culture
Music
Very attentive
Again, within himself: Shalom Hanoch's intimate album is his best for years
Farewell to Meir Ariel, Suffering for Rabin, clinging to memories and not giving up on a social statement: The jazzy and slow "Herzl Lillenblum" created by Hanoch together Moshe Levy and Eli Magen returns the retired king of Israeli rock to his element.
Protest hits that burned the radio were rightly left outside, better songs left inside
Tags
Shalom Hanoch
Moshe Levy
Eli Magen
Nadav Menuhin
Wednesday, 28 April 2021, 08:03 Updated: 09:13
Share on Facebook
Share on WhatsApp
Share on general
Share on general
Share on Twitter
Share on Email
0 comments
Found in its element.
Hanoch, 2015 (Photo: Noam Moskowitz)
In a way that is not necessarily self-evident, in the past year it has become clear that the voice of Shalom Hanoch, the king of Israeli rock, is particularly relevant in 2021. The man behind "Waiting for the Messiah" created together with Tuna "the good, the bad and your sister", which fit like a glove next to protesters Balfour also in the midst of a wave of protest songs;
He led to another angry song, in the same spirit, called "Rule," which also burned the radio;
In addition, his first solo album in Hebrew, "A Man Within Himself", was given a beautiful innovation by Maya Belzitzman and Matan Efrat, which emphasized how much the lively portrait of Tel Aviv fades in the age of closures.
With food came appetite, and Hanoch returned this week with a new album, without pre-singles - "Herzl Lillenblum".
At the corner of this street in Tel Aviv, not far from Migdal Shalom, is "Beit Schiff", one of the first houses of Ahuzat Beit.
Is this the direction of Hanoch, one of the great depicts of Tel Aviv?
Probably not: in the theme song itself, urbanity is on fire - this is Tel Aviv of 2021, not of 1909. It seems that this album, the 14th in Hanoch's number, thrives on the gap between things: the head is working now, but the gaze is mostly going backwards.
More on Walla!
Walla!
And eco99fm: "Sing with you" by Boaz Sharabi and Shoshana Damari was chosen as the favorite duet in Israel
To the full article
This is already reflected in the intimate style of the album. Hanoch was based here on the model of "Exit", his acoustic show together with his veteran partner Moshe Levy, with the addition of a very significant reinforcement player - Eli Magen, the double bassist and veteran singer. Magen and Hanoch met the Nahal band more than 50 years ago, and even recorded a few songs together in the late 60's - so there is an atmosphere of meeting old friends. Here Magen is in charge of the jazz atmosphere of "Herzl Lillenblum", and also Sings in one melancholy song, one of the most beautiful melodies on the album ("From Here to the End"). The final touch is reserved for super producer Tamir Muscat. All this ease allows Enoch to express his soft side, and he definitely befits him. This is his best album in years. .
His last two protest hits, seemingly surprisingly - are not here. I write ostensibly because they do not really fit the character of this album, in rhythm and tone. Better songs remained inside. This is not to say that Enoch gave up a poignant political or social look, and about a third of the album is related to that, especially in its later part. This includes, among other things, two particularly dismal songs, "25 Years" and "Half a Friend," both about people who have been fired or collapsed financially, and it's hard not to think about the tremendous hardship of artists in the past year in which the industry has struggled to generate non-performing revenue. He also touches on racism ("black and white"), or an attempt to produce essays ("Why not split"), and also pays homage to Yitzhak Rabin, in a song first revealed about six months ago ("Forever we will remember how innocent we were until that shot").
But the heart of the album is elsewhere in a desire to live life and hold on to it tightly, and in mourning for what will never return. As the poet once sang, it is only a passing longing. The minimalist production and Enoch's hoarse desert voice make some of the lines that deal with it particularly gloomy. In these silent ballads, he clings to every word as one who clings to memory. "There's another thing I wanted to ask: how to make ends meet while you are not being and living it all?", He sighed for example in the enigmatic song "One". The song shared with Eli Magen already explicitly addresses thoughts of death. The metaphor at the center of another beautiful ballad, "The Rays of the Sun and the Rain," a description of an attempt to photograph a landscape that passes and is gone, also falls into this category. And if that's not enough, the album closes with a farewell song from the member of the kibbutz and on the way to Meir Ariel ("The stone was laid, you can not return, the cart is not stopping") and maybe also to Arik Einstein ("Travel slowly or travel fast, one bright day you will not wake up").
The beloved singer's recent albums have not always lived up to expectations of them, whether due to insufficiently good filtering of materials, pompousness or lack of refinement.
"Herzl Lillenblum" finds Enoch the 2021 model in his element: sensitive, contemplative, speaks honestly.
A person within himself.
And it's a beautiful place to be.
Share on Facebook
Share on WhatsApp
Share on general
Share on general
Share on Twitter
Share on Email
0 comments