This is a huge pleasure – the first review of an Israeli musician on my website. Aviram Tzur is an independent artist, and his website at https://www.aviramtzur.com/ states that he takes his inspiration from the likes of Riverside, The Pineapple Thief, Anathema, Sylvan, Porcupine Tree, and Airbag, which is quite a mix. My take on his wonderful release, Moving Aloud, however, is that it really is unique in its sound execution. In addition to the influences Tzur states, I would also mention that fans of Cat Stevens will find much to enjoy in the pastoral sense in this work. The album is his second release available in both Hebrew & English, and you can see his Bandcamp page at https://aviramtzur.bandcamp.com/ The digital album is a very reasonable £7-odd including duties and I think that like me, you will willingly open your wallet after a few listens.
There are nine tracks on the album, and the opener, Space and Time, is the longest at 6:15, so what we get here are shorter form songs. The opening passage is gorgeously dreamy, a psychedelic delight with a lovely guitar accompanied by mournful strings and a deep bass. When Tzur begins singing, you will instantly recognise what I am saying about the uniqueness. The lyrics are deeply personal and combined with the predominant strings tell a sad story, with some of it talking of the overwhelming urge to hide reminding me strongly of the themes of anxiety explored in the superb Sever by Inhalo last week, and this sense is deepened by the incredible guitar solo we get halfway through accompanied by riffs which provide first evidence of the rock capabilities of Tzur alongside the pastoral. Following the crying voices and the huge noise of forgetting space and time, the opening passage reasserts itself. The track is embedded below, and it is deeply impressive.
Reflection follows. I really like this track which talks to me of a dichotomy between two opposing halves of the lyricist. As the first verse ends, Tzur treats us to a slide guitar which is reminiscent of Gilmour, circa Meddle, but as this segues into the chorus of Hey, it’s you, you’re out there, you get a commercial sensibility which is strengthened by a heavier passage – therefore within this short space of time, you do get the perfect sense of the influences Tzur provides us with as his inspirations, but it really is a class mix all of his own, and on this track the bass riff is to die for. The closing vocal passage, incidentally, could easily appear on any classic post-punk act compilation before the pastoral sense of the gentle piano and acoustic guitar is brought back to the fore.
Up next is Intrinsic Home, opening with a sense of Americana, which is repeated throughout. Lyrically, this is very introspective and musically we once more are treated to a very clever mixture. At once light, then heavy especially in the “it wasn’t easy” passage, and then beautifully strung along by a mournful guitar riff. Believe me, by this time, you don’t seek to categorise. You simply enjoy a track which is both joyful and intense.
Talking of introspective, this is followed by Introspection, which is another very good track talking about obsessiveness (many of us as progressive rock fans will recognise this trait) but also struggling against internal demons and your fears, something any anxiety sufferer will know and care about deeply. The acoustic guitar is so tuneful against an achingly beautiful vocal, and only music of this quality can move you and take you to another plane, with the closing lyric talking to me of victory and moving (aloud) beyond the pain into a brighter future, and the chorus which follows with the music becoming louder and more intense by the second is damned good. The guitar riff is a stormer before the track allows us to come back down with a reprise of the opening passage. Regular readers will know that I do not confine myself to generic album of the year lists, but Introspection surely will be a contender for my track of 2023.
Anyway has a prog pop opening passage and I really like the female vocal which accompanies Tzur. Then after the first verse, we get another complete change as the riffs take over. When the vocals are back, the effect is very dreamlike, with soaring voices over the main music before the guitar returns with some force in a passage which showcases the heavier side of this music. A short song which nevertheless packs quite a lot in.
Ignoring the Sounds follows. There is some more strong bass fretwork alongside a dreamy guitar. The lyrics address someone hiding beneath the cover and being a reclusive being, or perhaps this is another example of the type of dichotomy I referred to earlier. I like the organ which drifts in and out in the background and the pace picks up again three minutes in with the heaviest passage of the album before a guitar solo of dystopian magnitude is introduced in a blaze of noise before the album closes in a trancelike state, the anger having been dissipated.
Soon is the shortest track at 3:40, and I have embedded it below. It is a densely sad piece of music and there is another impressive move towards a harder sense with “They Say That Soon It Will Be Gone”, the main lyrical theme of the track. This is followed by a wonderful sax solo which came completely out of the left field for me, and it adds perfectly to the intensity, almost tipping the listener along to a place of deep personal troubles before, again, the pastoral is revisited. Very impressive indeed.
The penultimate track is Does It Matter, and it opens with a distinct PT vibe and is once again very introspective, with the subject deeply torn emotionally, veering between thoughts of personal harm and then harm to the reason behind his personal hurt. The guitar solo is very good and there is a darker intensity to this track than much of the rest of the album. Indeed, it is almost dystopian.
To close, we have If You Feel. I love the jazzy bass we are introduced to, but not as much as the trumpet which follows as we move into the main segment of the song. Again, this is completely unexpected, and simply adds to the wonderful diversity of sounds we have on Moving Aloud. The track then morphs its musical location from a smoky bar into a louder rock nightclub. Then, the bass reasserts itself and we are in Funktown before the piece closes in a classic rock explosion of noise, but one which features brass. The track is embedded below – listen to the soulful musical definition of eclectic and enjoy.
The new is what drives this website, and this album is innovative, soulful, and blends numerous influences without ever losing sight of originality. Moving Aloud is a fine album and deserves a wide audience.
As ever, I ask readers to support independent music and artists.