Rating: 8/10
Ouzo Bazooka are a four piece hailing from Jaffa, Israel. They draw their inspiration from the local melting pot the exotic Middle East, combining local influences with classic garage rock and vintage psychedelia. Their latest EP, Songs from 1001 Nights, is set for release on 12th January 2018 on Bristol based Stolen Body Records on vinyl, CD and download and BSM are privileged to provide you with the premiere.
The five track offering opens with title track ‘1001 Nights’, a kraut rock beat and bass line dominate before fuzzy guitar riffs come into play with eerie and erotic vocals reverberating hypnotically. The array of instruments enchants and straight away marks Ouzo Bazooka as offering something a little less ordinary. ‘Nile Fever’ uses a stunning organ melody – think The Doors meets Omar Souleyman and you’re somewhere in the right area.
‘Scheherazade’s Dance’, that’s the story teller from 1001 Nights by those who aren’t familiar with the tale and ‘Turkum’ are both heavily rhythmic and create a beautiful sway as they progress, hints of The Orient Express shimmer through as the tracks ease themselves through. The beauty of these tracks is the layers of sound they contain. Concluding ‘Yolar’ offers a heavily Eastern influenced track that blends Arabian wind instrumentals with fuzz laden guitars before moving into a riff straight out of a Western – Ouzo Bazooka create a dizzying concoction of East meets West.
Songs from 1001 Nights transports listeners through a glittering sunrise on the scorched banks of the Nile, through to Tel Aviv’s bustling city streets at peak before transcending down to a sunset on a California beach. The whole journey is laced with the spiced scents from an Istanbul bazaar, all skilfully transcended through the harmonies of Ouzo Bazooka.
Pre-order: https://stolenbodyrecords.co.uk/product/ouzo-bazooka-song-from-1001-nights/
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