The Lebanese band SANAM has won over many hearts at groundbreaking festivals such as Le Guess Who? and Rewire. Popping up between all the guitars, drums and electronics are Arabic singing and poetry, in a breathtaking mix of styles. For example, we can hear an Egyptian folk song alongside a twelfth century Persian poem and a text by Lebanese writer Paul Shaoul, on the recent album Sametou Sawtan which appeared on the label Constellation Records.

Sametou Sawtan, which means ‘I heard a voice’, was recorded in Beirut with producer Radwan Ghazi Moumneh (Jerusalem in My Heart) and is an expression of the times. ‘For the last five years it feels like everyone is leaving Lebanon,’ explains Sandy Chamoun, singer and frontwoman of SANAM. ‘The album isn’t literally about that, but the idea that something is leaving you… A distance from events even though you’re living them, a distance from your house even though you’re inside it.’

‘Sametou Sawtan sees SANAM moving away from unmoored group spontaneity in favour of more compact and coherent tunes. There’s also a difference in tone, with Sametou Sawtan nailing a darker, more nocturnal mood.’ (The Wire).

Farah Kaddour buzuq, Marwan Tohme guitar, Anthony Sahyoun guitar/synthesizer, Sandy Chamoun vocals, Antonio Hajj bass, Pascal Semerdjian drums