stronger?

The provocation of Bohbot Lake is mostly boring

Shlomi Shaban returns with a single loaded with words, confessions and quotes, and whets the appetite for a first original album after eight years.

Meanwhile, the moral panic police have been called in by Agam Bohbot's new single, but when the fog of the storm clears, it turns out there's barely a song here.

Review

Nadav Menuhin

02/09/2022

Friday, September 02, 2022, 10:46 a.m. Updated: 10:54 a.m.

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Piano, you're back.

Shaban (photo: Dodi Hasson)

Shlomi Shaban - Money Time

In his first album, which was released already more than 20 years ago, Shlomi Shaban presented a list of possible alter egos in one of the songs: Dylan McKay, James Dean, Jesse James, Johnny Depp - and of course did not hesitate to immediately add another Thus his explicit name.

In his new single, which should lead to a new original album after eight years (it was preceded by a single called "Mantra" that came out two years ago and was forgotten), Shaben presents an alternative list, repeating the same trick: "I could be Picasso, Aaron Copland, Danny Dean, Mrs. Doubtfire, Mr. Tamborine - when I was 22 years old. A few irrelevant inquiries, misjudgments of urgency and the time to get here - Shlomi Shaban, Cockhead Schmockhead is stupid."

Since Ben is no longer 22 - but more than twice that, accordingly it is clear that what was was, and what was not - will probably no longer be.

The tremendous talent that stormed onto the center stage of Israeli music conquered several hills and today he has his own status, but as he himself sings, some misjudgments of urgency and time resulted in the fact that he performed non-stop, but recorded and officially released very little material compared to an artist of his status.

But now the money time is coming, and after a very long pause he finally releases the Nazra.

In a career that spans all the way between dramatic and mysterious songs to verbal and concrete juggling, "Money Time" belongs to the second camp: it has 310 words in less than 240 seconds, and in them, apart from the namedropping, also unusual Hebrew, a quote from Mashina, as well as presence Spiritual and stylistic of Leonard Cohen (who has a long history of creating under his influence).

This rush, which is sometimes excessive, is meant to illustrate the feeling: time flies and events overwhelm everything, without having time to delve into them.

Accordingly, Shaban's song opens in all directions, and along the way family confessions, existential and religious reflections emerge from it, and above all a desire to hold on to the existing, on stable ground.

The nature of the song, on which Asaf Talmudi is also signed as a composer (who also produced alongside Tamir Muscat), I dreamed.

He stayed on clapping and Eitzy keyboards, and especially the dreamy background vocals of Thom Meira Armoni.

The appeal to a dreamy atmosphere helped create some of Shaban's best songs in the past, such as "The One Citizen" or "Exercise in Awakening".

"Money Time", which is more personal and less universal than them, is too busy and requires a lot of openness, but conquers with its honesty and musicality after a few listens, and especially whets the appetite for the release of the album, the real Money Time.

More in Walla!

20 years since Shlomi Shaban's debut album

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Lake Bohbut - stronger than what

The moral panic police raided "Much Stronger", the latest single from Bohbot Lake - the one where, under the guise of a performance joke that became a Tiktok challenge, there is a hint of moaning and intercourse, whoever will listen.

It's a shame they didn't call the boredom police instead, because the sin in this department is much worse: Bohbot's song tries so hard to revel in boring provocation, but when the fog clears it's very easy to notice that there's hardly any song here.

Agam Bohbut did not invent anything.

This is a known trick.

Too many, from Serge Ginsburg to Efrat Ghosh, have preceded "more strongly than" to be anything to get excited about, certainly when much more blatant things are successful in English.

And in any case, those who are afraid of the corruption of the youth, it is better to prevent him from watching the news so that he does not see what example the politicians are setting here.

But provocation, even if it's casual, has marketing power: Bohbot, once a student at a music school and today a pop star who desperately wants to get rid of that image, understands it well, and is riding the wave of "Dubshanya" - another song that drew a lot of criticism - on her way to conquer Another short moment of attention.

More in Walla!

Double standard, what: why when Margie moans no mother is concerned?

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"Higher than what", barely two minutes of a monotonous and repetitive song, and with verses that seem like they were written in six minutes, aimed at broadside with a trashy chorus and voice distortions.

With words, you scorn a cute suitor who sends you flowers ("That's strange"), and you wish for a more "masculine" lover ("May he play with my heart and on the way he will come and make it a little painful").

Then comes the chorus with the repeated call "I need a man (stronger what)".

Those who sign the banter are the writer-star Ron Beaton ("Madhouse"), and the producer-composer Yanon Yahal ("What You Want"), both recent winners of the Akum Award. Next time, you should insist on a stronger song.

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• Lake Bohbot

• Shlomi Shaban