review
Something good is happening in the Israeli music scene. A lot of bands from the "underground scene" are making impressive accomplishments, producing quality albums and touring abroad, getting the recognition they deserve. I think the day one band makes it really big abroad, which will lead to Israel being recognized as a "musical power", and have the eyes of the world set on it is not too far. My money is on Eatliz, but like I've written in a post last week, a band like FeelAbout could just as well be it. All it takes is one big hit.
Squid – self titled
Squid is one of the first bands to really have a chance to brush up with American stardom. By the power of MySpace, Squid caught the attention of Fredy Polania, a young American filmmaker who participated in Steven Spielberg's reality show On the Lot, was so impressed with the band he decided to come to Israel and shoot some videos for them. Are they really that good?
Yes, they are. After listening to their debut album for over a dozen times, while fully knowing that this is an Israeli band, I can honestly say that if someone had told me that these guys went to high school with Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Jarvis Cocker and the Coombes brothers, I still would have fallen for it.
Squid have managed to amass thirteen excellent songs, all following the Catchy, not cheesy rule. Lead singer Nir Geva, who is also responsible for all of the lyrics and the music, is a mature and clever songwriter, who knows exactly how to find the perfect balance between words and melodies. The album was self produced by the band, recorded and mixed by drummer Boaz Wolf. Squid is the ultimate alternative rock band, which means that they pretty much do everything from hard rocking riffs to power ballads, Irish folk and even Indian music, while wrapping it all with tight arrangements and good old fashioned crunchy guitars (and by old fashioned, I'm referring to the 90s, of course).
Geva's vocals are impressive as they are multifarious; he knows how to be callous on the heavier songs, and how to be gentle and emotional when things calm down. While standing on his own, his voice feels like a mix of Ex-Rockfour Eli Lulali with Lulali's spiritual father John Lennon, and a pinch of U2's Bono. All are admirable singers (well, except for Bono), and Geva is no different. He is a master of his instrument, but he doesn't let it go to his head. His voice serves the songs, and not the other way around. Every melody is placed carefully in its right place. Every song has a distinguished feel to it, a variation in arrangement style, while keeping an undeniable unified sound. Each one of these songs could be a massive hit, all providing a different and original hook. It's not that the style is groundbreaking. The songs are not innovative, but they are original to the full extent of the word.
I was also very impressed by the lyrics. Geva has a way of expressing himself with simple words, but again, in a non-cliché way. The music serves the lyrics – and vice versa. The lyrics speak of personal experiences, exhaustion from the trials of modern life, side by side with personal growth and dealing with different types of relationships, all portraying the thoughts of a man who struggles to live life to the fullest. One of my personal favorites is the chorus of quicksand: Dragons don't come here anymore / what is a knight without a war? / There's something you have to understand / you can't build a castle on quicksand. I find myself humming this song and other songs from this album all day long, and that's something Squid can definitely write up as a success.
Shir
