
7	Summerisle (The Maypole Song) 1:36
8	Averil 3:53
9	Secreit Night 1:38
10	Now Welcom Somer 2:21
11	Veni Coronaberis 2:54
12	Omnes Gentes Plaudite (The Drinking Song) 3:05
13	Lanquan Li Jorn 2:29
14	At a Springe-Wel 1:23
15	Dance of the Trolls 1:14
16	Maiden in the Mor Lay 2:47
17	E Volentieri (Reprise) 4:33
18	Palästinalied 4:48
19	Aria 3:57

Barnes & Noble

Those dozen Mediæval Bæbes return on Undrentide with a sassy blend of old-world vocals, funky grooves, and dead languages. The theme this time seems to be Midsummer-Night's-Dream-meets-Bride-of-Frankenstein, conjuring vivid images of lusty cavorting, Dionysian revelry, and maddening enchantments. Most of the lyrics come from between the 12th and the 15th centuries, although some new material has been crafted to match ye olde style. Whether singing in ancient English, French, Italian or Latin, the Bæbes' pronunciation is clear and precise. Lively drumming and string drones accompany the title track, an eerie tale of an English queen who falls asleep beneath a fairy tree at noontime and goes mad. The whir of an electronic beehive introduces the Italian fairy frolic of "Isabella," with a vocal round that builds over a techno groove and piquantly frictional strings. Pristine harmonies and delightful guitar work accompany "Quan Vey la Lauzeta," a 12th-century French song about a jilted lover, while "Secreit Nicht" creates a spooky mood with high violin drones and dulcimer plucking. "Veni Coronaberis" fast-forwards to the modern realm with blues saxophone, jaunty recorder, soulful cello, and hypnotic drum programming. The Middle English "Omnes Gentes Plaudite" is a bawdy "bottoms-up" drinking song, and the gals' gutsy vocal round is a perfect foil for the track's techno-trash percussion. These Bæbes recreate the vitality of a mediæval festival, and it's a thoroughly enthralling affair. Carol Wright

All Music Guide

The 12 brazen female musicians in Mediaeval Baebes have kept their vivacious demeanors on Undrentide, the follow-up to 1999's Worldes Blysse. Undrentide features production work from John Cale as former Miranda Sex Garden frontwoman Katherine Blake leads this British troupe into soundscapes of electronica and hums of orchestral backdrops. The Mediaeval Baebes are sophisticated in their own right here and as dynamic as always. MacKenzie Wilson