MUSIQUE / SON

XEFM
by XEFM (2008)

"On the surface of things, and upon repeated listens, this record sounds like the product of four musicians entirely in tune with each other’s possibilities and musical scope(s). What makes this venture supremely interesting, paradoxically, is that this statement is not exactly true. The four musical minds at work on this, the XEFM’s first recorded output, come from vastly differing musical backgrounds, and manage to achieve unprecedented hegemony on this outstanding record.

The quartet of Charbel Haber, Tony Elieh (both hailing from punk band Scrambled Eggs), Fady Tabbal (from Tunefork Recording Studios), and Abdallah Ko (the loose cannon in this wild bunch), creates an intriguing, foggy tapestry of sounds, spreading over six tracks, and hovering between ambient electronica, folksy rock, and outlandish noise."

Ziad Nawfal