Staffed by Turkish, Indonesian and Dutch members, Altın Gün have always favored tunings and tonalities exotic to Anglo-American ears. Utilizing a saz (a long-necked lute played in Eastern Europe, the Levant and Asia) as lead instrument adds distinctive flavor to their respectful yet non-rote modernizations of Turkish folk classics and to their own serpentine compositions. It would be easy for Altın Gün’s recordings to come off as arid museum pieces, but through sheer virtuosity and zeal for the source material, they instead create vibrant renovations of these chestnuts.
Garip (ATO) focuses on reimagining the work of Turkish troubadour/bağlama player Neşet Ertaş (1938-2012). Here, Altın Gün put supple muscle on the bones of Ertaş’ stripped-down songs, which consist mainly of his voice and instrument. Opener “Neredesin Sen” barges in with some dashing Anatolian rock, its flamboyant romantic streak personified by Erdinç Ecevit’s sonorous, passionate vocals with shades of Anatolian legends such as Erkin Koray and Bariş Manço. A rhythmically strange and melodically haunting song with rich synth embroidery, “Öldürme Beni” reveals the stark difference between Ertaş and Altın Gün’s approaches.
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The transformation of “Benim Yarim” into a snaky species of dubwise electrified folk epitomizes AG’s ingenuity (Jasper Verhulst’s spacey bass vibrations FTW). Meanwhile, “Bir Nazar Eyledim” is a sweeping, towering ballad that makes you feel like you swallowed your broken heart and are choking on the shards. Even if your knowledge of Turkish is zilch, you can’t help feeling these 10 songs deeply. Verily, Garip is sonic alchemy.
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