Sky Sky 3

Spirit in the Sky (English for Spirit in the Sky) is a song by American musician Norman Greenbaum, which was released in 1969. It reached high chart positions internationally in the spring of 1970 and became a worldwide hit. The album on which the one-hit wonder was released had the same name.

Eight years after Blue Maqams, Anouar Brahem returns with a poignant project, titled after a line of verse by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, which asks "Where should the birds fly, after the last sky?" Graceful chamber pieces for oud, cello, piano and bass subtly address the metaphysical question and its broad resonances in a troubled time.

Eight years after Blue Maqams, Anouar Brahem returns with a poignant project, titled after a line of verse by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, which asks "Where should the birds fly, after the last sky?" Graceful chamber pieces for oud, cello, piano and bass subtly address the metaphysical question and its broad resonances in a troubled time. While drawing upon the traditional modes of Arab music, Brahem has consistently sought to engage with the wider world, too, and found inspiration in many sources from different cultures.

Part of the Gods' strong appeal – their masterful ability to incorporate samples from all sources to create their songs, as well as their self-described "sound freak" tendencies in the studio – would seem to preclude being equally as gripping live. The band has always consistently toured and performed, however, and one listen to this document of a 1992 tour date in Australia demonstrates that for all the technology, the Young Gods can still do the basic job of rocking the house and then some.