The first noticeable thing is
much heavier usage of electronic sounds, synthesizers and keyboards, with less
guitars. It's something I've expected for the practical reasons soon to
discover this new sound has a deeper purpose and meaning. Keyboards do give a
certain fullness, but some of their
sounds make great intros, mid-lines or outros - resembling a church organ (Onlar Bile Üzülürler - They'd even be
worried), giving a retro sci-fi movie atmosphere (Sextronot - Sextronaut), or resembling dark and heavy raindrops (Tam Bi Delilik - A Complete Madness). Regarding
this, most first impression critics point out one dilemma: are they still a
rock band?
Does it really matter? Actually, I
believe Redd have overgrown rock tag
years ago: now more than ever, we can't place their music into a single box.
Mükemmel boşluk bursts with creativity when it comes to
songwriting. Doğan Duru's composing talent is like a cornucopia that never exhausts in all the side projects he's been
working on - film music, acoustic concerts, covers of other artists' music
or new orchestrations of Redd's old
songs (such as Seni Buldum or Bak Keyfine). Now, having passed a good
personal and artistic mileage, the songs are thought through, felt through,
meaningful and mature. Rich with dissonances, unexpected modulations, instrument
switches, dynamics, some - actually most of them - sound as if there are many
songs in each one.
Opening with groovy Kalpsiz Romantik (Heartless Romantic),
through catchy Kafakafka (an untranslatable
pun referring to a head full with thoughts), clean Aşk, Virüs (Love, Virus) and rich Sextronot, the album reveals somewhat ironic understanding of life
and human relations. Reaching mid ages, last stage of maturity, we realize the
need of being light minded, playful, the need not to take life too seriously.
But behind this carelessness are, in fact, also deeper and darker layers
of yearning, missing, hopelessness,
love, desperation; breakdowns, losses and incompleteness. "This city is a
funeral without you. I've turned into a corpse, waking beside another one each
morning." - the lyrics say; or "Shoot at me, I won't suffer actually,
for I am dying every day". The words reveal stunning pictures you can
almost see with your mind: a broken heart shown behind a glass in a museum (Tam Bi Delilik), a different perspectives,
which make you witness either rising
from earth or falling down from glittering space (Kaniyorduk - We were bleeding). A note: my understanding of lyrics
is rudimentary but melodies are superposing the meaning and enabling the
listener to sense the feeling a song brings.
Doğan Duru's powerful, strong,
colourful voice, with a great technique and range remains one of the greatest
features of their music. His splendid ability not to overdo, over-decorate, use
too much vibrato, special kind of artistic modesty has always been an example
of a perfect singer to me. Now, using lower registers (but still being able to
hold unreachable falsettos) he sounds more emotional and persuasive than ever.
Berke Özgümüş is an amazingly
talented and expressive drummer (not only drummer - he's quite a guitarist as
well). He's dictating the rhythms, driving
attention with silences and syncopations. Drums hold the feeling within
the song (such as, in marching rhythm of
Hala Seni Çok Özlüyorum - I Still
Miss You So Much, or miming frantic running in Tam
Bi Delilik).
Güneş Duru's guitar lines are
simple, iterative, but plosive and
sparkling (they somewhat resemble U2's The Edge style). We finally get to hear
more of his soft, trembling voice which is a perfect counterpart to the leading
vocal.
I wouldn't dare - and I don't
care, frankly - to talk about the influences; but I know that Mükemmel boşluk brings inside my mind
personal musical history, bands such as Depeche Mode, The Church, R.E.M, Simple
Minds, Editors, U2, Echo And The Bunnyman - but it's (not) any and none.
There's been a slow and gradual change and any of Redd's albums, actually,
shows a different side to band's playing or songwriting; we may have our
personal favourites, but it is impossible to say which one is better, or
"the best". They're just - different, like different beads in a shiny
necklace.
The band stated several times -
speaking of the very title of this album - that the main idea was to distance
from every day's noise of politics, economy, pointless interactions, news,
expectations, deadlines; and finally pay attention to their personal, inner
world, to intimate insights.
As for me, Mukemmel boşluk is a collection of different feelings held inside
at our life's peak, zenith of life. We can only notice this thunderstorm of
feelings as we sit in the perfect vacuum, as we're in the eye of the cyclone,
as we witness everything we've ever felt and experienced swirling around us.
With all its dissonances and syncopations, packed inside the perfect harmonies,
it brings feelings of desperation under carelessness - and vice versa. It's like a glimpse over the shoulder to the life left
behind, and with every blink it shows different patterns and colours.
If you don't like it, perhaps
you're just too young.
