Prince Of Assyria
Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden | INDIE
Music
Press
Behind it is not entirely modest artist name hides Nino Dankha, born in Baghdad but grew up in Linköping and Stockholm, via his Myspace and a number of gigs snackis been a long time. The other week he was in Gothenburg to individually glue their CD booklets with the record company, a tradition of Kning disk, and the fact is that the sort of diligent attitude is present throughout the disc.
The first chords turn depends on a remarkably straight and simple manner. Pang on if one can talk in those terms when it comes to low-key acoustic songs. But so is the Prince of Assyria, nor the submissive type. It is said that acoustic, with guitar as a motor, but once you put on a drum, strings, or even better, a run so the effect is dramatic.
It's just rare to hear a debut that is as complete, which can combine the innocence affair with calm self-esteem. Nino Dankha have plenty of time to get the disc ready and it sounds really believe that he fully on their songs.
The theme is sadness and regret. After one sister who are left, after lost love, faith and doubt. Worn threads of course, but the Prince of Assyria audacious balance between personal and private, and manages to be right through anxious. And he certainly fixes that are ordered into a playlist with cardiac brilliant singer Elliott Smith and Stuart A Staples. - Göteborgs Posten - translated from Swedish
He sings with a warm deep baritone, the fertile south of Baghdad, but grew up in Sweden Nino Dashka, aka Prince of Assyria. A voice memory of Leonard Cohen, who cry out for your attention to the romantic and thoughtful lyrics. A voice that is delicate, yet distinct, that seems ripe, even though this is his first album.
The music is stripped down but for the sake of being ascetic.
The foundation is the voice and the acoustic guitar but the songs are carefully arranged with piano, strings and brass has a high dramatic effect in which they appear. Leonard Cohen-reference goes back even in the music but also modern folkpop as Lambchop and the Tindersticks.
Overall a very pleasing debut.
Ralph Bretz - Arbetarbladet - translated from Swedish
He calls himself the Prince of Assyria, was born in Baghdad but has lived in Sweden since the age of one year. Dankha Nino plays a sometimes fine-boned and compact, sometimes orchestrated folkpop who have points alternating with the likes of Bill Callahan, Lambchop John Cale and Leonard Cohen - without that demanding harsh tone that sometimes tempts to and repelled. The lyrics are poetic, often catastrophic love poetry on the right side of the border on the obsessive: he suggests, rather than become tense over dramatic.
With that said, the piano-driven and a bit flattering "Waltz Life" carries a drama that might explain what Suede is now full-grown singer Brett Anderson really want to achieve. It works just fine, but better still is the Prince of Assyria when he goes in for a mild seductively charming turn of the orchestrated "The Ship Sail Away", full of understatements.
Fine is "Emotion Laces", where he with his eyes fixed on the east makes a dull ragaliknande folk music that is different from the rest of the album without falling outside the framework of Nino Dankhas songwriting or the album's overall character.
Best tracks: Sail Away The Ship - Sydsvenskan - translated from Swedish
See link - Radar Magazine in Swedish
see link - Safe And Sound Finland (in Finnish)
see link - Helsingin Sanomat (biggest morning paper - in Finnish
see link - Undertone DK (in Danish)
Discography
Whatever You Want - single 2009
Missing Note - album 2010
Photos
Bio
As a follow-up to the beautiful What Ever You Want single, Prince of Assyria returns with his debut album, Missing Note. That single and its flipside, Tliqa, provide a common link between that first release and this full-length offering, which highlights the development and maturity of Ninos Dankhas songwriting. Its Tliqa which offers the best indication of what to expect from these ten tracks, which shimmer and glide throughout.
A low-key acoustic gem, it carries remnants of the DNA of Leonard Cohen and Smogs Bill Callahan, as well as the more stately corners of Nick Caves back catalogue, underpinned by a quietly ornate piano melody and topped off with Dankhas sonorous tones. »Im losing myself over your love,« he sighs, while barely audible strings sweep the elegant vignette along. A key touchstone for the remainder of the album, theres a brooding intensity here which runs through much of his work, united by this ravishingly dark tone.
One of the most startling realisations about Dankhas music is how he fuses together the contrasting facets of his background, and theres a rich cultural diversity in his songwriting which reflects his life. Born in Baghdad, Dankha and his family fled to Sweden when he was one year old, and in combining narratives about his Assyrian heritage with more traditional Western folk styles he presents an enchanting hybrid.
The range of instrumentation on Missing Note is equally diverse. Though his own style remains rooted in folk, there are plenty of other ingredients introduced to the fold which give additional depth to Dankhas songwriting. Whether its the tabla rhythms and orchestral strains which decorate the sumptuous Another Love Song, or the use of accordion and swelling horns on the jazz-tinged Sail the Ships Away, which help to create a fun atmosphere which is, oddly, bordering on funk. Uncovering surprises at every turn, there are untold treasures to be discovered here.
The rhythmic finger-picking on Emotion Laces is likely to draw comparisons with Nick Drake, another key reference point for Prince of Assyria, though it slowly morphs into a raga-informed jam reminiscent of Voice of the Seven Woods, complete with droning effects and tabla, which succeed in concocting a vibrant feel, with the insistent rhythms being a focal point.
A bittersweet record charting love and loss, theres a lyrical dexterity apparent which perfectly complements the often downbeat melodies. Showcasing a delicious sense of the macabre, Missing Note manages to be playful rather than morose, but packs an emotional weight which anchors these songs to universal themes.
Fully delivering on the promise outlined on his first single, Missing Note properly unveils Dankhas own vision, which is a uniquely exotic and hypnotic take on the troubadour. Achieved with a deft touch, there is a beguiling intimacy at the heart of this release which confirms Prince of Assyria as a force to be reckoned with. Warm and intoxicating, with a myriad layers revealing themselves with every listen, this is a debut album that youll want to play again and again.
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