Hey guys. I'm a musician from Saudi Arabia and as one would expect, musicians have it bad here. Aside from the fact that it's considered by many a sin to listen to music let alone writing it, there's literally zero support from local media and international companies who try and sponsor musical talent in this country find it to be a risky endeavor to pursue.
I love music. This may sound terribly played out but it is, quite literally, my life. Wherever I go, in order to occupy myself, I'm constantly writing music in my head and if something sticks, I voice-record it to my phone so I don't forget it. I work somewhere in the middle of the Arabian gulf (offshore gas facility) where my creativity is limited and the opportunities to branch out and expand on my work are practically nonexistent.
I want to write music for a living. Living here makes that unbearably difficult. I may be dreaming too big but I believe with enough support, I can make that happen one day.
But enough about that. I'm at the very beginning of my musical career, and I'd like to start it off by introducing my debut album, Abstract Forms of Solace. I worked on this album for about 6 months before finally feeling like the material represents what I feel to be 'dread with a dash of hope', something I feel every single day waking up in a tiny room in the middle of this vast, godless, blue sea. I left a bunch of songs out because I felt they got in the way of the message I was trying to convey with the album.
I recorded the album using Logic Pro 9's default software instruments (along with a few I found online), a MIDI keyboard and my guitar (Schecter C7) hooked up to an Apogee One.
I already have 3 songs written for a follow-up album which I will be releasing at the beginning of 2012. I hope you guys enjoy the album and I deeply thank you for your support.
- Listen to the songs at:
Whiskers@Last.fm
- Buy the album on
iTunes:
Agent Whiskers "Abstract Forms of Solace"
- Listen/buy the album at bandcamp:
Whiskers@Bandcamp
REVIEWS
triplew.me's Rasha Omer said:
It is quite the leap for a musician deep rooted in the Metal and Rock genres to start a solo career as an Electronic-music artist. Essam Al-Ghamdi has played in different metal and rock bands in the Saudi music scene for years. Now, he is doing something completely left-field under the name ‘Agent Whiskers’.
The album opens with “The Great Beyond (Secret Window)” - a largely piano-driven track, which also features an intricate drumming sequence, an addition which adds an element of sophistication to the track. This song is probably the ‘lightest’ track on the album – which then takes a darker, more complicated route.
“Interstellar Serenity” is perfectly titled, with a beautifully, almost ominous, layering that sounds like it could easily belong on a modern sci-fi video game soundtrack. “Almost Home” almost plays out like a piano-driven ballad, but turns out to be one of the catchiest tracks on the record, thanks to its brilliant hook.
The latter part of the record plays on the heightened emotions produced by the musical ambiance of the earlier part. Songs like ”A Childlike Penchant for Discovery” – touch on a more dreamy/atmospheric Electronic style of music, but still fits so well.
What’s great about “Abstract Forms of Solace” – is that beyond the cleverly titled tracks that add a new dimension to the thought behind the album; there's a real sense of cohesion and an obvious dedication behind each track. The tracks that comprise Abstract Forms of Solace were tailor-made to sound like a complete musical piece – and the beautiful production brings this vision to life in vivid and bright aural colors.
Steve Gilmore of RebelRiffs said:
I am proud to say that I have reviewed music now from pretty much everywhere, although the US, UK and Europe are the biggest sources of that, I have received music requests from all continents. Not that many from Saudi Arabia mind, but Agent Whiskers is here to put it right 'finding it difficult to promote my music given the social climate' so come on, let's give it a go... The first real snag is that it's billed as a 'calming electronic/experimental experience' and that's a phrase I have come to dread over the years.
Still, give the man a chance eh?
I'm glad that I did because while it has it's 'calming' moments the eight tracks that make up Abstract Forms of Solace are classy and adventurous and that's something to be valued. To me there are two types of electronica at the moment; hip hop beats with electronica used as filler and electronica where sounds are generated/created with electronics to make music that is sharp, coherent and - above all - intelligent. **** all that four-to-the-floor I say, give us something to chew on. Thankfully, Agent Whiskers is up to that task too because by the time Interstellar Serenity (track two) snapped me up I was hooked anyway. To me though, this is one of the highlights of this very good collection of electronica instrumentals.
OK, so you'd have to like the whole electronica thing for starters, but plenty of people do and that's a fact. The work Agent Whiskers has put into these tracks (playing/recording and producing) is evident in each of the tracks because each has it's own slant and feel. Here is yet another album that should really be listened to in sequence (track 1,2 etc) for it to make the best impression. Taken as a whole like that, the whole project gains more cohesion, each of the tracks flowing easily into the next. While he might be struggling in his own country for acceptance, I think he'll find a real welcome for those people who like well made music for adults.
Very Highly Recommended Electronica and then some.
Da Da Capo said:
I can feel the sadness, and I can track the loneliness in all its glory, if there’s such a glory in being so miserable and broken. It’s melancholic and dreadful. And yet, amidst all the refractions, he manages to shed out a flicker of hope; of solitude and blue-skies near the end of the album that, in a way assures you that, yes; it’s gonna be alright. And if it’s not alright, then it’s not the end.
It’s definitely not the end of his marvelous talent. If anything, this is the album that should start it “all”. I easily see Essam composing music for Aronofsky-like movies, in which the sound matters as much as the visuals and cinematography.
This album reminds of me of various favorites, ranging from Kenji Yamamoto (Super Metroid, Metroid Prime) to Stendeck. And then there’s this lingering feeling that Porcupine Tree has perfected over the years, and he even managed to perfectly capture it. But the best part is this: it’s not intentional. I don’t even know if Essam had heard the music of these artists before. What I’m trying to say is that he fluctuates into different styles without losing the “feel” of the album; the sadness and melancholy that gives this EP its ground remains intact from beginning to end.
It’s an experience, really. Much like Braid and Limbo (in the gaming world), you need to experience it all in one piece. Yes, you will develop favorites, and even from just the 4th listen I already have some of my own. But just like Lady Gaga’s The Fame Monster, it’s a concentrated album that has no fillers, no gaps, and everything connects seamlessly. If you dislike Gaga, then look no further than Radiohead’s latest album, The King of Limbs. It’s an 8-tracks EP that manages to attach its strings all around the record that it begins to sound like a unified experience rather than a full-blown album. And that’s what “Abstract Forms of Solace” sounds to me: it’s a departure from the norm, especially for soundtracks (a la no vocals). I have always found that soundtracks (be it films’ or gaming’s) tend to fluctuate in quality, but this record manages to stand its ground tightly, and every track is worthy of being a “single”; a representation of the album, of the whole experience.
Astonishingly marvelous.
01. The Great Beyond (Secret Window) - 1:32
02. Interstellar Serenity - 2:42
03. Cascade Into Supernova - 3:16
04. Almost Home - 2:03
05. Virtual Cleansing - 3:32
06. A Renewed Sense of Misanthropy - 2:52
07. A Childlike Penchant for Discovery - 3:12
08. The Redemption - 4:02
Album cover by GAF's own:
Retro
