“It’s our most eclectic album, there’s a little bit of everything. The songs are harder to label. We wanted to do something different. Less in your face, less poppy, less obviously psych-rock. More just vibing.” Jasper Verhulst – Altin Gün.
Altin Gün are the Amsterdam-based band that have been bridging the gap between Turkish folk and psychedelia since their 2018 debut album On. Garip is their sixth studio album and shows them at the height of their powers as they produce a tribute to the legendary Turkish folk star Neşet Ertaş* (1938-2012), a singer who was a virtuoso on the bağlama (also known as the saz). Garip lovingly reimagines ten of his compositions in Altin Gün’s own inimitable style; filling out Ertaş’s often sparse arrangements with the full band and some gorgeous strings.
In the way that smoke curls away from a fire in seemingly endless patterns so the music of Altin Gün swirls and rotates, constantly shifting in myriad ways. And, while they always root you in the beat, they can fly something unexpected in from any direction. The band move effortlessly between major and minor and the curlicues of Thijs Elzinga’s guitar playing can mirror the beat of Daniel Smienk’s drums and Chris Bruining’s percussion or can fly off into kaleidoscopic patterns that dazzle and energise.
Erdinç Eçevit’s vocals are powerful and clear with a slight haunting of reverb. He can hug the ground, riding alongside the bass line, before heading, jet-powered, into space. There is the aching beauty of ‘Gönül Dağı’ which features lush smears of strings that underpin the moody 60’s-vibe stretching into the tremolo of the guitar solo and this is contrasted with the guitar stabs and muted bass of straight-up 60’s pop on ‘Zülüf Dökülmüş Yüze’.
While it’s impossible not to enjoy the songs in their totality, there are so many moments that make the heart leap: the repeated descending scale and swirling solo on ‘Neredesin Sen’, the sublime slide guitar on ‘Gel Yanıma Gel’, the classic 80’s synth on ‘Öldürme Beni’, the stomp and percussive clapping on ‘Niğde Bağları’, and the swelling Nelson Riddle-esque strings and haunting saxophone on ‘Suçum Nedir’.
Altin Gün have treated the music of a legendary troubadour Neşet Ertaş with enormous respect and without losing any of the energy and psychedelic flair of their own music. If this is your introduction to the band then you are in for a treat if you dive into their previous releases. Even with the melancholy themes of heartache unrequited love on many of the tracks, Garip is a joyous tribute to Ertaş, their Anatolian roots, and the rich musical history of Türkiye.
Jasper Verhulst – bass / Erdinç Eçevit – vocals, bağlama, keys / Daniel Smienk – drums / Chris Bruining – percussion / Thijs Elzinga – guitars
Altin Gün: Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram
Glitterbeat Records: Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | Instagram | YouTube
Altin Gün’s show at Koko in London has already sold out but you can still catch their electrifying live show as the band have added another date at Islington Assembly Hall in London on Saturday 14 March – tickets through DICE
* you can see Neşet Ertaş in dazzling form in this clip of ‘Acem Kızı’.
Review by Paul F Cook
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