It is sometimes easy to forget, especially with contemporary music, that just because something is entertaining and accessible, it can also be intelligent and insightful. Twelve, the self-produced, self-funded debut from Ammar Farooki is all those things …and much more.
The first two songs found here inform the listener of the diversity and scope of the album, first the serene and delicate “Silence,” a song blending beat and beauty, orchestral sounds and ambient textures, then the alt-rock weight and energy of “Losing My Mind,” sonically worlds apart yet feeling perfect next to each other. Opposites perhaps, but you know what they say about opposites and attraction!
“Mother” is a folk-infused piece laced with intriguing beats and a gorgeous dynamic shape; “Lighthouse” reminds us that pop music can be intelligent as well as groovesome; and “Fall” pulls the same trick for more rock-oriented sounds.
And if the music is an ever-changing yet cohesive collection, dig deeper, and you will find the lyrics and themes just as rewarding. Musings on our changes and transitions as we navigate life, on rebirth, and relearning, of evolution in the face of uncertainty and the unknown; this is an album of quiet enlightenment.
Beautiful in its sound, profound in its messages…this is an extraordinary debut album.
