Review of Mashrou' Leila's (مشروع ليلى) 'Mashrou' Leila' Album

Lately, I've been diving more and more into different cultures, aiming for enrichment, improvement, growth, and more. If I have to be honest, 'more' stands for I have a semi-Arabic lover who has introduced me not only to this band but also to many other Arabic artists like Fairuz, Warda, Julia Boutros, Majida El Roumi, Aziz Maraka, and many more that I have yet to discover and review. This guy has helped me open my eyes to a new culture, and quite frankly, half of me wants to soak up everything new and Arabic, while the other half is just trying to impress him. I'm glad that no one is reading my blog, even though it's public and the idea is to be read and discovered. I am very much aware of my lustful desires. I will be as clear as I need to be in order to overpower these human cravings to be seen, and for that, I'll use the ultimate human remedy - honesty.

Yeah, picture this: after our incredible hedonistic, erotic love nights, he puts on this Arabic playlist in the morning or when we decide to let the sun in. Of course, I didn't know any musicians from the Arabic world, but some of the songs had a very oriental Bulgarian feeling, while others had jazz and piano ornaments that completely surprised me. Last week, he mentioned Mashrou' Leila, and I've heard one of their songs a couple of times at his place during his morning routine, which is so charming. One of their songs stood out the other day because whenever he's not around and I miss him, I open this Arabic morning music playlist on Spotify and just play it. While I walked Bobby (my dog), feeling a little melancholic and needy, I started checking the lyrics of every song. First, the melody hits me, and then the Arabic poetry. At this point, I was on the fifth heartbreaking song, asking myself if every Arabic song will break my heart and destroy me. The artists were singing about the moon, the endless nights that found their endings, love that is gone, death, and I was about to cry, which is never pretty. I collected myself, gave myself room to breathe, and then Mashrou' Leila - شم الياسمين (Shim el Yasmine) started. Only the melody and the voice from my headphones were enough for me, but after visiting the lyrics, I discovered that the song actually translates to 'Smell the Jasmine' and tells the incredible emotional story of two Arab men who were in love but their love could never be in their worlds because both of them had families, society, and all that. At this moment, I realized that Western culture has never represented me in a song with such deep, painful meaning; that was the story of my life. How many lovers at this point have I had who cannot be themselves because of the pressure of their past and fear of the future? I remember him saying that they're considered a gay protest band, which in Islam is a no-no, which is weird for a religion practicing compassion, justice, and the importance of community and family. But I am not here to judge religions, rather the music albums of a great band. How do I know that? Today, I listened to their first self-titled album at least three times, and every song is super current, modern, and timeless. Unfortunately, their band split a couple of years ago due to pressure, harassment, and hate campaigns against them, because of their belief that everyone is equal. Christians attacked them, Muslims attacked them, and what is left of them are those five albums which I am going through this week, then I'll continue with reviewing the music of Fairuz.

Mashrou' Leila's album starts with a very melodic and at the same time melancholic song about another homosexual experience in the Middle East. The Lebanese band often tackles these taboo subjects, challenging religious factions and homophobic governments. Like I said, the melodies are incredible throughout the album. The vocals are out of this world, and by that, I mean I have never encountered males conveying such emotion in this way. I love that band. I started listening to them to learn more about Arab culture and try to impress my guy, but now I am in love with this album. I hope their next albums continue evolving and deliver the same quality and commentary; although I am nervous, the bar is set high.

The second song sounds like an underground hip-hop fusion with folk-indie Arabic elements. I feel 'Obwa' is a harsh commentary on how Islam is perceived by the Western world, also a criticism of that same reality. Part of the lyrics 'Tik Tik Ya Em Slaiman' refers to a very sweet and playful song by Fairuz where she sings about the charm of everyday life from the album 'The Exquisite Lady,' but here, in contrast to that sweetness, the sound is used in a different, more brutal meaning.

'Min el Taboor' is another lyrical masterpiece mixed with incredible rock elements. I remember asking my guy if there are rock bands in the Arabic world, and I believe he mentioned this group. After hearing this album and as a rock fan, I could say that yeah, yes, there are rock bands, at least one. I use different sites to translate and check the lyrics, and from what I have seen about this song, I am impressed by the courage of this band to speak truth to power.

How many albums can you call perfect, where you can play them and just listen from the beginning to the end without fillers and skippers? This album is like that. 'Al Hajez' starts, and I hear a familiar word 'Sharmut.' The song continues the critique of those holding and abusing power. Vocally, lyrically, and musically, this album never fails, remaining current and relevant to this day. You would think that there is progress from 2009, and then you hear songs that came out from then that could very much be songs from today. On the other hand, with this playlist full of Arabic songs, I can see and feel that divide disappearing little by little. I feel the songs, the lyrics; they are relevant to me and to my experience. The music is familiar. It is like a small reminder that we are on a small planet, and every culture known to our species was found here, within this connected world.

Anyway, my absolute favorite song starts. I will not listen to it when there are people around, because the second it plays my eyes start to water, and by the end of the song, it is a waterfall, and I am a mess. I play 'Shim el Yasmine' with the most impressive vocals on this album. This romantic song is able to contain within itself the tragedy of this impossible love, yet at the same time, you can feel a drop of happiness that this love was actually real. You know, lately I feel like my power is my awareness; I know what I am, where I am, what I am capable of, and most of the time, what I want. Even though I look like a mess now, I allow myself to feel what I feel and process those emotions, no matter how strange they may seem; I am aware of them. Feel it, release it, nothing lasts. I'll use this song whenever I need to empty my eyes and soul. The melody is so pure, and it flows against the manly, rusty vocals of Hamed Sinno. The whistle and the piano playfully sound against the sadness, almost like hopefulness that it will all be okay. I also found a live version with Erik Truffaz on the Quartet feat. Hamed Sinno performed live at Liban Jazz Festival 2012 / MusicHall, Beirut on SoundCloud that cements the band and this album as one of my favorites. What a beautiful song; it's hard to escape this feeling and continue with the next song. 'I am only happy when it rains,' right? This feeling is addictive; I guess I needed it.

Distracted from these feelings, I finally let the next song play. Hopefully, 'Im-bim-billiah' rhythm picks you up and pulls you from the trance, at least until you read the lyrics. Singing about the common man, beating his wife, abusing alcohol in degradation, the band starts to remind me of the everyday life from my childhood in Bulgaria. We have so much in common, and as the great George Carlin said, "So stirring up the shit is something I like to do from time to time, but I also like to know that I can come back to these little things we have in common, little universal moments that we share separately, the things that make us the same. They're so small; we hardly ever talk about them." Yes, he didn't mean beating wives and drinking alcohol; his stand-up routine tackled other more fun things we have in common (which you can check here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAPoTPjaIUQ if you want to distract yourself for a second like I did), but at least we are more alike than we usually think, even in the bad.

'Latlit' started, and because I was distracted by George Carlin, who has to be my favorite comic, I had to play it again. The Arabic melody and vocals just hit hard here. The song, from the translation I found, deals with another element of society, gossip, and judgment. I've thought about the subject, and there are always plays for those elements, and they find their meaning eventually, just like the lies. Every aspect of human life has some role to play. Will honesty have any meaning without lies, gossip and judgment?

'Khaleeha Zikra' is the next song of the album, that continues this Arabic melody but shifts to a downtempo, almost vampiric, dark alley, late-night music. Another poetic song that revolves around two people: one trying to reconcile and the other wanting to forget and move on with life, only holding onto the memory of that person. This is what I meant when I asked if every Arabic song will break my heart. This album is pure In-depth soul-searching, extremely relevant, and, as I've already said, current. Every song contains so much meaning, and you are immediately transported to those feelings and memories.

The next song, 'Raksit Leila,' points out the messiness and pointlessness of much of life. In an incredibly moving salsa/Arab music fusion, I think the song asks you to enjoy yourself while you listen. I'm not sure if I fully grasp the song's point, but I'll interpret it as I feel until someone points out something different. Unfortunately, this song was the last on the album, but the good thing is that Spotify directly plays the album again. I will definitely listen to this album many, many, many times.

As for the other albums of the band, I can't wait to go through them. I've found a gold mine, and you'll be doing yourself a favor if you expand your horizons and open up to other cultures. I always  feel that music and food are incredible bridges that could cut the distance and the differences between any.

Iliya Badev