Moğollar
★★★ Anatolian Sun Part 1 & Part 2 NIGHT DREAMER. DL/LP
Turkey’s ‘Anadolu pop’ pioneers’ re-record their greatest hits.
The first Turkish group to marry the ancient folk traditions and traditional instruments of rural Anatolia with wailing ’60s psychedelia and western pop, Moğollar’s trailblazing has barely dwindled with time. Hingeing, then as now, around the surging interplay of Taner Öngür’s taut, tension-filled bass and Cahit Berkay’s exuberant saz riffs above a bed of pulsing keys and unstoppable, almost motorik percussion, the sheepskin-clad sextet veer wildly across the musical map, from clattering folk-pop thrills (Gel Gel) to strident protest anthems (Bi’Sey Yapmali) and quiet storm ruminations (Alageyik Destanı). The quickfire funky psych rock-outs such as Toprak Ana, Çığrık and the J Dilla-endorsed Haliç’te Güneşin Batışı impact with enduring force, as subtle shades of Popol Vuh, Led Zeppelin and even Quicksilver Messenger Service sugar its tripped-out delights.