|
Laleh: Iranian-Swedish Singer Strikes a New Chord June 8, 2005 by: Bruce Bahmani WARNING: This article just might (or might not) contain a complete range of normal adult language. If you have a problem with profanity please spare me, and just stop reading now. Thanks in advance. [with special thanks to Maryam Optimized*] Recently a friend* punched me in the mouth with a new and wonderful find, the kind that like all good sexual diseases you can only catch from a friend.
With a voice that is some variation of that nameless female lead in Missing Persons meets Sioxie and the Banshees, meets Bjork, meets Sinead, or something like all of that combined, Laleh's voice is as fresh and unspoiled as her 20 something looks.
There are clear Iranian references on 2 songs Hame Baham, and Yek Gooshe. These songs are not all Iranian, but if you wait for it, you get more than the pay off you hoped for. I couldn't find where you can buy her album here, but you can visit her website if you can read Swedish and you can always drop her a line www.laleh.se/ Here are some of her songs:
|
Laleh is
a new phenomenon, this time coming to us via Sweden and parts of North
Sea Europe. Apparently we are too jaded to deserve her here. That and
LA wouldn't know what to do with this music, it's that god-damned refreshing.
We all
extol the quintessentially unchallenged beauty of the Iranian woman,
and here in California that seems to all too often include tons of
make-up, augmented boobs, lots of accessories that have the letters
L, V, G, and C in them, and the cherry on the cake (or pie!), a shiny
nose job. But in Laleh's case there's none of that and you can actually
appreciate her simple beauty and you're not sure if it shines from
inside or what's going on, but she's wonderful to look at.
It also
appears as if her music actually says something (Surprised? Don't worry
it's not your fault.), which I find even more refreshing because unlike
the usual vomit we have to spoon off of the gutters of the LA
machine, this stuff is deep.
Even though
it is clear that Invisible is the main anthem being pushed from her
latest album, I still challenge that Live Tomorrow is the real hit
single. A cross between EBTG, and some sort of revisit to Sade's hideout,
it's a hauntingly catchy loop that suggests maybe we shouldn't be too
concerned about tomorrow and enjoy today, the here and now. A tried
concept to be sure, but in the context of this infectious melody, it
really strikes your heart anew. You want to leave the office, tear
off your tie, run through the nearest park, or kiss your wife. Hard.
Maybe it's
because my Laleh infection is still ripe and itchy, but I also found
the lyrics of some of her other songs to be actually (Dare I say it?
Gulp!) relevant! I hope I get to ask her one day if this was her intention
and if the references are meant to be about Iran and its situation,
or if it was an abstract thought that happens to apply. Maybe I won't
even ask, just in case.
