Yusuf Azak – Light Procession
This one arrived completely out of left field. I’ve never heard Yusuf’s name anywhere, nor seen it on a poster or flyer, so it’s fair to say that I had precisely no expectations either good or bad when I clicked on the MySpace link in his email.
Well, let’s not beat about the bush here, shall we – this is really, really good. The guitar is plucked in a lovely, rolling manner and with a really nice individual style. It’s almost got elements of classical guitar (don’t worry, not much, I hate classical guitar too) to flavour the folky plucking, and it gives the music real character. The breathy harmonies are really nice too, and although the delivery doesn’t quite have the spasming lurch of some modern music, it does have enough shift and lilt to catch you pleasingly off guard from time to time.
Yusuf lists his influences as Eliot Smith, the Beach Boys and Bob Dylan and that’s pretty evident from his music. His review in Is This Music also mentioned Nick Drake and I can certainly understand that one as well. Basically he sounds like a ghostly set of old bellows, wheezing in and out and managing to rather surprisingly generate some fantastic songs whilst doing so. The new EP Light Procession was recorded with the help of the Dalhousie String Quartet (the what?) and they really add a gorgeous atmosphere to the songs on which they appear.
Yusuf is lining up a tour for November and will be accompanied by the very same quartet, so I would strongly recommend getting along to one of those shows if you get the chance. Buying the EP is logistically difficult at the moment, but if you contact him through his MySpace page I am sure he will happily send you this one, and hopefully his previous one as well. There are plenty more songs to preview there as well.
Yusuf Azak – Light Procession
Yusuf Azak – Ursa Major
Sorry but gyah! That reminded me of the bit in Twin Peaks where the fella speak backwards and then they play it in reverse (or something). Disturbingly bad.
True actually, there are times when he sounds like he might be singing backwards. It’s just the unusual nature of the vocals though, this fella is very good indeed. Also Sprach Dertoadenwurst.
Sorry, meant to post yesterday when I listened to this.
Regrettably, I’m with Pinko. Judging by these two tracks (and I have no intention of investigating further), it really is terrible.
There’s no way of judging if this guy has any talent as a performer or a songwriter. The music engages no emotions in the listener other than abject frustration.
I get the feeling that the performer is simply trying to be clever, rather than comment on his own experiences or engage with mine. An approach that I find deeply unappealing.
It’s a pointless waste of time, sorry.
OK, compelled to speak out in support (unapologetically, at that):
I really, really like the sound: the vocals, the muddy (in a good way) layers of instrumentation, the texture of acoustic guitar.
Initially, I felt the songs themselves didn’t always do justice to the sound; but they’re growing on me after a couple of listens. Even so, some of the abupt transitions in Light Procession) still jar a bit (in a bad way).
Yeah Nic, I’d agree. It’s an unusual vocal treatment, but it works for me. The indistinct, muddy nature of it gives the song itself the feeling of being one big pair of asthmatic lungs, and I like it. And the guitar is lovely: just intricate enough to be different, and just loose enough to be interesting. I am really enjoying this.
[...] have been a big fan of Yusuf Azak since I first heard his recent EP, Light Procession, last year but I’ve yet to even have the chance to see him live. I was, [...]
[...] dettaglio del suo stile compositivo, prendendo ad esempio la spericolata “UrsaMajor” dal suo ep “Light Procession” (del 2008, in download gratuito dal suo [...]