This review may well be long and badly written, but “if you take a minute to hear the tunes, little words would be necessary”, as stated on the band’s MySpace page. This is undoubtedly true in his case, but if I don’t give my two cents Cougar HQ will dispatch a small (but well-trained) hit squad to get me. So I’m sorry Asaf but here goes…
Highly acclaimed and perhaps the most promising new talent to emerge from Israel, anyone who stumbles upon Asaf Avidan & The Mojos is captivated. Rocking blues and folk is sung with a voice that can only be compared to an angst-ridden cherub, sporting a little Mohawk, and sounding suspiciously like the lovechild of Janis Joplin and Jimmy Page.
As a young man, Asaf just picked up his guitar and wandered the land, building a loyal fanbase and meeting the musicians who would later become The Mojos. In just a few years they have evolved from a young anonymous Jerusalem-based band to one of the leading acts in the country today.
Following the self-released 2007 debut ‘The Reckoning‘, they were snapped up by Geffen Records, which is hardly surprising given the strength of the album. Featuring true gems such as ‘Weak‘ and ‘Her Lies‘, while guitar and voice are allowed to shine on their own in many songs, most notably ‘Maybe You Are‘ and ‘Reckoning Song‘. Asaf’s voice is so distinctive, versatile and expressive, that it could sing the breakfast menu and make it sound beautiful.
So based purely on their musical merit, with no marketing gimmicks or strategy, AATM have grown organically, without a machine behind them – yet. In that sense they are like an under-valued stock: it’s time to buy.
