Charlie Megira was a defining part of Israel's musical underground especially in the 2000s, forming various bands and releasing solo music too. He felt like an outcast in his country's government, culture and Rock scene, calling it "too staged"¹. This bizzarely named debut is a short 23-minute escapade in lo-fi, nocturnal Surf-inspired music.
Every track is covered in a thick layer of reverb and low fidelity, producing a lonely experience with an underlying melancholy to it. Megira sings with such a wistful tone, slowly fading into the hypnagogic guitar of each track. The music is deceivingly simple, as Megira recorded it himself on a Tascam 4-track tape, just him and his guitar in his bedroom. There are a few instrumental tracks, but the ones with him singing are the obvious standouts. Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, The Girl Who Was Frightened of Ashtrays and other songs feature him yearingly singing about past loves, softly pleading with them. His writing is effective, rarely being more than a dozen sentences per song but the emotions still seep through every element of each song. Melodically it's a very mellow experience, his guitar drifting across each ballad giving these songs a distinctive rhythm despite their simple structures. Despite there being no audio effects besides some light echo this record is often times very psychedelic-feeling, coinciding with how warm and soothing the mixing is.
The Abtomatic Misterzinger Mambo Chic is one of the few Israeli albums to have an impact outside of the country, expected with how influenced by American music it is. It's a mysterious-feeling record, expressing deep feelings of sadness with a simple yet beautiful approach. It's strange as it often feels like Hypnagogic Pop released a decade too early, even from just the original cover. A more depressive twist on an originally cheerful sound pioneered by people from a wholly different culture than his.
Charlie Megira committed suicide on the 5th of December, 2016 in Berlin.
9/10
See also: Charlie Megira's bands, Ariel Pink, Charlie Megira
Listen here: Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp
- kreyzi
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