Recommendation Weekly: maNga

It's been a long time since I recommended something particular, but just a couple of days ago had the chance to watch and hear live this quite intriguing Turkish rock band. They were part of Rock the Balkans festival and to be honest they were the best act second only to Limp Bizkit. Despite the fact that they sung in Turkish they managed to impress me and afterward to dig up more of their material.

maNga fuse alternative rock with hip-hop, electronic music and traditional Anatolian tunes. Their songs are quite various spanning from nu-metal to industrial with a fine pinch of World. In Turkey they have been quite successful and I do believe that if they start performing in English this band has the virtual chances of going big. Having seen them live I should say that I am impressed by the frontman's vocal skills and the originality of the songs they performed. Probably, some of you will immediately define them as another Linkin Park wannabes or copycat posers, but actually they managed to bring back in my heart the good old flame of my teen years when I would listen to loads of nu-metal or rock music and have a few laughs and drinks in the park.



Manga - Bir Kadin Cizeceksin



Manga - Iz Birakanlar Unutulmaz



Manga - Bitti Rüya

Review: Hande Yener - Hayrola?

Everything alright? If feeling bored, lonely tonight or just not in the mood Hande Yener has something for you! You might not know even a single word in Turkish, but I can assure you that "Hayrola?" goes over any language barriers. Hande Yener is one of the biggest names in Turkish pop music and one of the few on the Balkans to develop in the electropop genre.

"Hayrola?" (in English "Everything alright") is all about the positive mood, about enjoying life the way it is and face every frustration with a strong smile. Yener knows good electronica and if you have doubts about the quality of Balkan music it's because you still haven't stumbled upon her stuff. Actually, Hande started as a regular pop singer, but luckily she changed course and gave electronic music a try, which made her success inevitable. "Hayrola?" is her fourth in a successful row electro album and her seventh proper studio release, which had the difficult task to surpass "Nasıl Delirdim?", which shot her straight to fame. Despite every effort "Hayrola?" is no match to Yener's breakthrough album, which was a passionately explosive combination between dance music and witty lyrics. This time the balance just went to hell and the structure is rather crude as if Hande was desperately trying to stay sober in the middle of a drunk party.

Still, if you are up for an intelligent electronic album with a good load of entertainment and rhythm "Hayrola?" may be your answer. Probably, right now, I should be writing a review about an intriguing Bulgarian album, but nationalism plays no importance when it comes to actual quality. For the rest, you have yourselves Morandi, Despina Vandi and similar, but I assure you that once Yener records her much anticipated English debut, once again you will turn your heads to the Balkans and the diverse music we have to offer you...after all we are not constantly in war, CNN!

Songs to hear: "Hayrola?", "Arsiz", "Narsist" and "Siz"

Rating: 7/10

Sertab Erener vs Madonna

No, this is not an episode of Celebrity Deathmatch, just a little showdown, which includes an original and a cover version of it. Even if you don't like Madonna there is a high probability that you have heard her song "Music" at least once in a lifetime. On the other hand you have never actually showed interest in the Eurovision song contest or kept track of the winners Sertab Erener will be of no significance to you. She won Eurovision 2003 in Riga, Latvia with her song "Everyway That I Can", although she has been a prominent name in the Turkish music scene for quite a long time. Anyways, what matters now is the original cover of "Music" she has made and that I got to hear as I watched "Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul" by Fatih Akın. The rendition carries the spirit of Orienta mixed with the electronica of the West and to be honest I do like the final product...to some extend it sounds even better than the original, despite being sung by the one and only Madonna!