Pomegranates- Persian Pop, Funk, Folk, and Psych of the 60s and 70s Review
By Jessica Cardona
Disclaimer: Pomegranates is a personal favorite of mine. This compilation album wasn’t released recently. However, it’s relatively unknown, so I think that this warrants a review.
The 1979 Iranian Revolution prompted a change in the popular ideology and culture of Iran. The new regime installed many reforms, and amongst them was the banning of pop music. Many Iranian artists fled their homeland, taking the popularity of their music with them. Pomegranates is a collection of these artist’s songs, which were recorded before the revolution.
These songs aren’t limited to Iranian motifs and musical styles. Many of these tracks have a distinct Western sound to them. Characteristics of funk, rock, and many more genres are recognizable throughout the album. The artists have also incorporated non-Western elements, as evidenced by the sitar in “Soul Raga”. The combinations of these genres enable anyone from any culture to enjoy the album.
The strongest songs on Pomegranates are acoustic. In “Cheshm-e Man”, Dariush’s strong yet tender voice is accentuated by the romantic and warm sound of a guitar. Even though the song is in Farsi, the desperate tone of the singer allows the listener to correctly guess that the song is about a lost love. In fact, it’s pretty easy to guess what the subjects of all these tracks are, despite the language barrier.
Pomegranates is a time capsule that takes the listener back to pre-revolutionary Iran, an era that was marked by a dictatorship, but was also characterized by modernization. It paints a picture of a turbulent country on the brink of change, a change that would significantly alter the sound of Iranian music.
By Jessica Cardona
Disclaimer: Pomegranates is a personal favorite of mine. This compilation album wasn’t released recently. However, it’s relatively unknown, so I think that this warrants a review.
The 1979 Iranian Revolution prompted a change in the popular ideology and culture of Iran. The new regime installed many reforms, and amongst them was the banning of pop music. Many Iranian artists fled their homeland, taking the popularity of their music with them. Pomegranates is a collection of these artist’s songs, which were recorded before the revolution.
These songs aren’t limited to Iranian motifs and musical styles. Many of these tracks have a distinct Western sound to them. Characteristics of funk, rock, and many more genres are recognizable throughout the album. The artists have also incorporated non-Western elements, as evidenced by the sitar in “Soul Raga”. The combinations of these genres enable anyone from any culture to enjoy the album.
The strongest songs on Pomegranates are acoustic. In “Cheshm-e Man”, Dariush’s strong yet tender voice is accentuated by the romantic and warm sound of a guitar. Even though the song is in Farsi, the desperate tone of the singer allows the listener to correctly guess that the song is about a lost love. In fact, it’s pretty easy to guess what the subjects of all these tracks are, despite the language barrier.
Pomegranates is a time capsule that takes the listener back to pre-revolutionary Iran, an era that was marked by a dictatorship, but was also characterized by modernization. It paints a picture of a turbulent country on the brink of change, a change that would significantly alter the sound of Iranian music.