My CD Review: Jerusalem In My Heart: Mo7it Al-Mo7it (2013)

JIMY: Mo7it Al-Mo7it CD Cover


--All Tracks are FCC CLEAN—

Jerusalem In My Heart, or JIMH, is the musical alias of Radwan Ghazi Moumneh, a Lebanese musician from Quebec where he has made a name for himself within the independent music scene of that city. Moumneh is known for mixing a love for music “with 16mm film projections and light-based (de)constructions of space.” His debut album Mo7it Al-Mo7 [Circumference of the Ocean] is set to be released on March 19 by Constellation Records and it marks the first official time that he has tried to translate his highly visual live show to a studio recording.

**1. Koll Lil-Mali7ati Fi Al-Khimar Al-Aswadi [Tell the Woman in Black] : Old classic made popular in 1973 by Sabah Fakhri set to new style, chanting of well known verses in Arabic music. (2:55)

2. 3andalib Al-Furat [Nightingale of the Euphrates]: Ambient, bird sounds, calm instrumental with Oud sound prevalent. (9:47)

3. Yudaghdegh El-Ra3ey Walal-Ghanam [The Sheppard and the Sheep] Haunting tune with witty lyrics about glorifying the Sheppard instead of the sheep. (3:22)

4. 3anzah Jarbanah [A Sick Goat] Title literally means ‘A Goat with Scabies.’ Mesmwing tune with mixed incomprehensible vocals, like a dubbed choir song. (6:34)

5. Dam3et El-3ein [Teardrop] Instrumental showcasing the sitar sound. (5:10)

6. Ko7l El-3ein, 3emian El-3ein [Mascara on a Blind Eye] Instrumental, slow and captivating. (3:56)

**7. Amanem [Lamentation] Begins with the traditional ‘Aman’ lamentation then includes chants in Arabic that sound like a Muslim prayer. (8:53)

**My faves: 1 and 7

AUDIO CLIP "JERUSALEM IN MY HEART - Koll Lil-Mali7ati Fi Al-Khimar Al-Aswadi"
(https://soundcloud.com/constellation-records/koll-lil-mali7ati-fi-al-khimar)

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