Vote Hezbollah

AMG Review of Vote Hezbollah

Ned Raggett
All Music Guide

Starting with the technological throb of "Bazoft Rope" (the title of the first two tracks, a common Muslimgauze touch) -- a techno pulse and synth cymbal loop pushing along some unidentifiable instrumental texturing -- Vote is at once both business as usual for Bryn Jones and a slight refining of the basic impulse at the heart of the music. The application of rhythms throughout is much more basic than the approach used on many previous releases; while the layering of the various percussion and drum patterns -- in this case overwhelmingly electronic or sampled from other sources in origin -- is still detailed, the tracks don't feel as complex or as striking as on earlier albums like Zul'm, with the semi-exception of the second "Ishmael Tongue" at the album's end. On the brighter side, Jones' dub-derived technique of using echo as a compositional approach, not to mention the sudden eruption of musical notes or other sounds in a track, comes to the fore very well here. The first "Ishmael Tongue" captures these elements excellently in a rushed, evermore intense performance, while "Tuareg" rolls along with a sampled percussion loop surrounded by a variety of constantly shifting and returning instruments and motifs. Other tracks of note include "Zion Poison," with its predominantly ambient start as a low-level percussion track slowly rises, fades, and then reappears; and "Satyajit Eye," a collage of various mysterious sounds with only the slightest of whirring rhythms and very occasional booming drumbeats. The result sounds like a backstreet from Blade Runner come to unexpected life. The second "Muezzin Farsi" deserves a mention as well for its strong, upfront energy and careful beauty.