Satnam Galsian’s new EP takes the sound of her last solo release – the EP ‘Fragmented Truth’ – and adds something extra. What that something extra is hard to describe; the best I can come up with is to say that the overall sound of this EP brings together her traditional Punjabi and Celtic folk influences together into something that is unique to her. To my admittedly older ears it has at least some of the sounds in late 60s/early 70s Progressive Folk and some it sounds distinctly Psychedelic It’s a fusion but not what you expect to hear from that description.
‘Sahiban’ was developed during her Opera North Resonance residency at the end of March. The project was a feminist retelling of the story ‘Mirza Sahiban’, with lyrics written by poet, Hafsah Aneela Bashir, who brought the idea to life with her words. The guitarist John Hogg worked with her to compose the music for ‘Sahiban’, he is also the guitarist in her band, Kinaara.
Opening piece ‘Hear My Story’ sets the scene for the EP. Here the sound reflects her Punjabi sound BUT with music that is made up of various drone sounds that combine into something quite Trance-y. It is the start of a journey.
‘Hope And Reverie’ steps into that Punjabi/Celtic folk sound. The thing is that it’s actually quite difficult to exactly pin down where any sound in the song comes from – including her vocals which can move from one to the other within a single line. For example, while the guitar might tread a Western path; the fact that its sound might sit in a Celtic sound is warped beautifully in your head because there are common factors between them.It’s wonderful.
‘Sahiban Chose Love’ takes that drone sound. And then ’Reality And Broken Arrows’ adds in elements of Psychedelia in the guitar sound while other more ‘traditional’ Punjabi folk swirl around her voice in a maelstrom of sound.
‘Hear My Voice’ is gentle. It soothes after the riot of sounds in the previous song. It almost serves as the introduction to ‘Revelation And Choice’ which again adds in that Psychedelic Folk sound in the guitar.
Closing piece ‘Sahiban Chose Life’ is the end of the story, the journey. It has this wonderful, I think, cymbal drone
I have resisted commenting to any large extent on the individual songs which I think on reflection should be called sections of a piece. Each section has an individual feel that reflects what is being said in it. Each section has a mood, an emotion, an atmosphere.
What you must resist is treating hearing this gorgeous EP as an intellectual exercise in appreciating music that fuses together different sounds.Sure it does that, and I wouldn’t object to you admiring the musical skill involved in that. but the thing is that this EP is so much more than that. It’s astounding music that blows your mind. It has emotion and atmosphere. In short, beautiful music is beautiful music wherever its influences come from. Sure you may need to ‘adjust’ your ears to its sound but once you do that the result is wonderful. In short, let your mind go and sink into the beauty of the music on this EP. It’s compelling, mesmerising and hypnotic.
