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| Haale's Psychedelic- Pass the Incense and Tahini |
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| Reviews - Music | |
| Written by Lena Putzer | |
| Wednesday, 09 May 2007 | |
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"Picture yourself on a boat, on a river with tangerine trees and marmalade skies", sang John Lennon, 40 years ago, when he recorded "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" for the Sgt. Pepper album. Now, 40 years later, one can picture themselves serenading a king cobra in a straw basket, as they listen to one of New York City's newly celebrated indie artists, Haale Gofori. {mosgoogle right} Though raised in the Bronx, Haale has managed to stay true to her Persian roots. She remains deeply seated in her culture and well versed in all it's mystical meaning. Haale boasts a rather broad spectrum of influences when it comes to her music—Neil Young, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Patti Smith, Radiohead, Nirvana, and of course, the Beatles, just to name a few. If her appearance doesn't strike you, her vocals will. They are a wonderful blend of original and spiritually elevating sounds. Words such as, hypnotic, sultry, mystical, and meditative come to mind when describing Haale's whimsical, wailing voice. The music she and band mates Matt Kilmer (percussion) and John Shannon (guitar) play tease the senses into a full-blown, higher state of consciousness. The infectious drum beating, warped, whining strings of Haale's sitar and light woodwinds make for a traditionally Middle Eastern sound. Haale carefully knits and twists an alternative rock sound, heavily sprinkled with Sgt.Pepper psychedelic sentiments, into the melodies. Her unusual lyrics are like Haiku poetry. Once you've listened to the lyrics, you will forget their lack of rhyme and focus only on how beautiful and provocative they are—how they seem to reflect a flow of consciousness. Working with Dougie Browne and Tchad Blake, Haale has managed to complete two CD's Morning and Paratrooper, which are both due out this May. As one listens to "Home Again", which is one of the most rhymic and melodic of the songs, one immediately feels submerged in the Middle Eastern culture, in a calm and soothing way. There are no hints of what is really going on in the Middle East today. "Floating Down" reflects a strong Beatles Psychedelic era influence. "Ay Del" blends right in from "Home Again" and gives the listener the feeling they are in an Islamic mosque, deep in prayer. "This High" sounds like a whale communicating in the far distance, providing a peaceful musical backdrop for that meditational mood. Haale's lyrics emphasize this feeling, "Do I hear the calls of the ocean when I'm this high?" "Before the Skies" features the falsetto vocals of Sean Lennon as the melodies and rhythms create a soft alternative-rock-meets-psychedelic-sixties experience. After listening to albums, one notices the commonalities between them, creating a unique signature, reflecting Haale's approach to music. Her vocals on all of the tracks can be consistently described as sultry, smooth and mesmerizing. It's a refreshingly mesh of Sheryl Crowe, Stevie Nicks, Nora Jones, Suzanne Vega and John Lennon simmered together in one big pot. The sitar is traditionally played to give it that over-stretched guitar string, wiry sound, reverberating, as if being played lazily out of tune. With the exception of Carnegie Hall for a David Byrne event, Haale tries to stick to the cozier establishments and small colleges, where her performances are nothing short of mystifying and theatrical. She is captivating and passionate, forming an unexplainable connection between herself and her listeners. Perhaps it is Sufi, as she explains in her blog. It is a certain kind of self-annihilation that allows one's soul to break free from its invisible padded room and join with another to become one. One can go on and on about this fresh, re-vitalizing new talent on the rise—suffice it to say, you should treat yourself to what beautiful cultural sounds the Middle Eastern world has to offer.           |
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