SPILL ALBUM PREMIERE: THE SHADOW MAJLIS – THE DEPARTURE

THE SHADOW MAJLIS – THE DEPARTURE

A SPILL EXCLUSIVE ALBUM PREMIERE

Today we have the pleasure of introducing you to a local Toronto artist by the name of The Shadow Majlis, who has been meticulously piecing together his debut album The Departure. His debut album under this moniker, this is the story of 10 tracks that are full of depth, texture and emotion. This is alternative neo-global fusion.

Revolving around Ali Jafri, whose may be known to some as a member of David J‘s live band or as the rock-sitar guy in Pigface or through his other projects ARIEL, The Gotham City Drugstore, Saintfield or his solo work. Having cultivated a multi-cultural artistic and musical vision, fusing elements of Eastern modes with post-punk and immerses listeners in, as the title implies, a sonic departure from the norm – a journey into something other, where there are no limits.

With Ali Jafri at the helm on vocals, guitars, bass, electric sitar, synths, programming, this debut offering from The Shadow Majlis is diverse and stunning, involving a dream-team – not only in terms of production, but also collaborators, ranging from true music legends of our generation and top-notch artists from around the world.

The result of this brilliant experiment will appeal to fans of post-punk, dark folk, world / fusion music, alternative rock, darkwave and ethereal rock. The artists that most immediately come to mind upon listening to this work include Dead Can Dance, Heilung, Lycia and Michael Brook.

Those references should come as no surprise, given that this album was produced and mixed by an artist with deep roots in Real World Studios in the UK. Now based in Toronto, three-time Grammy Award winning producer David Bottrill (Peter Gabriel, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Tool, David Sylvian, Mastodon, Smashing Pumpkins, Muse, Real World Studios) brings his rich experience to the table. Engineered by Darren McGill, this album was mastered by Noah Mintz with cover art created by Stephen Seto (Splintercage).

This record features the legendary David J (Bauhaus, Love & Rockets) on bass and drummer-percussionist Rakesh Tewari (Jaffa Road, The Special Interest Group). Adding colour and depth are various guest performers, including vocalist Olena Tsybulska (DakhaBrakha), guitarist Mark Gemini Thwaite (The Mission, Peter Murphy, MGT, Tricky, Gary Numan), cellist Anne Bourne (Loreena McKennitt, Jane Siberry), Tuvan throat singer Soriah, Ravi Naimpally (Niyaz, Constantinople) on tabla, Pankaj Mishra on sarangi, Selmanpak Ayduz on ney, Kerem Koktas on kemanche, and Sasha Singer-Wilson on backing vocals.

Blending alternative music with the rich, diverse instrumentation and rhythms of world music, The Shadow Majlis leaves a distinct imprint on the ever-evolving soundscape. Recorded in Toronto, LA, Portland, Istanbul, Kyiv and Iceland, this is truly an international affair, with languages such as Urdu, Farsi, Arabic, Icelandic and Ukrainian woven with English throughout this album.

The most poignant and powerful artistic output stems from tragedy, and The Shadow Majlis is no exception. Amid a deluge of personal upheaval, this album has been Jafri’s means to address his grief over losing his seven-year-old son Oisín, who passed away in September 2022 after a nine-month battle with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (a highly aggressive form of brain cancer), the dissolution of his conjugal relationship, and a year-long state of temporary homelessness. Recovering from such devastation is no simple task, but The Shadow Majlis has offered Jafri medicine for his soul, while presenting us an alternative sonic reality in which we can all find solace and relief.

“With the inspiration of his son’s passing, he told me he wanted to create something to honor Oisín as well as cathartically express his experience. It was not to be traditional but experimental, incorporating his industrial sensibility, but also with an international flavor… The emotion was all Ali, and with his raw lyrics and strong melodies over the top of dark and beautifully gut-wrenching tracks, we hope we have created something both passionate and heartfelt that can reach others either suffering loss or grief, or conversely experiencing elation or euphoria as we believe it can touch either,” says David Bottrill.

Calling the album a powerful achievement, David J adds, “I believe that there are certain tracks and moments that act as portals into another dimension – I’m not being fanciful here!”

The singles “Deer In The Headlights”, “Swallowed By The Sky” and “The Way Home” are now available exclusively via Bandcamp. On February 27, The Departure album will be available digitally from fine music platforms everywhere and can be ordered directly from the artist via Bandcamp. That evening, Ali Jafri will be holding an album listening and viewing party at Ground Control in Toronto. The event begins at 7pm.

ALBUM CREDITS

Ali Jafri – vocals, guitars, bass VI, electric sitar, percussion, programming, synthesizers, electronics, solfeggio pipes
David Bottrill – backing vocals, electronics, synthesizers
David J (Bauhaus, Love and Rockets) – bass
Rakesh Tewari (Jaffa Road, The Special Interest Group) – drums, percussion
Olena Tsybulska (DakhaBrakha) – vocals
Mark Gemini Thwaite (Peter Murphy, Tricky, The Mission) – guitars
Anne Bourne (Loreena McKennit, Jane Siberry) – cello
Sasha Singer-Wilson – backing vocals
Soriah – Tuvan Throat Singing, Flute
Ravi Naimpally (Niyaz, Constantinople) – tabla
Pankaj Mishra – sarangi
Selmanpak Ayduz – ney
Kerem Koktas – kemancheh
Oisin Adams-Jafri – vocals, percussion, solfeggio pipes
Zayn Jafri – piano
Oscar Adams-Jafri – solfeggio pipes

All songs written by Ali Jafri and David Bottrill, except “Elliðakot” (written by Ali Jafri) and “The Departure (Kolyskova)” (written by Ali Jafri, David Bottrill and Olena Tsybulska)
Produced & Mixed by David Bottrill
Engineering by Darren McGill at Union Sound Company & David Bottrill at at Mainstatiion Music and Imagine Sound
Mastered by Noah Mintz at Lacquer Channel
Graphic Design & Illustration by Stephen Seto
Photography by Justin Minister @secondhand_daylight
For Oisín…

As this week marks two years since Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine, we also highlight “The Way Home”, the track most closely associated with the loss of his son Oisín, and the track “The Departure (Kolyskova)”, co-written by vocalist Olena Tsybulka of the world-famous Ukrainian folk group DakhaBrakha. Ali Jafra explains, “Olena’s vocals were recorded during troubling times in Kyiv as the Russian army was attacking last year. I recorded Kerem’s kemancheh in Turkey when he was on a break from relief efforts after last February’s devastating earthquake struck the southeastern area of the country. With the Ukrainian and Turkish grief fused with my personal grief, this track is a beautiful work that lends itself to deep reflection.”

The Shadow Majlis
The Departure
(Independent)
Release Date: February 27, 2024

Artist Links

Background Photo Credit: Justin Minister