PINK ABYSS

For Shalabi Effect, Welcome to Pink Abyss is relatively accessible. It's not an overlong double album like several of their releases are, and no track length runs over ten minutes though there is some crossfading. Pink Abyss contains minimal samples and perhaps the most important aspect of all is that nearly everything on it unquestionably sounds like music.

Shalabi Effect is one of the lesser known bands of Montreal's post-rock scene, but post-rock does not seem like the proper description for them. There are a variety of styles on this album and the prevailing one is a minimalistic, almost ambient sound. Drums are largely designated to the background or absent; when they are present they usually are kept basic or come in the form of ethnic percussion or. Eastern music has a definite influence on Shalabi, especially demonstrated by their use of the oud, a Middle-Eastern instrument. A great way of keeping things engaging is their spotlighting of an assortment of different instruments throughout the whole album; Blue Sunshine is trumpet-based, Bright Guilty World focuses on vocals, etc.

Shalabi plays mostly instrumentally, with the exceptions of the drunken chanting of Iron and Blood and the traditional vocals of the remotely jazzy Bright Guilty World. Blue Sunshine is possibly the most normal track on Pink Abyss, a pleasant, upbeat jam with a discernable structure, straying away from the minimalist template already established.

Even as Shalabi Effect's most accessible release, Welcome to the Pink Abyss is still weird... in a good way. Though it has some post-rock elements (a few of the songs have some of the type of buildup characteristic of the style), it is primarily pleasant minimalistic, ambient-esque music without rigid structure. Pink Abyss is likely the best starting point for anyone interested in exploring this more obscure band from the Montreal scene.