Sol Naas - 2012 - Звук

Trip Hop

[FOR FREE]

http://solnaas.bandcamp.com/

• 8 songs to download
• You name the price (min 0,-)
• You get the link if you register your email address
• Listening recommendations: Декорация (Music By Lubea)t, Мы (Music By Azeriff 2)

Impressions

And now for another installment of “Gabbo doesn't speak the same language as the music he's recommending.” This time around, 'Звук' ('Sound'), an excellent trip-hop EP by Azerbaijani musician Sol Naas. If you've read any of the other reviews for records that showcase my linguistic skills, you can see I'm often be a disadvantage when reviewing non-English speaking music, but like those review, I'll be damned if I'll let a language barrier prevent me from enjoying Naas' EP let alone recommending it to others. Naas and her varied producers (of which there are 5 across the 8 tracks here) use downtempo beats as a foundation upon which to build from using live instruments and a smattering of synthesizers to create seductive songs over which she croons effortlessly. All of the tracks sound as if they begin and/or end with recorded conversations between a man and a women, or sound bites from television (“Intro” is made up completely of this it seems), which adds a vaguely voyeuristic element to the tracks, and also ties them all nicely together. I would say it's probably thematic, but that might be pushing it too far. Musically, this doesn't push the boundaries of trip-hop too far, drums are the main instrumental ingredient on nearly all the tracks, and the bass tends to be the main accompaniment, and both aim for a casual pace. When the keyboards and other instruments do get a bit more time in the sun as on “Особый случай” (“A Special Case”), the time signatures can change a bit, and so does the tempo (“Особый случай” sounding a bit like slow jazz instead of hip hop beats.), just enough to stay fresh and interesting across the 8 tracks here. “Декорация” (“Decoration”) 's sparse uses a simple guitar riff to great effect being another example. That being the case, the combination of the music with Sol's voice creates a whole that is greater than the sum of it's parts. It may not blow down your door with originality, but it's still decent trip-hop, and I think fans of the genre will enjoy it, and it's something new and different for those who aren't, whether they speak the same language or not.