Allow me to make the corniest of jokes and say that Open Sesame Vol.1, Her Dress by Instabul-based musician Barista is very much an Awesome Mix. I’ll wait for you to get that. Okay, we good? This album just strikes like a bolt of lightning across 7 glorious tracks of varying styles and tastes, all spearheaded by Barista (the moniker of Bahadir Han Eryilmaz). Influenced by the music of Toto, Supertramp, and Journey (the latter being the most prominent on this album) mixed with his own personal experiences, he manages to craft something wholly new, while still having one foot firmly in the past.
Working with a cavalcade of featured artists from Jesse Seibenberg, Sara Azriel, and Simon Phillips (Barista’s musical idol) everyone is at the top of their game and blending together seamlessly. There’s plenty of diversity on the album ranging from the screaming guitar opening of “Circular Lives” which weaves a story about sadness and even manages to use a fresh take on Journey’s hook from “Don’t Stop Believing”. It’s a great opener that’s awash in melancholy as much as it is in dripping bass guitar and some great drum work. It’s counterbalanced perfectly by the closer “Be Mine” which is a standard love ballad that’s elevated by the stunning vocal presence of its female lead. There are actually quite a few tracks where Barista isn’t heard vocally, but his presence is always felt. “Disco Sun” is the strongest departure that almost begs for an entire Disco jam-themed album from this fantastic group of musicians. This was engineered by Jason Mariani and he has a great grasp of what to emphasize and how to make sure everything feels balanced, which is a lot of contemporary indie rock releases and honestly, most releases, in general, have a hard time balancing.
Often time the vocals are either too loud or buried under a wall of sound, but hear it’s clean and accessible and constantly engaging. I know this is such a played-out thing to say, but I really did have my toe-tapping and head-nodding the entire time. If there are any weaknesses to the album, it’s totally subjective to the listener. It’s a refined kind of record that maybe some young listeners might find impenetrable if only because it’s not overly glossy sad pop-jams (which trust me, I love, but diversity is nice sonically) and admittedly you do get just a little more joy when you’re aware of a lot of the references and sounds the group is pulling from. Some might also find it too short, but I think it works to the benefit of the album since no bad album is too short, and no good album is too long.
Often when an artist takes a victory lap such as this we say things like “who knows where they’ll go next”, but for once, I really do agree. Barista has cracked a code with a singular voice, a truly magnetic presence, and some of the rawest and inspired releases in some time.
Jodi Marxbury