ARAX - “Javaabe Fori”

Navaaye Delshodeh (Iran)
2005 (1384)

ARAX aka Araks is the name of the ancient and mystique river that has today been adopted by a BOY/GIRL band in Iran! The material in ARAX debut is created by Mahdokht Safavi, Babak Shahraki, Yaghma Golroie, Amir Hassan Safayi, Hamid Panahi, Abbas Shahkamali, Amir Resaleyi and Tahmoures Shirmohammad. “Javaabe Fori” features 10 tracks and is released on the newly established Navaaye Delshodeh.

The album kicks off with a POWER POP fare called “Man & To”. The RETRO-oriented song remains relatively consistent and CATCHY throughout and pins the opener nicely!

Don’t check if its your mobile that is causing the white noise, its rather ARAX who try to “Telephone” you and BEG you to answer this rather nice Nojooki-inspired RETRO-call!

“Khoone be Doosh” is a FRENETIC and HECTIC Electro-ROCK fare that is just too fast for its own good! The initial idea behind it is rather interesting though, but poorly executed.

The previous song referred to fishes and now its time for their archenemy “Mahigir” to enter the story! A BALLAD aiming at the early 80’s generic BALLADS. The music is rather good but the vocal performance lacks the expression needed!

Now to an Irano-Andalusian song with a hint of CONTINENTAL flavour. “Safar” is loosely composed and badly sung, unfortunately!

A song of similar style and equal quality comes along as another weak aspirant in the latter part of this album. “Lahzehayi Aasheghane” is a messy melange!

“Dastaat Mehraboone” on the other hand is a melange of International influences of the kind I’ve never heard before! Everything from Indian to LATIN and French ingredients can be found in this HARMONY POP dish! A rather admirable attempt but the result is far from impressive!

As if things were not bad enough ARAX felt that they had to throw in an obsolete fusion of everything that the 60’s and the 70’s had to offer! As found in many of their fellow bands’ albums. JAZZ, ROCK, DISCO …be my guest and pick up the rest from the floor of the slaughterhouse that “Sahme Man” is!

And finally the album happens to end with a relatively decent track! “Bahoone” is compared to its predecessors a good and tolerable song!

ARAX started off rather decent if not promising, but as the album progressed the ambition and quality of performance retrogressed!! More and more till an almost point of no return! The era of the BOY/GIRL bands and the craze they once created is more or less over! Today are trends inside the country driving more and more towards the singer/songwriter fashion. If ARAX had appeared three years ago with the same material it would have been a relative success, but today in comparison with the acts and quality we hear coming from Iran is this just another RELIC and remain from the post-ARIAN era!

Artistic Performance: -
Artistic Ambition: --
Commercial Potential: -
Technical Quality: +
Aesthetic Presentation: ---
Ethical Adherence: +++
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