FEATURE:
Second Spin
Sevdaliza – Shabrang
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THIS is one of these albums…
that was very well reviewed but does not get played much now. I tend to mix things up in Second Spin between the underrated and underplayed. One album that should get played more is Sevdaliza’s Shabrang. I discovered it when it came out last year. It is a relatively new album that got some great press but didn’t really get discussed and exposed like the mainstream albums or Pop acts. Maybe the more experimental and deep nature of the album means it is not as accessible and digestible as other albums. To me, Shabrang is a terrific album that has so many layers and remarkable songs. This Wikipedia article provides some more details:
“Shabrang (Persian for "night color”) is the second studio album by Dutch-Iranian singer Sevdaliza. It was released on 28 August 2020, by Twisted Elegance. The singer wrote and produced the album, primarily alongside Mucky. The album encompasses art pop, trip hop and alternative R&B.
The album spawned the singles "Darkest Hour", "Oh My God", "Lamp Lady", "Joanna" and "Habibi", as well as "Human Nature", which was originally released as part of Sevdaliza's 2018 extended play The Calling, her previous release. The album cover was shot by Tré Koch”.
What I want to do is bring in a couple of very positive reviews that tell you what critics thought when the album was released. It is an album that many people should listen to. I will drop the album in at the end of this feature; I will source a few of the songs before then.
Before that, I want to bring in a review from AllMusic. Their observations and words really get to the heart of a truly remarkable and affecting album:
“From the beginning, Sevdaliza's emotive singing and songwriting and cutting-edge productions were fully realized. Nevertheless, she's found room for artistic growth with every release. On her debut album, Ison, she expressed its concept of past and present incarnations with tracks that layered upon each other into a transcendent whole. With Shabrang, she expresses the themes of pain, loss, healing, and renewal in ways that are more varied, but just as striking. The album's title means "night-colored" in Persian, a motif that's echoed in Sevdaliza's bruised eye on its artwork and the way she leans into her music's ache. She uses more organic sounds and rougher textures to dig deeper and pull listeners in closer on the haunting "Joanna," where her songwriting takes on a mythical, almost folkloric quality to tell a story of all-consuming love. Similarly, on the title track she traces the almost imperceptible shifts and seismic changes of the heart with the intensity of a classic torch song, even as an ominous dubstep bass looms behind her. This embrace of long-standing song forms -- which recalls Ison's exploration of how the past shapes the future -- stretches to the prominence of Sevdaliza's Iranian roots on the album. The title Shabrang alludes to the name of a loyal steed in an 11th century epic poem from her birthplace, while her somber, string-laden reimagining of Googoosh's 1974 song "Gole Bi Goldoon" pays tribute to her heritage as well as Sevdaliza's own flair for drama.
Throughout Shabrang, she uses traditional melisma and vibrato as well as futuristic pitch-shifting skillfully to transform her voice into new shapes and emotions. On "Human Nature," she lets it melt and flow like water before lifting it into impossibly, achingly high notes; on "Oh My God," she morphs into different personae as she questions the politicization of her heritage. In its natural state, her voice is so rich that it fits perfectly into every setting she puts it in on Shabrang. Working once again with co-producer Mucky and string arranger Mihai Puscoiu, Sevdaliza uses a wider and more adventurous musical palette than ever before. On the tumbling, hypnotic "All Rivers at Once," she juxtaposes electric guitar, synth, and violin in ways that make them all sound fresh. As always, her use of textures is stunningly expressive, particularly on "Darkest Hour," which transforms from piano-driven heartbreak into dark, propulsive, dancefloor-ready grooves that distill the album's mission to turn pain into strength. At once dazzling and heartfelt, Shabrang is an epic journey, and Sevdaliza is brilliantly in control throughout it”.
There is something very weighty and substantial when one listens to Shabrang. Rather than it being a collection of songs that just drift by and have occasional flashes of brilliance, Shabrang is a properly immersive and consistently amazing album. Everything Is Noise wrote passionately about Sevdaliza’s second studio album:
“The album is paced perfectly, its first third featuring early album highlights such as “All Rivers At Once” which, with its unsettled americana touch, is perhaps the record’s boldest and most enjoyable experiment. Further along, you have lead single “Habibi” which is what you’d get if The Fragile-era Nine Inch Nails was re-imagined as piano balladry performed by 070 Shake. Elsewhere, we’re treated to the spectacular cover of a classic Persian pop song “Gole Bi Goldoon” – whose grand re-imagining here makes it one of the greatest covers I’ve ever heard.
Concluding the album strongly are “Rhode” and “Comet”. “Rhode” plays out as the album’s final catharsis, the darkest track here, and the one that most resembles the Sevdaliza of old, barring the incredible solo that ends the track with a sense of spiraling finality. Afterwards, we’re treated to album closer “Comet”, a subtle reference to Sevdaliza’s first record ISON, and the logical denouement to Shabrang, utilizing immersive orchestral elements to signal that we’ve reached the end of an era.
The only creative decision that truly puzzled me was the album’s inclusion of “Human Nature”; a track previously released on The Calling. It feels somewhat out of place here, despite its subtle orchestral makeover. Taking a step back, I can also see how other long-time fans might find the album’s sharp turn into new stylistic territory not to their liking. I can only hope they give the album its chance to grow on them. With subsequent listens, my initial appreciation developed into adoration – and I’m confident others will have a similar experience.
Shabrang is album of the year material, and Sevdaliza’s greatest artistic achievement yet. She skillfully honed her craftsmanship to shed any traces of imitation that might have appeared in earlier material, while evolving her sound in a way that doesn’t entirely turn its back on the past. It is an evolution that will keep most of her fans on board, and certainly draw in many, many more. If there was any doubt before, Shabrang should dispel it: there isn’t an artistic powerhouse out there quite like Sevdaliza”.
I shall wrap it up there. I think that Shabrang is one of those albums that affected everyone who reviewed it but, to me, there was not as much coverage as there should have been. Go and listen to the album and experience something majestic. Even though it has not been in the world for that long, I think that Shabrang warrants new investigation and inspection. It is an album that provides…
A life-affirming listening experience.