Friday, June 7, 2013

Bunalim - S/T (PHS-002)






hairy, sticky buds for this Turkish psych workout.  peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)


Wild, fast jams are a way of life, especially on Friday.  However, by adding the flavor of Turkish psych to the mix, it's tantamount to glazing a bowl with hash oil - the good vibrations expand exponentially.  Turkish psych has a singular, lovely character which is more than evident on the self-titled release from Bunalim.  Reissued on Guerssen imprint, Pharaway Sounds, Bunalim is the Turkish word for "depression".  This short-lived band from Istanbul - inspired by fuzzed out western rock of the day - melded the influence of Middle Eastern folk to their sound - with otherworldly results. More so, Bunalim is full of heavy players that went on to record with the likes of Erkin Koray and Cem Karaca, who managed and produced the band. This album is a compilation, as the band never made a proper album, which collects rare singles from 1970-72.  Heavy, raw and full of fuzzed out guitar, your head will never be the same.

About five years ago, I spotted the cd version at AKA in Philadelphia.   Pharaway came to the rescue and did an excellent job with the vinyl reissue.  A nice pressing, which is accompanied by liner notes, secure your copy through the venerable Time-Lag.

peace and love, friends :)