Huun-Huur-Tu's second release finds the Tuvan quartet refining their startling and beautiful vocal technique. Unlike later albums, which incorporated original material and Western instruments, The Orphan's Lament consists of traditional songs accompanied by two-stringed fiddle, mouth harp, and percussion made of animal skins and bones. Alternating brief folk songs (the plaintive, urgent "Agitator”; the hypnotic "Eki Attar") with extended throat-singing showcases (the chilling closer, "Odugen Taiga"), these 16 melodically and emotionally varied tracks are both subtle and exciting.