"Cilia"

Song Title: "Cilia Nje Ate Zemar Plot Kujitime"

Artist: Behida Pakastica

Search Term: "Cilia"

I hesitate to even attempt to make any statements of quality regarding this Eastern European folk song because I am way out of my critical depth here. This track was taken from a compilation entitled Kosovo: Music of the Albanian Kosovars, and that is literally all I can tell you for certain. (The song title is likely an English transliteration from the Albanian alphabet, which makes Googling information about it--let alone translating it--a task to which I am unequal.) It's embarrassing for me not because I think anyone reading this expects me to have a working knowledge of every genre into which I jab a toothpick here, but because I worry about potentially causing someone grief if I ignorantly describe a song like this as resembling, say, the Bavarian folk music that's piped ceaselessly throughout poultry gristle depot Zehnder's in Frankenmuth, Michigan, when in fact it's a heartfelt lament regarding some touchy subject that should by no means be dismissed in such a fashion.

I would also likely not be so worried about the potential for such a faux pas if the melody here didn't immediately remind me of the song Zoltan Veramirovich performed in his school talent show on The Critic, which prompted a similarly terrible reaction from the crowd.

So with those caveats issued, I'm going to say this song is just fine and I enjoy it. Pakastica has a weepy but room-filling voice that stops just shy of overpowering the accordion, flute, hand drum, and tambourine that comprise the acoustic arrangement, and although I am at a loss as to what the song's meaning might be, its celebratory tune and relaxed rhythm would fit right in at your next outdoor wedding, Renaissance fair, or corporate trust-building nature retreat.