The nation's favorite eco-musician, Matthew Lien, recently returned to Taiwan to promote his latest album, The Arctic Refuge (Wind Records TCD 5305), as well to begin work on a extraordinary project for the Ilan County Government.
The result of five years work, 20 field recording expeditions to Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and US$500,000, Lien's The Arctic Refuge is his most time consuming and costly project to date.
Produced at Bryan Adam's Warehouse Studio in Vancouver, Canada, and processed in 5.1 SoundField, the album, featuring Lien's trademark blends of Celtic, European, light jazz, classical and folk influences, is more than simply an addition to the popular musician's discography.
All profits from the CD will go toward the Caribou Commons Project (CCP) -- an international venture aimed at protecting the Arctic Refuge and the calving grounds of the 140,000-strong Porcupine caribou herd from oil and gas exploitation. The CCP also endeavors to guarantee that the Gwich'in peoples of the Yukon and their rich cultural heritage endure and do not fall victim to multinational oil company development. Lien and the CCP consider such exploitation unjustifiable.
"If you look at the data that has been collected then the oil deposits that lie within the refuge are only enough to last the [US] 200 days," Lien said. "I mean, to destroy an entire eco-system and way of life for 200 days worth of fuel ... It's insanity."
Along with promoting the CD and -- more importantly for the popular musician -- the message it carries, Lien is also set to begin work on a new album while in Taiwan.
Commissioned by Ilan County Government, the work will see Lien combining his innovative and predominantly piano-driven music, with the sounds of Asian classical, Aboriginal music and field recordings of the county's plentiful natural sounds.
The as yet unnamed recording will tell the story of water as it meanders its way from atop Ilan's Chilan Mountain, plummets down the many waterfalls, enters rivers and becomes part of the county's rich agricultural tradition.
Along with following Ilan's flows, Lien will be giving musical voice to water as it becomes part of the ocean, finally terminating at the base of Kueishan Island and the volcanic vents that litter the seabed off the Ilan coast.
There are no plans for Lien to perform during his current visit to Taiwan, but he is expected to embark on an international tour sometime in the near future, however, which see him performing in Canada, Taiwan and, for the first time since 1996, China.
Further information about The Caribou Commons Project can be found on the Web at cariboucommons.com.
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