Serj Tankian - Elect the Dead, 2007

I shouldn’t have liked this album. First solo release from a System of a Down’s vocalist - one of those bands I never really cared about even without much listening to. All I did was put on headphones and pressed play, following a friend’s recommendation. Interesting thing is that both back then, while listening and already starting to understand the whole beauty of deadman’s elections, and right now, when every note and beat are almost known by heart - I still realize with crystal clarity that I couldn’t have liked this album.

How did he do it? A person with definitely outstanding and one-of-a-kind vocalism, strong cultural roots (Have you seen his duo with father by the way?), courage and opinion - he mixed up the sounds as if accidently. No - rather as if experimenting in cross-species incompatibility on racoons, seals and ostriches. And that adds on top of a heavy experimental underground genre. Sounds like too much to me, but altogether it screams - fast, loudly, sarcastically and ...charmingly beautifully. With lyrical inserts, broken of overtempering.

The Cowardly Lion of Oz could’ve probably saved a trip given this record instead. And although Imperfect Harmonies - Tankian’s second studio album - has lost a lot of this beautiful bravery to me, and even Harakiri (latest so far) only did a partial job of recovering, still I’m looking forward to his new releases.

Alternative cover for you not to miss it accidentally.

And another one.

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