Album Review: Altın Gün, Aşk

Amsterdam-based Turkish psych-rock sextet, Altin Gün, have taken 10 traditional Turkish folk songs and given them something of an acid-rock make-over on Aşk. Their fifth album in as many years eschews the ‘80s synth-pop sound of their last two lockdown records, and revisits the dreamy, proggy soundscapes that brought them attention in the first place.

Hypnotic is the word this reviewer would use to describe pretty much all of these 10 songs, whether it’s the spacey prog of ‘Çit Çit Cedene’; the reggae-infused ‘Su Siziyor’; or the mid-paced swirl of ‘Güzelliin On Para Etmez’. Opener ‘Badi Sabah Olmadan’ sets the tone, combining driving acid-rock, ululating vocals, dramatic flourishes and swirling eastern melodies for a heady brew of psychedelic rock. Other highlights include the sultry sway of ‘Kalk Gidelim’, the muscular pulse of ‘Rakiya Su Katamam’ (where they sound like a Turkish Led Zeppelin), and the head-swayingly addictive ‘Leylim Ley’.

Album closer ‘Doktor Civanim’ takes elements of funk, and adds in some spoken-word vocals and propulsive beats to mutate into a full-on disco stomper that’s good fun, but slightly at odds with the psych-rock that has gone before.

Still, this is an album to lose yourself in.

Listen: 'Badi Sabah Olmadan’
Score: 7/10

Out now via ATO/glitter beat.

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