After stumbling on Sevdaliza's track "Human" at the beginning of the year - and of course proceeding to overplay it - I've been pretty in awe of her art since. The pairing of "Human" alongside the film-like visuals intrigued me more than almost anything else I've seen this year.
Some of my other favourites at the moment are "Shahmaran", "Marilyn Monroe", "Hubris", and "Loves Way". If I'm honest, these are some of my favourite songs I've heard on a debut this year. Sevdaliza's vocal stays haunting whilst never losing strength. I've never been one for airy vocals without soul or substance behind them, but Sevdaliza gets that beautiful balance where her voice floats but still carries a distinct weight.
Something that really stood out to me when listening to ISON were the string arrangements. Mihai Puscoiu took the album up to that soundtrack level that set this album apart from so many others this year. Of course the strings aren't the only thing that give this its overwhelmingly unique presence but they really caught me - particularly in moments like "Shahmaran" and "Hero". For me the first half of this record was the stronger of the two, but this may have partly been due to the length of the album. Sitting at a solid hour and 6 minutes, it was a lengthy listen. The quality never wavered, I only found it tough to keep my attention from waning from time to time. Regardless of where my mind was throughout however, the album's stayed lodged in my mind for days on end after each listen.
Based on this album alone, Sevdaliza is one of the most exciting artists that I've had the pleasure of listening to this year, and if we're basing it on the things that I've found out about her since, I can say with some confidence that the material that we'll be seeing from her in future will be unforgettable. As far as art is concerned, her talents clearly don't just stop at music.
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