KUWAISIANA

DENVER: A heady sense of irreverence hangs over the debut album from Kuwaisiana, a US-based indie outfit led by Kuwaiti singer-songwriter +Aziz. The record’s wanton style-hopping and language-swapping has the sense not of willfully breaking the rules, but playfully bending them with a swagger and a smile.

It may be no coincidence the band was born in New Orleans, a notorious cultural melting pot strafing the Mississippi River and sitting at the end of the mythical Highway 61. Drawing fitfully from their surrounds, the septet’s sonics are bolstered by bursts of brass and the lilt of (apparently synthesized) accordion, conjuring a rootsy, Cajun vibe around +Aziz’s raw, DIY-rock approach.

At the best moments, a barn-storming, street-party abandon overcomes these slightly flat, self-produced recordings: The stonking gipsy-punk bedlam of “Gabba Barra” feels oddly reminiscent of Gogol Bordello, while “Nada” is a straight-up ska-punk strut. An irresistible chest-thumping, stop-start chorus lifts the monotonous bass riffing of “Gashxi” from the Louisiana swamps.

But there is a potent spice found amid this audio stew. Split into two “sides” — the first in Arabic, the second English — the lyrics on “Chapter 1” carry subtle weight as a reflection on the modern Arab experience, and potentially have an ambassadorial role to the band’s primarily American market. “My bloody valentine/In love with Palestine,” yells +Aziz over the sleazy funk-rock riffing and Stax-style horn stabs of “The Journalist.” Mingling the personal and political with similar potency, the Caribbean nod of closer “Say Yea” dwells almost comically on the efforts young Muslims face to win the approval of their lovers’ friends and families.

Crossing Muscle Shoals-soul with the inebriated sway of a sea shanty, the slower “Men in Power” serves as a lament of both national pride and patriarchal power, before exploding into a wild, headbanging singalong, complete with a yearningly epic outro of Springsteen-style proportions. And this will prove +Aziz’s greatest gift — the ability to channel his concerns into big, hooky choruses which feel instantly familiar, presenting the modern Arab-American experience with the inclusive theatrics of Middle American stadium rock. - Arab News

Kuwaisiana’s, Chapter 1, is an awesomely interesting release by an equally intriguing band from New Orleans with bridges to Kuwait who combine the vernacular of topics between there and the US southern region. They cross bread everything from Cajun to Pop music in their combination of styles that never leave out the two areas in which they’re grounded, yet they have a universal appeal in the process. Chapter 1 wins on that premise alone, and the way the do it all must be heard by the masses. This is a bi-lingual album release, with Arabic making up the first half and English the second half.

These musicians are world class and second to none at what they do to combine old and new world themes that sound as good at any cookout or outdoor festival as they do at any inside venue, or on the headphones and the hi-fi. “Vintage (ڤِنْتِج)” is the opener and it establishes just about everything great about this band. The lyrics are Arabic, as are the following several tracks, but for any non-Arabic listeners the music does the rest of the business, and it’s enormously satisfying to say the least.

Being less focused on identity politics and controversy, the band stay true to their experiences in both the regions involved, whilst letting the music do the talking the rest of the way. “Murra (مُرّة)” takes you down a different path with a slightly more cerebral sound, backed by a healthy amount of percussive value. The track eases gently into the next on “Gashxi (گشِّي)” which seems to take on a whole other level of seriousness with what are clear Arabis statements made in the lyrics, with vocals that passionately express what Kuwaiti singer-songwriter Aziz is getting across. It starts off subtle and builds into a much called for angst that commands your attention as you hear the bands name.

After such a great track with a mesmerizing use of horns, the next track “Gabba Barra (گبَّة بَرَّة)” turns on even more of the charming horns and pulls no less punches than anything heard thus far on the album. It verges on jazz more than the other songs regardless of the amount of horns involved. I rate this one of the more interesting tracks among a chock-full album’s worth of the same. “Nada (نَدى)” is the last Arabic language track, and it take the first half out with a lot of heart and soul before moving onto the English, which comes on just as surprisingly strong as the Arabic set, even if a little less intense.

The English songs start with “Virgin” and “Men In Power” which gives listeners a chance to see it’s really only a language barrier that makes a difference in the songs, just like color can do in the real world and this album is a great platform for it. They bring all kinds of people together with their music and the tracks get a little funkier as they go. They’re a little more playful on the English tunes, but it takes nothing away from the first half of the album which loses no steam as it goes out with the outstanding “The Journalist” and sublime “Say Yea.” - NeuFutur

Let me start with a confession: I’m a late bloomer when it comes to Arab music. As someone who consumes a steady diet of pop, the repetitiveness of “Ya leily ya 3eeny” and the like in mainstream Arab pop feels dull, and leaves me unable to connect.

A few years ago, however, a new sound had begun to materialize. Though admittedly in existence much earlier for those paying attention, the region’s indie music scene is thriving thanks to an explosion of diverse talents, from hip hop to metal, and despite the lack of industry support.

While bands like Lebanon’s Mashrou’ Leila and Egypt’s Wust El-Balad have drawn inspiration from their respective countries, and in return placed them on the indie music scene map, what seems to have been lacking is a Khaleeji-based presence.

Enter +Aziz, a Kuwaiti musician who is developing KUWAISIANA, an 8-piece indie rock band based in New Orleans.

My first introduction to +Aziz’s music was through his solo 2015 Sarrah (تحت الشجر) track, and I was quickly hooked. He was gracious enough to agree to an interview over e-mail and fulfill my curiosity to learn more about the man behind the sound, the band and the +.

Mohammed D. Fakhro (MDF): Behind your blogging at PSFK, capturing street style on Instagram, and creating music is a cohesive identity known as +Aziz. Can you tell us how it came to be and how do you view it today?

+Aziz: The identity emerged in a very haphazard way. And I would also question its “cohesion” because I only feel complete when I collaborate with others. Last month I literally made $1.92 off my music, so I feel the struggle to make ends meet. Thus, while music is a central motivation for me, I have had to do different jobs the past 10 years to support myself and the musicians I work with.

I’m not really sure what I stand for as an artist and that’s partially because I am a persona who celebrates ambiguity. The plus sign is kind of a joke really. I came up with it but it feels like a nickname others would give me too. In reality, it’s a simple graphic design idea I came up with during high school that just stuck.

As for what I do on Instagram, I took up street style photography to overcome my fear of rejection. Anytime I see someone with a dope style, I approach them. I’d say I’m at a roughly 70% success rate - Reconnecting Arts

Kuwaisiana is a band like no other. The outfit, who released their debut LP Chapter 1 on May 18, is part ska, part klezmer, part rock. They're fronted by a Kuwaiti born and raised musician, known as +AZIZ.

To this point, we'd only heard the band singing in Arabic. But this new single "Virgin" is sung in English. Perhaps it will open them up a bit to a wider audience. The content of "Virgin" is quite heavy, riddled with references to drone wars, police brutality, gun culture, etc. It's a lot to take in, but it's quite powerful. Take a listen. - Paste Magazine