Selda - Selda (1976)

Selda
Selda (1976)

The aging hippie at the register when I bought this while on vacation in Portland was totally unimpressed. I mean, I'm sure I'm not the only motherfucker who's ever come in there looking for Turkish rock, but certainly I'm one of a very small number, right? Right? "Oh yeah, Selda. Good choice. I really like the stuff she did later on that was just super avant garde, experimental psychedelic stuff. You should check it out. This one's more pop, but it's still good." Well, fuck you too, aging hippie. Sure, most people wouldn't have caught your subtle jab at my musical selection, but I'm on to you, buddy. Don't think I don't know what you meant by "pop". The word has resulted in fisticuffs between hardcore record elitists on more than one occasion. It's the equivalent of throwing down the gauntlet; a quick way of communicating that your musical tastes are waaaay more esoteric and that the challenger's attempts to dethrone you are admirable, yet weak. Fine, you win this round. I'll take my "pop" record, thank you very much, and maybe I'll rip it to my computer and put it on my iPod so I can listen to it while I'm at my job THAT ACTUALLY PAYS WELL AND PROVIDES HEALTH INSURANCE! Yeah. Maybe my wife will like it, too. That's right, I bet you don't have one of those either...dick.

Selda Bağcan was one of the premiere artists of the Anatolian rock movement in 1970's Turkey, which combined traditional Turkish folk with western-influenced rock (and even a bit of funk). She's the first artist who's music I just had to hear more of after I got rather addicted to the Turkish Psychedelic Music compilation courtesy of the good guys responsible for the Love, Peace & Poetry series. Hearing "İnce İnce Bir Kar Yağar" -- found both on this album and on the compilation -- it was hard not to be taken with her grating, raw, powerful vocal style. The sick, fuzzy saz riffs didn't hurt either, and luckily they're all over this album, because I love them. Just sick, fucking fuzz riffs all over the goddamn place from the first track on. Actually, the first track might have the best one; there's this one part where she stops singing and everything drops out, and she just starts shredding this hard ass fuzzy solo as if to say ,"Yeah, I'm kind of a badass", and I can't do anything but agree wholeheartedly. While there's certainly a good amount of fuzz, the album is actually pretty varied, with a couple of beautiful ballads that aim for use of softer instruments (like the silky violin-led "Dam Üstüne Çul Serer") as well as a few that incorporate some early electronics in with your traditional rock instrument fare.

Of course, it's all going to come down to her voice for most people. Selda's not exactly what you'd call a classically trained singer, and frankly, sometimes her voice can sound like very bad karaoke from a little boy, mid-tantrum. But dammit, she puts her heart into it and that's all I care about. A known political activist in Turkey, Selda's songs often contain politically charged lyrics that criticize government and military, and speak for the oppressed, struggling working class. Openly calling herself the "bitter sound of Turkish people", her vocal limitations aren't lost on her. Obviously, it doesn't bother me. She does a bang-up job conveying the emotions of the people she's speaking for, and sometimes what they have to say or how they say it isn't pretty. Let it bother you if it must, but you'd miss out on a great album in the process.


Score: 8/10



"Mehmet Emmi"


"Dam Üstüne Çul Serer"