SINKANE

Most of the blog chatter out there around Columbus, Ohio's Sinkane has centered on the biography of bandleader Ahmed Gallab, and, well, it's definitely not your usual "moved to Brooklyn, started band" bedtime story. At age six, Gallab fled from Sudan with his family. After settling in the U.S., he went on to play drums in hardcore bands. More recently, Gallab and his "Sinkane Family Travelin' Band" scored a gig opening for Caribou and Fuck Buttons and he is now part of Caribou's touring band. You can hear moments from throughout that bio in "Autobahn", off of Sinkane's forthcoming debut album, Color Voices. The drums function almost as a lead instrument, setting a galloping, propulsive beat, beneath psychedelic-textured guitars, sighing woodwinds, and quiet vocals you might expect to find on Andorra. "Singing all alone," goes the vocal. Near the five-minute mark, Gallab starts just unloading on the drums, as a gale-force gust of sound swells behind him. I might like to hear the song developed a bit more (though it makes more sense in the context of the record, where the tracks flow into each other), but the mesmerizing rhythm does its best to ensure Gallab won't be singing all alone forever. - Pitchfork Media

I'm nearly speechless about what I saw last night at Carabar. The behemoth that was Sinkane made its first appearance in these parts, and its force was such that I was surprised not to find myself pinned to the back wall when all was said and done.

Ahmed Gallab is using a rotating cast as his band for this mindf*** fusion band of his, and for the first tour, which concluded with last night's homecoming show, he charged local buzz band The Slide Machine with bringing his skewed symphony to life. Rhythm is king in Sinkane; the drum set(s!) and hand percussion were at once jarring and mesmerizing, blending with Nick Tolford's fuzzed-out, booming bass to provide the perfect launch pad for the flurry of noises that unfolded. Flute and sax squealed with abandon, and guitars were plucked in practically every way imaginable—atmospheric strums, jammy noodling, massive walls of noise. Meanwhile, the keyboards that dominate so much of Color Voice, Sinkane's debut recording, simmered underneath, conceding the spotlight to the swaths of noise and melody overhead.

All of this congealed into a celebratory display of music as a fluid force, both in the living, breathing sounds that emerged from the stage and in the playful way the musicians traded instruments to make the sound in the first place. I could have done without the rendition of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" that followed the main performance, but when the Slide Machine finished the set with one of its own songs and a supremely righteous final riff, it made for one hell of an exclamation point.

I came expecting a good show and hoping for a great one; I left with ringing ears and wide eyes. Color Voice is good, don't get me wrong. But the record isn't as pulverizingly wonderful as what Gallab and company presented on stage last night. See it for yourself as soon as you can (which is apparently Oct. 12 back at Carabar, though I heard mention of another possible appearance at Skully's before then). - Chris Deville (Columbus Alive!)

Sinkane is the new project by Ahmed Gallab, previously involved in such bands as Sweetheart and Pompeii, This Morning.

Like Ahmed's heritage (dude was born in Sudan, family chased out of the country because his dad was a journalist and didn't agree with the government in charge, moves to Boston, moves to Kent OH, moves to Columbus OH, and some other steps in between), this music has a rich diversity that is an intense listen. Equally inspired by acts like Do Make Say Think and Mice Parade, the music also takes on great tribal, worldly turns that would make his ancestors proud.

As we get close to 2008, add Sinkane to the "bands to watch" list for the new year. - Rob Duffy (Donewaiting.com)

Ahmed Gallab's previous bands, beloved post-hardcore group Sweetheart and experimental electronica trio Pompeii This Morning, blurred genre lines and, in the process, developed extremely distinct personalities.


With the solo project Sinkane, Gallab went a step further and created an entire world, one populated by backwards guitars, free-spirited horns, cascading drums and lots of otherworldly keyboards. The four tracks here play out like one dreamlike composition spanning half an hour.


That consistency is Color Voice's greatest strength and most nagging weakness—getting lost in this music is easy, but so is tuning out. For pop-minded listeners, it may require too much attention, but when approached with the same patience you'd bring to an experimental jazz record, it will reap new rewards every time. - Chris Deville (Columbus Alive!)