Duman fans in for a big surprise with new sound
Güncelleme Tarihi:
by Evrim Sel
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mart 25, 2009 00:00
ISTANBUL -Duman fans’ long wait for a new album comes to an end The question now is whether the band’s new sound meets expectations built up since the success of their last album. The much-adored foursome launches not just one, but two albums, and that is not the only surprise in store
A period during which many fans of Duman, the Turkish rock band, had to feel satisfied with various versions of the same old songs has finally come to an end.
Duman's faithful listeners have been yearning for more than four years to hear just one new song spill off Kaan Tangöze's lips, one new note from Batuhan Mutlugil's guitar, a new jam from Ari Barokas’s bass guitar and a new beat to roll down from the drumsticks of Cengiz Baysal.
Today, the much-adored foursome has come back with a bang, rewarding their fans with not just one, but two albums consisting of 10 songs each. But will that meet the need?
The album is great news, but the band’s development may also mark an end of an era, an end to Duman as many know it. Simply because, one cannot stop and wonder whether the fans, whom may even be considered as a "cult of their own," could ever be satisfied with the new sound. After all, the new albums, "Duman I" and "Duman II," may be a little disappointing for those who have been waiting to find a voice to sound off shattered little pieces of their troubled lives.
Starting up the album in a very familiar tone is "Dibine Kadar" (Right Down To The Bottom). The band maintains its lyrical complexity as the familiar voice of Tangöze fills the room, positioning itself by next to the listener, almost becoming his or her voice detesting all those who misunderstood. Words twine into one another. Frustration of being unable to explain oneself, anger, sadness and fear combine, filling up the room. And then just like many other Duman songs the words lose track. Singing along the listener loses the addressee, things shift from the revolt against the second person to praise the third, who actually was decent enough to understand. The sound is quite familiar as well. The music that is partly influenced by "Anadolu Rock" is touched upon by the unique, bold and deep voice of Tangöze and stirred toward arabesque.
Too much polish?
However, it does not escape a fan’s ear that the new sound is "too clean." As the second song plays, the lead singer's much-adored crackling voice pitches up as his vocal style changes. The music follows the lead as Tangöze puts aside his usual sound, in which he actually dwells on almost every syllable of each word, as if protesting the obligation of moving his lips to murmur. A change was inevitable, but what could possibly be wrong with trying to hold on just a little bit longer?
The tone of this album is quite different. The deeper-darker feeling of the music as a whole makes way for a much different state of mind. This time around it feels as if Duman calls out to listeners to let it all go and learn to tease life itself. As the lead singer dresses himself up with a different attitude, his voice hits a much higher pitch and gains momentum. Leaving aside the typical arabesque tone of voice, he almost stops dwelling on the bad stuff, mocking the world and everything in it. All the elements typical of Duman are available on the new albums, as the band continues to talk about the unforgettable loved one and insignificant relationships, moving on to protest the system and condemn those who do nothing other than whine. Duman still protests anything and everything imaginable, but adopts a different tone to do so.
The decision to erase the clashing noises generated by the guitar and the drum battling one another may not have been the best decision for Duman, since those mad noises were a trademark of the band. The clash of instruments, mismatching noises that fit in like pieces of a gigantic puzzle, were part of the band's charm that lured in listeners who believed in the sincerity and openness of Duman. The new double album almost deceives that belief as the clear recording erases key elements that made the fans feel as if those songs were recorded while they were all hanging out in the living room. The fans are not at home anymore. The band places itself in a studio abroad, like many others. The friendship bond has been disrupted, eliminating a platform, where they all gathered, feeling free and fearless to shout... well, mostly bad experiences.
In this album, even Duman seems to struggle with the new sound, as the music goes back and forth between the old and new formats. The tone changes several times, but fails to attain the success of "Seni Kendime Sakladım," their previous album. Some fans probably will continue to murmur old songs until they get used to Duman’s new cynical ways and to the slightly more Westernized sound. That is, until they discover a deeper meaning most likely embroidered into each song by these masters of disguise.
It has never been easy to break down the messages Duman inserts carefully into its songs. But in case that is not enough to get to the bottom of things, attending a live performance by the band might be a chance to see the real color of the new songs. The music will become as raw and as unclean as possible when Duman and its fans reunite at the Bostancı Göster Merkezi in Istanbul on Apr. 5 and at the Ankara Anadolu Gösteri Merkezi on Apr. 11.
Duman's faithful listeners have been yearning for more than four years to hear just one new song spill off Kaan Tangöze's lips, one new note from Batuhan Mutlugil's guitar, a new jam from Ari Barokas’s bass guitar and a new beat to roll down from the drumsticks of Cengiz Baysal.
Today, the much-adored foursome has come back with a bang, rewarding their fans with not just one, but two albums consisting of 10 songs each. But will that meet the need?
The album is great news, but the band’s development may also mark an end of an era, an end to Duman as many know it. Simply because, one cannot stop and wonder whether the fans, whom may even be considered as a "cult of their own," could ever be satisfied with the new sound. After all, the new albums, "Duman I" and "Duman II," may be a little disappointing for those who have been waiting to find a voice to sound off shattered little pieces of their troubled lives.
Starting up the album in a very familiar tone is "Dibine Kadar" (Right Down To The Bottom). The band maintains its lyrical complexity as the familiar voice of Tangöze fills the room, positioning itself by next to the listener, almost becoming his or her voice detesting all those who misunderstood. Words twine into one another. Frustration of being unable to explain oneself, anger, sadness and fear combine, filling up the room. And then just like many other Duman songs the words lose track. Singing along the listener loses the addressee, things shift from the revolt against the second person to praise the third, who actually was decent enough to understand. The sound is quite familiar as well. The music that is partly influenced by "Anadolu Rock" is touched upon by the unique, bold and deep voice of Tangöze and stirred toward arabesque.
Too much polish?
However, it does not escape a fan’s ear that the new sound is "too clean." As the second song plays, the lead singer's much-adored crackling voice pitches up as his vocal style changes. The music follows the lead as Tangöze puts aside his usual sound, in which he actually dwells on almost every syllable of each word, as if protesting the obligation of moving his lips to murmur. A change was inevitable, but what could possibly be wrong with trying to hold on just a little bit longer?
The tone of this album is quite different. The deeper-darker feeling of the music as a whole makes way for a much different state of mind. This time around it feels as if Duman calls out to listeners to let it all go and learn to tease life itself. As the lead singer dresses himself up with a different attitude, his voice hits a much higher pitch and gains momentum. Leaving aside the typical arabesque tone of voice, he almost stops dwelling on the bad stuff, mocking the world and everything in it. All the elements typical of Duman are available on the new albums, as the band continues to talk about the unforgettable loved one and insignificant relationships, moving on to protest the system and condemn those who do nothing other than whine. Duman still protests anything and everything imaginable, but adopts a different tone to do so.
The decision to erase the clashing noises generated by the guitar and the drum battling one another may not have been the best decision for Duman, since those mad noises were a trademark of the band. The clash of instruments, mismatching noises that fit in like pieces of a gigantic puzzle, were part of the band's charm that lured in listeners who believed in the sincerity and openness of Duman. The new double album almost deceives that belief as the clear recording erases key elements that made the fans feel as if those songs were recorded while they were all hanging out in the living room. The fans are not at home anymore. The band places itself in a studio abroad, like many others. The friendship bond has been disrupted, eliminating a platform, where they all gathered, feeling free and fearless to shout... well, mostly bad experiences.
In this album, even Duman seems to struggle with the new sound, as the music goes back and forth between the old and new formats. The tone changes several times, but fails to attain the success of "Seni Kendime Sakladım," their previous album. Some fans probably will continue to murmur old songs until they get used to Duman’s new cynical ways and to the slightly more Westernized sound. That is, until they discover a deeper meaning most likely embroidered into each song by these masters of disguise.
It has never been easy to break down the messages Duman inserts carefully into its songs. But in case that is not enough to get to the bottom of things, attending a live performance by the band might be a chance to see the real color of the new songs. The music will become as raw and as unclean as possible when Duman and its fans reunite at the Bostancı Göster Merkezi in Istanbul on Apr. 5 and at the Ankara Anadolu Gösteri Merkezi on Apr. 11.