Canadian group with globe trotting leanings, Les Arrivants latest single ‘Towards the Light’ crosses continents and oceans to resonate with its middle eastern roots and stun listeners everywhere else with its unique blend of folk, world music, and jazz.
Based in Montreal, Les Arrivants (The Arrivals) is a musical trio composed of Amichai Ben Shalev on the Bandeneon, an instrument from the Accordion family popular in South America, Abdulwahab Kayyali on the Oud, the Arabian predecessor of the guitar, and Hamin Honari on the percussion, playing a mix of Persian tombak, Arabian deaf, among other instruments. The result of this blend is something otherworldly. Dark, mystifying, entrancing, and enchanting.
The Title song of Les Arrivants’s second album, ‘Towards the Light’ elegantly displays the focused magic of 3 musicians from 3 different backgrounds. The rumbling thunder of Honari’s Persian tombak is ominous, Kayyali’s Oud is delicate and romantic, and Ben Shalev’s Bandeneon introduces a charming charisma with its consistent and reassuring droning. The colors are equally deep, melancholic, brooding, and dark -and light with major thirds and light-fingered phrases that glide extremely smoothly.
‘Towards the Light’ is a piece that is easily hypnotic. The mix of exotic sounds and the apparent lack of a melodic center or a defined harmonic structure make the piece feel like walking through a tunnel with mirrored walls. Confusing, but thoroughly magical.