Tony Elieh (founding member of Scrambled Eggs, the notable Lebanese avant-punk-rock combo) has joined forces with the vocalist Aya Metwalli, and as Los Panteros they made the cassette 24 Ribs (ARCHIPEL EDITIONS AE003 / ALDARRAX EDITIONS ADX_09 / FAMOUS GRAPES RECORDINGS FRG03) at a studio in Berlin. Metwalli is a classically trained singer who knows her way around traditional Egyptian melodies, but here she’s applying her knowledge of Arabic scales in a more experimental context. Elieh’s treated bass guitar and electronics create these open-ended structures in which her voice may freely extemporise.
They’ve been working on this format since 2022, deliberately forsaking conventions like melody or repeated patterns, so it’s a shame that after all that effort this half-baked concoction is the best they can come up with. I’ve never been much impressed by Elieh’s lazy jamming since we heard the record by Sawt Out; some interesting sounds may emerge from today’s tape, but they’re more the product of studio effects than actual playing skills. Aya Metwalli has a good tone, is note-perfect, but she also sounds bored, her classical skills under-used, appearing awkward in this setting. (01/11/2024)