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TootArd
Laissez Passer
(Glitterbeat)
SYRIAN band TootArd — “strawberries” in Arabic — are from the occupied Golan Heights and this is their debut international release.
The album's title references the travel document issued to stateless individuals like TootArd who are seeking to reunite with relatives.
Since 1967, the area has been annexed by Israel but the inhabitants aren't Israelis. They have no citizenship or passports.
Unsurprising, then, that movement, statelessness and transcending boundaries are expressed through upbeat desert-rock rhythms in the title track.
Echoing guitar riffs are sandwiched with classical Arabic harmonies in an aural feast that reflects the multifaceted nature of existing in an indeterminable state..
Instrumental Bayati Blues, like many other tracks, is a smorgasbord of sound, ending in an uplifting drum crescendo, while closer Syrian Blues is a gentler instrumental, reflecting the expansive space of the desert.
Well worth a listen.
