Sanam - Sametou Sanam

The Beirut-based avant-rock sextet merges psych/kraut, improv/skronk, electronics, goth, and jazz elements with traditional Egyptian song and modern Arabic poetry on this superb follow-up to its acclaimed 2023 'Mais Um' debut. It begins with a shudder, razored electronics, and gasping voice perforating pounding drums before the band locks into triumphant ascent. It is about immersion in “an infinite fire,” Chamoun reveals. She wrote the lyrics to “Tatayoum” alone before bringing them to the band. It reflects a different kind of intensity, “a loop, an obsession,” she suggests. Buzuq weaves through hovering electronics and urgent drums while Chamoun recites Arabic words describing love. The incessant energies explored in these tracks aren’t necessarily negative. She compares their intensity to a writer locked in a train of thought, for better or worse. “It’s not about being depressed or sad,” says Chamoun. “It’s a trap, but it can also be magical". RIYL: Lehkfa, Nadah El Shazly, Swans, Jarboe, Muqata'a, Suuns, Black Country New Road, Jerusalem In My Heart