Osama

Osama will be considered by some as Sam Shalabi's masterpiece and by others as a waste of time — and it mostly depends on whether you love Frank Zappa's freak, absurd sound collages of the late ‘60s or if you'd rather listen to him playing the guitar. Because in the end Osama is a Lumpy Gravy for those who opposed the US-Irak war. Allegedly started as a post-September 11 reflection on arabophobia, the album has picked up extra layers of meaning during its incubation to encompass questions of engagement in the music underground and a self-evaluation of Shalabi's own motives in preparing the album. That's for the socio-political aspect. Music-wise, Shalabi has invited over 30 musicians from Montreal to participate: members of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, improvisers from the Casa del Popolo scene (such as members of the group Balai Mécanique), the hardcore group The Donkeys and even a Sufi choir. Shalabi's name is missing from the list of credits, but the album bears his given name, pushing forward concepts of identification and distancing at the same time. Each of the five tracks is built like a suite. Made of disparate segments of songs and improvisations, it keeps the listener on his or her toes, trying to guess when the next sudden turn will take place. Rants about arabophobia, anti-semitism, anti-americanism and other issues are pasted over heavy metal riffs, psychedelic rock songs, a pop ditty (at the beginning of "Guantanamo Bay") and some utterly strange passages. At one point, a heavy fuzz guitar and free improv drums accompany Jesse Levine's jazzy piano solo while a crowd chants a slogan. But the most striking moment arises when Will Eizlini cuts a rant short to alternate between soaring trumpet notes and mock crying. The listener comes out of this album dizzy and stripped of all reference points. Just when you think you got Shalabi's message or intention pinned down he slips out of your hand and throws something absurd at you. Only after many listens does Osama start making sense, but only because you develop a personal, unique relationship with it. A masterpiece that is not for the conformist. ~ François Couture, Rovi