Every Dawn’s A Mountain. Tamino

Tamino's third album is his first one on this blog, meaning that both Erwin Zijleman and I had not noticed or appreciated them enough. Every Dawn's A Mountain caught my attention and is by now on modest repeat.

Tamino is Tamino-Amir Moharam Fouad now living in New York City but once from Belgium and also having lived in Amsterdam. He is a singer-songwriter who has a nice and relaxed depth in his voice but is not afraid to sore to greater heights as well. He manages to capture his listener with singer-songwriter songs that are meant to listen to. Songs that all meander around Tamino's guitar playing and he even presents the Arabic oud in two songs.

His music is rooted in two traditions. The first is a western mix of pop, singer-songwriter and folk music. The second is the influence of eastern music that shines through in parts of the arrangements of the songs. The mix of the two is mesmerising. Tamino is an artist that deserves a big audience, as he successfully treads in the footsteps of the likes of Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen and Jeff Buckley (minus Buckley's love of Led Zeppelin). The organic music sets him a little apart from more modern singer-songwriters like Ed Sheeran.

Another element in the music on Every Dawn’s A Mountain is mystery. There are sounds and singing that seem to come from another dimension and let in through a crack in the fabric of the universe. Eery background vocals, a weird short stab on an instrument or synth. As if they are there only there by coincidence, not belonging. At times just this short tab, then a vocal part without words that meanders and floats around the main melody of the track. It makes for extremely interesting and surprising listening.

As I already indicated, I have no idea what Tamino's previous albums sound like, so can't compare. I only know Every Dawn’s A Mountain, and I like what I'm hearing. Single 'Sanctuary' was reviewed on this blog before, but I want to pick it out anyway. Here the rhythm is totally Jeff Buckley. The musical antics Buckley could weave into his songs is replaced by the voice of Mitski. She takes the song to the next level for Tamino. Together they brew a song that is pregnant with melancholic desire for something that is over or was not to be. As electric guitars set the tone of the song, 'Sanctuary' is set apart from the songs around it a second time over. Duets can be such an asset to an album and this song certainly is.

My guess is that you will have gotten the picture by now. Tamino makes a big impression on me with his latest album. There's breakup, heartache and letting go all over Every Dawn’s A Mountain. Once again it shows that pain and misery is a source of inspiration for many artists, a condition that many music fans around the world love to listen to. Every Dawn’s A Mountain is no exception.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Every Dawn’s A Mountain here:

https://taminomusic.bandcamp.com/album/every-dawn-s-a-mountain