I have in my hands the latest CD from the Belgian band Think of One. I learned of the band after their last release on the Crammed record label, Trafico. That CD took the band to Brazil to record a collection of sounds with a Brazilian flavor… This new CD takes Think of One to Marrakech — or, more precisely, brings Marrakech to Belgium — and they return with a wonderful blend of western beats and Moroccan rhythms. With vocals in Arabic, French, English and Flemmish, and a blend of electronica and traditional sounds of a Moroccan wedding, there will be people who say that this can’t be a cohesive sound; I assure you that it is. On songs like “Gnawa Power,” which starts out with the sound of a single Moroccan sintir and then introduces a electronic beat and a fuzzy electric guitar, the blend of these styles is the perfect match. Horns and handclaps, steel guitars and smoky French vocals, clean oud and grungy guitar coexist wonderfully.
If only the people of the world could get along so seamlessly…
Entries (RSS)