Egyptian indie heroes revelling in an album of contrasts
Lekhfa is a super-group project in anything but name.
The album is a result of a collaboration between three giants of the Egyptian indie music scene: the singer-songwriters Maryam Saleh and Maurice Louca with multi-instrumentalist Tamer Abu Ghazaleh.
With each renowned for their own idiosyncratic work, one feared their disparate styles wouldn’t gel as part of a unified project. The fact that it doesn’t is what makes Lekhfa such a bewitching lesson.
That’s if you are prepared to give it time. The album is challenging; the socially conscious lyrics are married with hooks that are left of centre and wilfully obtuse instrumentation. At times, it sounds like you are listening to a radio whose dial is stuck between stations. Once that passes, you appreciate the contrasts and the fact the trio have a more expansive look when it comes to their work.
Kont Rayeh is a fine example of the group’s twin vocalist: over languid percussion, Saleh’s fragile voice floats like apparitions before Louca’s brings us down to earth in the second half with his smooth buttery vocals.
A raucous yet brittle groove snakes through Nefsi F Akli with Saleh’s vocals emanating from a distant cave.
The album picks up some steam, although on the trio’s terms, in the second half. The choice of Eka Maksour as the lead single is apt – reigning in the group’s wandering impulse for a more streamline rock approach. Once again, Saleh’s and Louca’s vocals are on their own trips.
The trio truly go off the deep end with Mazzikaw Khof. It would have been a chirpy affair, with its flamboyant synths and rhythmic percussions, if it wasn’t for Saleh’s vocal take akin to someone giving you a long and unsettling stare.
Risky and spirited, Lekhfa demands your attention.