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TIT

Title - Sunir
Artist - Ianai

The Twitter bio line for Ianai states, “songs from the sons of God and daughters of man.” This description becomes particularly interesting when the listener learns that the act known as Ianai may or may not be more than one person. At the very least, the spokesperson for the project is an entity known only as Trevenial, not even disclosing if they are a man or woman.

The musical style is equally ambiguous, classified as “alternative folk” on Apple Music, and “alternative world music” by Ianai’s own description. It is this label that feels the most accurate, with the songs on Sunir, the debut album, bringing to thought acts like Dead Can Dance.

1. Savoj Icoil
2. Elitha
3. Manda Navaja
4. Anaia
5. Sunir
6. Khaalo
7. Vasariah
8. O’zana
9. Akrar Adi’re
10. Incheronia
11. Ovu Lusta
12. Samovela

Opening track Savoj Icoil has a mystical Middle Eastern, possibly South Asian vibe, with crashing percussion and twangy strings. This title — like many others on the record — looks and sounds like it could be a real language, but none translate into any discernible words. Thus, the lyrics offer very little. This is a particular shame when numbers like Elitha lean more into these (very smooth) vocals.

And while this record offers little to nothing for listeners who are especially attune to what lyrics mean, it is impossible not to cheer the album’s musical grandiosity. The crescendos and decrescendos come along like a beautiful, quasi-orchestral ocean wave.

Manda Navaja may be a song about a Spanish-language knife attack, or nothing at all, and it is here that the unknown nature of the lyrics becomes the most maddening. This feels like an impossible river to cross, but the urgent, sweeping music carries you across with relative ease. The same movie score sound continues on through Anaia (an anagram of the artist’s name).

Sunir begins with an inflective vocal after a slow fade-in, leaving the listener unquestioning of its beauty, but deeply questioning of the significance the title holds in order to make it the title track for the whole album.

In the end, Ianai is the sum of all of their parts, and that is its greatness. This album, though the first, I hope is not the last, for Ianai’s music is a marvelous mystery to behold.

Review by: Ashley J. Cicotte.

SUNIR by IANAI is available on all major streaming platforms.

Ianai @ Facebook

Ianai @ Bandcamp

Ianai @ Instagram





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