When we get a few days of sunshine it feels like spring is giving us a glimpse of the summer that’s on the horizon. AySay’s new album Mal is a set of songs that definitely bring the anticipation of summer into sharp focus as the sunlight seems to shine through every track. AySay are Copenhagen-based and led by singer Luna Ersahin who combines Anatolian folk and Nordic pop through her Danish/Kurdish heritage.
The mix of folk, acoustic, electronic, and pop with psychedelic swirls is fabulous and there are so many great bands around at the moment in this sphere, such as Altin Gün, Buzz Ayaz, and Baba Zula, all creating uplifting beats and soaring tunes that blend folk roots with modern sensibilities. AySay cite influences which include classic artists such as Barış Manço and Selda Bağcan alongside modern acts such as Altin Gün, Björk and Eivør. Just once listen to the sweeping chorus on ‘Den om en mand (Haline Bak)’ is enough to lift you off your chair to start rotating with your eyes outstretched. However, the song – which translates as ‘the one about a man (look at yourself)’ – fuses Danish verses with a Turkish chorus and a spoonful of sarcasm to talk about a man who promises the world but ends up leaving when the going gets tough.
Ersahin says, “MAL means home in Kurdish. The songs on this album are about what it’s been like to be me over the last few years; finding my version of home in the middle of the madness we’re experiencing in the world right now. It’s about the interaction between feeling hopeless and hopeful. About learning from and recognizing heroes of our time, like Malala Yousafzai and Jina Mahsa Amini. About being a woman who loves women. About being Kurdish and learning what that means — even if you never learned the language. About being mixed. About having your social media accounts shut down because so many people reported you for showing the hair on your legs. About a broken heart. And through all of this — how showing up softly in the world can be the most radical thing.”
The spectacular movement that the band achieve keeps your brain fizzing and happily fed with instruments that wind around each other. Sometimes Ersahin’s electrifying saz playing is doubled with Carl West Hosbond’s wonderfully staccato riffs, but he can also shimmer out some truly romantic chords. There is the solid bounce of Albin Andersson’s bass, delightful keyboard washes from Viggo Bandholm, and everything is held in place by drummer Aske Døssing Bendixen’s crisp syncopation and Rasmus Juncker’s empathic percussion. This all hits a dizzying high on the track ‘Govend’ which is a propulsive end to the studio tracks on the album.
Every time I listen to Mal I think that this is why I got involved with Joyzine in the first place: to find music that excites me into converting my happiness into words that will make other people want to listen. That could be anything from bone shaking noise rock, delicate folk, motorik EDM or, in the case of AySay, the euphoria that puts a huge smile on my face.
AySay are: Luna Bülow Ersahin: saz, vocal, backing vocal / Aske Døssing Bendixen: drums, percussion / Carl West Hosbond: guitar
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Review by Paul F Cook
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