Imaad Wasif
The Voidist

Strange mixture the Indo-Canadian Imaad Wasif.

From the name, one might mistake him for a member of some Berber brotherhood like Master Musicians of Jajouka, or, who knows, a Sufi dancer or other Middle Eastern stereotypes of your choice. From the photos, his clear Indian origin would be evident, with his look like “Ravi Shankar goes to Bitburg” (oh yes, because he looks like an unlikely Shaivite Johnny Ramone). The strangest, and most beautiful thing, is that the music he makes hardly coincides with the above description.

To be lazy, and therefore simplistic, his music is nothing more than an equal blend of folk, psychedelia, and more or less hard rock. The usual revivalist mishmash by the kilo, you might think. And yet, damn, no. At the risk of being considered incompetent or deaf, I put my face out there and say the guy has the numbers, or rather, the Songs. Maybe not all the tracks on the album deserve the capital S, but for sure, in certain moments, the guy has rare sensitivity and taste in the musical sphere in which he moves, successfully transcending its fragile boundaries.

For a strange short circuit between geography and metempsychosis, the guy also has a Voice worthy of the name, which in certain pieces cannot help but remind one of the more melodic Jeff Buckley (no, he doesn't have that power, but it's almost a good thing). “Priestess” or the ups and downs that embellish “Widow Wing” are clear examples. We were talking about capital S Songs, and on the first side, almost all of them are, from the initial pseudo-raga of “Redeemer”, through the fuzz crescendo of “Fangs”, the central catharsis of “Our Skulls”, to the alternation of empty (acoustic) and full (electric) in “Return To You”.

The second side lives off other atmospheres, perhaps more canonical and freaky, highlighting the folky side. Dylan-esque, almost mimicking Desolation Row, in “The Hand Of The Imposter (Is The Promise Of My Own)”, gentle and mellow in the little gem of 12-string and slide called “Her Sorcery”. To return again with electric frenzies mixed with oriental cadences (perhaps the only evident example on the record) in the final “Razorlike”.

Heartfelt album of last year, and an artist to keep an eye on.