What a charmingly weird discovery this is! Yiğit Bülbül is a London-based musician whose roots are in Turkey, and this mini-album combines the experimentation of artists like Holger Czukay with the dulcet sounds of Serge Gainsbourg’s backing band in their calmer moments. A surreal release this one…
Turkey
Lalalar – Bi Cinnete Bakar
Quite a tasty album here. Lalalar are not some common Anatolian Rock ripoff. Rather, they do use the venerable genre as a reference point, but you can hear influences such as post-punk and darkwave seep into the stew.
Various Artists – Canary Records: To What Strange Place: The Music of the Ottoman-American Diaspora, 1916-30
Ian Nagoski’s stunningly and consistently impressive Canary Records releases a giant collection of songs from immigrants of the, by then, collapsing Ottoman Empire. These songs span the time period between the First World War and the Great Depression, and are lovingly transferred and curated by Nagoski, whom you can hear Continue Reading
Various Artists – Canary Records: Let’s Add Raki to Wine: Women in Istanbul ca. 1931-46
Canary Records are the kings of shellac-era reissues, and this is one of their most fabulous. It’s a collection of female singers who were active in Turkey’s cultural capital, and Ian Nagoski, musicologist and venerable head of the company, has made these recordings sound as clear as possible, despite being Continue Reading
Gaye Su Akyol – Yort Savul: İSYAN MANİFESTOSU!
Gaye Su Akyol has an EP release out, and it’s punchy. Four powerful tracks of modern Andalou psychedelic rock and groove will be enough to whet your appetite for more. Turkey seems to really have it going on when it comes to psych music these days! The Grey Lady (or Continue Reading