”...Violently Delicate is an album of many contrasts, but it is held together by Lee Triffon’s crystalline vocal work and well produced instrumental arrangements. The culture of Israel is known for combining all that is best into their own creation. They have created their individual sound to stand above the rest…”

{May 16, 2008} Eatliz doesn’t draw in your typical teen crowd. Today, I checked out the music of Israeli group Eatliz. Along with Noa Babayof, Eatliz is signed under Anova, although that’s pretty much all the two have in common in terms of their music itself.

Admittedly, I was jarred when Eatliz’s music began blaring on their MySpace page. I had expected something akin to the softness and delicacy of Noa’s music; instead, I was treated to a blast of some of the most pleasantly dissonant and disorienting melodies I’ve come across in terms of world music. The melodies seem driven by a dizzying, taurine-addled machine– I couldn’t help but sway and bop my head in all the appropriate places. The band’s sound recalls a cross between Italian metalheads Lacuna Coil, The Mars Volta, and our own Paramore, making for music that not only bears commendable aesthetic attributes, but no doubt also draws in the hip rebel teen and twenty-something crowds.

Melodies aside, the lyrics are a headtrip in and of themselves. Take “Big Fish,” off their full-length debut release, Violently Delicate, for instance: “My liver is so old/ all purple & gold/ we started to dance/ I woke up in France,” it ends. The bridge adamantly declares: “ALTHOUGH I DID IT/ I’LL MAKE YOU TAKE THE BLAME/ I’ll do it again. It’s the perfect elixir for youth angst– at times mellow and complacent, at other times shrieky, it’s arguably one of the album’s standout numbers.

Eatliz consists of Guy Ben Shitrit, Or Bahir, and Amit Erez on guitar, Adam Scheflan on bass, Omri Hanegbi on drums, and vocalist Lee Triffon. They have been deemed by many to be “the best band you haven’t heard yet”– a title that is rightfully deserved. This indie alternative group has churned out some of the most head-tripping beats you’re likely to come across. Check out “Big Fish” and other tracks from their debut album here: http://www.myspace.com/eatliz– Eatliz is a band that’s well worth a listen.

Published on Charissa’s Global Rhythm Blog