TAMINO - Every Dawn’s A Mountain

The third album by Belgian-Egyptian artist Tamino burns with passion. But rather than flames and fire, it's more a matter of small, flickering lights — the kind that illuminate a dark room where one gathers their thoughts, trembling flames that give warmth when the soul freezes and weeps alone.

"Every Dawn's A Mountain" is the beating heart of a chamber-folk tradition that never ceases to amaze, a project in which Tamino brought together a large number of musicians and producers, including two samples: one taken from the latest album by Faten Kanaan (featured in "Babylon"), the other lifted from a work by a 15th-century Franco-Flemish composer, woven into the notes of the title track.

Tamino's primary instrument is his voice, by turns pained and ethereal, delicate yet capable of spanning a three-octave range; then there's the guitar, faithful companion to the complex, varied harmonic scales that animate the tracks; and above everything, the oud, an instrument that traces the stories of different peoples (Persian, Arab, Syrian), a symbol of a universal language that blazes and wraps ten tales of loss and rebirth in its own warmth — stories in which anyone can recognize themselves.

"Every Dawn's A Mountain" is an album nourished by its author's nomadic nature; the first single released, "Babylon", was in fact born during the soundcheck of a concert in Italy, while the intense drama and excellent central instrumental body are the fruit of an evening spent in the shadow of a medieval castle — a magic captured and rendered in one of the artist's most intense compositions.

Inspiration and creativity are perennially palpable, bound up in the plucking of acoustic guitar and the counterpoint with oud that animates the title track, or in the complex layering of faint, delicate textures over which the voice stretches out until it becomes an instrument in its own right ("Dissolve").

Tamino keeps looking back to the past, yet there's an undeniable solidity to the instrumental structure now, which lends his artistic vision greater clarity; firmer, more enveloping grooves welcome Arabic-tinged sonorities ("Raven"), gypsy spirit sets the vibrant "Sanpaku" ablaze with a touch of flamenco and a bewitching lightness, but it's in the superb duet with Mitski, "Sanctuary", that his new creative dimension is distilled: two worlds colliding to generate beauty and harmony.

Vulnerable (the evanescent textures of "Willow"), often introverted (the aching lullaby of "My Heroine"), eclectic and evocative (the ballad halfway between Radiohead and Jeff Buckley that is "Elegy"), Tamino's new album is a powerful confirmation: the Belgian-Egyptian artist has managed to build a sonic layering that matches his superb vocal qualities. The songs on "Every Dawn's A Mountain" are a whirlwind of emotions that pulls the listener in and drags them into a dimension where the magic of sound and voice can still offer hope and faith in humanity.

Ride the wave of great music

Add OndaRock to your favorite sources on Google Discover. Don't miss our reviews, milestones and latest news straight in your feed.

Follow on Google

02/04/2025