(label)
08 February 2013 (released)
05 February 2013
The band with the admirable and, in this day and age, highly unlikely name has released Honeylion which is a very calming and introspective EP of 8 fantastical songs. Each one deliberately fails to venture past level 7 on the metaphorical volume scale, still, lead man Saman Khoujinian’s restfully harmonic tone draws you in without putting you to sleep.
It also helps that, even though this EP is laden with instrumentality, the songs are not overpowered by a cacophonous attack of sounds akin to aggravated cats being trapped in a music room. The arrangements are considerate, well-timed and consistent throughout the duration of Honeylion.
Even though there are a lot of mild tempos and quiet reflective moments, this band display a tendency to ramp up rock as each songs draws to a conclusion. On a number of their offerings, things go from 0 to 70 in about 4.8 seconds then your gentle swaying becomes some good old-fashioned rug-cutting.
There’s a very international sound here; this band take bohemian to a new level infusing elements of reggae rock, bossa nova, afro-centric rhythms and several other continental influences. When I was listening to the song 'Well Aware', I imagined Sting popping out from nowhere and immediately getting involved in the jamming session.
Because of this inclusion of rhythmic components, Honeylion has quite a rare rock philosophy of the drum percussion dominating proceedings - even over the stringed instruments. Songs are laden with fast and slow paced rims, toms and heavy bongos that make up for the lack of guitar wails. It’s unconventional drumming in which the snare is barely used and the riffs are complexly organised yet magnificently presented.
