Jerusalem In My Heart - Mo7it Al-Mo7it (Ocean Of The Ocean)
Label.........................: Constellation
Genre.........................: Avantgarde
StoreDate.....................: Mar-19-2013
Source........................: CDDA
Grabber.......................: Exact Audio Copy (Secure Mode)
Encoding Scheme...............: Lame 3.98.4 V0 VBR Joint-Stereo
Size..........................: 58.32 MB
Total Playing Time............: 40:35
Release Notes:
Arabic ASCII character text translation used first, English translation
enclosed in (Parentheses).
Allmusic Guide Review:
Founded by the Lebanese ΘmigrΘ Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, Jerusalem in My
Heart define themselves as "contemporary Arabic and electronic music
interwoven with 16mm film projections and light-based (de)constructions
of space, exploring a relationship between music, visuals, projections,
and audience." They have been an underground mainstay on Quebec's art
scene since 2005. The group's intermittent performances range from solo
appearances by Moumneh (a noted producer and engineer, and also an
active participant in Beirut's experimental music scene) to "happenings"
with over 35 participants. His collaborators on JIMH's debut album are
French musician and producer JΘrΘmie Regnier and Chilean visual artist
and filmmaker Malena Szlam Salazar. Musically, Mo7it Al-Mo7it (an ASCII
character text translation of an Arabic phrase meaning "Ocean of the
Ocean") is an abstract yet beautiful affair. Opener "Koll Lil-Mali7ati
Fi Al-Khimar Al-Aswadi" (Speak of the Woman in the Black Robe) is a
completely re-imagined version of a Lebanese evergreen that became a hit
for Sabah Fakhri in 1973. While the chant remains the same, it is
surrounded by haunting synths and ambient effects. "3andalib Al-Furat"
(Nightingale of the Euphrates) is a lengthy meditative instrumental,
performed by buzuk (bouzouki), harp, and programmed bird sounds. On
"3anzah Jarbanah" (Sick, Diseased Goat -- or literally, "Goat with
Scabies"), sampled female-sounding chants with unintelligible lyrics,
heavily treated by effects and reverb for three minutes before squalling
amplified zurna, synths, and Moumneh's layered voices accompany in
choir-like fashion. It's mesmerizing. "Ko7l El-3ein, 3emian El-3ein"
(Eyeliner of the Eye, Blindness of the Eye) begins as an intense buzuk
solo in digital layers, synth bass, echo, and rumbling keyboards. The
final cut, "Amanem" (Lamentation) is a mirror image of the opener.
Nearly nine minutes long, it commences with distorted nearly squelchy
synth, electrified buzuk, and Moumneh's heavily treated wailing vocal,
portraying grief, loneliness, and spiritual longing. The buzuk's
intensity counters the droning vocal and modal synth. The vocal
eventually gets stretched, pitch-adjusted lower, and made elastic, yet
never loses its emotion. While no one can say how this translates from
JIMH's live show, as a recording Mo7it Al-Mo7it is unlike anything else
Western ears have likely heard before. It is compelling, confounding,
and at times, deeply moving.
3.5/5 Stars
Tracklisting
01. Koll lil-mali7ati fi al-khimar al-aswad (Speak Of The Woman 2:55
In The Black Robe)
02. 3andalib al-furat (Nightingale Of The Euphrates) 9:47
03. Yudaghdegh Al-Ra3Ey Wala Al-Ghanam (He Titillates The 3:22
Shepherd, But Not The Sheep...)
04. 3anzah jarbanah (Sick, Diseased Goat) 6:34
05. Ya dam3et el-ein 3 (Oh Tear Of The Eye 3) 5:09
06. Ko7l el-ein, 3oumian el-ein (Eyeliner Of The Eye, Blindness 3:55
Of The Eye)
07. Amanem (Amanem) 8:53
Support The Artists, Buy Their Music....