Album Review

Sinkane – Mars

• 30th Nov 2012

Sinkane (Ahmed Gallab) has been breaking musical boundaries with his eclectic, multi-dimension album ‘Mars’. To gain a better understanding of Gallabs musical influences and how they’ve shaped the album, ‘Mars’ draws upon Gallabs personal history. Born and raised in Sudan, Gallab and his family fled the political uprising of the 70’s and immigrated to the US, eventually settling in Ohio. It was here that Gallab was immersed and greatly influenced by the post hard-core scene. He later moved to Brooklyn and made a name for himself working with indie rock artists such as Caribou, of Montreal, Born Ruffians and Yeasayer. Having not only produced ‘Mars’ himself, Gallab plays an array of different instruments on each track, as well as enlisting well known musicians, such as Ira Wolf Tuton (Yeasayer). Combine this with Gallabs Sudanese origins and you’re in for a pretty diverse album bursting with polyrhythmic grooves, hard-core funk, afrobeats and indie rock vibes.

‘Runnin’ opens with the distinct twang of funk guitars, while Gallabs impressive falsetto soars above. Queue the funky bass line, psychedelic synths and percussive beats that work in harmony to create a multi-layered feast for the ears. ‘Runnin’ is constantly building momentum while mirroring the lyrics ‘Gotta keep on runnin’.

‘Jeeper Creeper’, with its apparent Yeasayer influence, drifts through a sea of echoing guitars and graceful melodies, while the accompanying bass line drives it home. Gallab is no stranger to musical infusion and furthers demonstrates this with his use of a vocoder in ‘Lady C’Mon’ to create an electro-funk vibe. The vocoder makes another appearance in ‘Making Time’, while being supported by a funky bass line and a classic guitar solo; All together a deeply textural piece of music. ’Warm Spell’ is a mellow multi-rhythmic track accompanied by funk guitars and Gallabs soothing, carefree vocals. This mellow vibe continues into ‘Love sick’ but progresses into a state of turmoil with his amalgamation of sounds from brass to woodwind. The title track ‘Mars’ opens with an atmospheric percussive roll as it launches into a disjointed sound-clash. The track seems quite incoherent, but as some would say ‘There’s method in the madness’. ‘Caparundi’ brings the album to a close as it takes you on a dreamlike journey with flourishes of wind and brass over Gallabs soothing vocals; The perfect 7 minute chill out track.

Throughout the 8 track album, Gallab supports this sense of Global musical infusion. While this approach can seem quite innovative and unique, there are at times where this infusion of styles can be slightly overwhelming. However, additional tracks throughout the album are immensely mesmerizing and soothing, providing a suitable balance. ‘Mars’ appears to be a representation of musical time and space, where anything is possible. Question is, are you brave enough to venture into the unknown?

‘Mars’ will be released through City Slang on December 17th.

Venue: Mars
Support Band: City Slang