Review of Shen’s “Best of”

Long Thought Lost: Shen Resurfaces!

love_protest

Excerpts (edited) of a review originally posted by Bruce Bahmani @ iranian.com (August 16, 2011)

In 1978, an unknown band called Shen began making some of the most powerful Iranian music during what was to eventually become one of the most tumultuous periods in Iran’s long history. But before Shen had the chance to really explode, the Iranian Revolution put an end to….

Alright. I really have to stop this charade right now because none of this is actually true. Well, apart from the long history & the revolution, that is. But there was definitely no band called Shen in the 70’s, or even much later. Even though there should have been one.

In fact, Shen is very much a modern day, Montreal-based Rock/Pop outlet/entity – more on that later- that I have recently discovered, and the latest fodder for my never ending quest for new Iranian music. Alas, Shen does, however, sound like a long lost Iranian band from the 70’s era Tehran and band founder and “chief everything” Kaveh Hashemi, the genius behind this new genus of Iranian popular music, is most certainly real.

The best way I can describe Kaveh’s compositions is that they’re symphonic, and not the typical indie band “copycat” stuff one often expects to hear from a typical Iranian group with aspirations for a western sound. His is more like a mix between the incredibly complex sound of a Tears for Fears, Floyd, Bowie, Queen, even Radiohead while sounding like none. Ultimately, it sounds like Shen, which is a testament to Kaveh’s songwriting prowess.

What I find even more astounding is that, other than the actual “physical” recording of his music which was done in tandem with sound engineers, etc. Kaveh’s output – 7 albums of original material to date & counting – is basically all him. Start to finish. Everything you hear is him. Even the female backup vocals. Much to his chagrin. It’s only very recently, with the influx of Iranians of late, that he’s been able to finally find other musicians to help bring his music to life on stage. And we’re all the better for it.

But lets get more “specific”.

Kaveh’s vocals are at once intriguing and haunting, a cross between Al Stewart, Curt Kobain, Eddie Vedder, and especially Nick Drake. But again, sounding like none of them. And in Farsi, to boot! What more could u want? All told, his range is surprisingly precise and purposeful. Iranian music normally isn’t this raw, emotional or vulnerable. Take the song “Shaansi chand taa kish”, for instance, the play on words is one thing, but it’s the sheer epic Iranian-style rockness of the guitar solo appearing out of nowhere that takes it to a whole’nother level. I can’t help but cry every time I hear this song. Seriously. That said, his vocals, while serving his music perfectly, might take some getting used to, at least for the uninitiated Iranian rock listener.

As for his lyrics. Deep. And sharp. Far sharper than what you’re used to typically, so much so that you might not feel the cut initially. The first cut might not be the deepest, with appologies to another well-known western artist. So it might take several listens to really appreciate the depth of his words, which are served up rather unpretentiously. Simple, one might even say.

But it must be acknowledged that the real Achilles heel of Shen’s material, if there is one, is the sub-par production value of the recordings, given the richness of the source material. Mind you it don’t all sound bad, just not as good as it could/should have. Which points to an all-around lack of resources – not totally unheard of in the indie world, btw – as for instance evidenced by the abundance of sampled keyboards & strings, instead of the real thing. What a difference that would have made.

But if you could navigate through these minor roadblocks, rest assured, you’ll in for one hell of a ride. Shen’s music touched my soul several times over during what was supposed to be just a routine listen to yet another Indie-Alternative-Rock-Pop Iranian group. But it ended up being oh so much more than that.

If Shen Band ever tours, I’m seriously getting seriously wasted before I go. Hope u will join me.