Reintroducing Namjoo - Artist's Ability to Reinvent Themselves

I like to believe that I was among the first waves of Namjoo fans...Here are pictures of him from Kosoof dating back Oct 2006. At the bottom of the photos it read: "In the large crowd gathered to highlight the international day of HIV/AIDS, and behind the long lines of people heckling with organizers over the color of the free condoms, there was thin man of small stature in a corner playing his instruments. His voice and music was lost in the buzz from the streets, but care-free he could have made any music with that voice of his."

I sought his tracks from the darkest corners of Internet sometimes certain that I am downloading a virus. I pleaded friends in Tehran to the look around for it too. I was a fan before his Toranj, and Zolf Bar Baad became hits on YouTube only couple of months before those early months of 2007 when YouTube was still a small private firm no purchased by Google. Here take a look at this performance with Namjoo playing his own instrument, I like the whole song but if you want to see the early Namjoo singing skip ahead to 2:44.

Of course like many others, I discovered my enthusiasm/addiction to his style with the release of his Music Video for Zolf Bar Baad which was at the time at least a complete love song for me. But like many other addictive romantic [1] events that stimulate enthusiasm such as hyped up Iranian Green Movement, The LA version of course, or the Jaras poetic countdowns to victory prior to first days following the election events, this one too may be facing distinction.

The unique style of Namjoo's music provides an strong edge, but that style, like any other form of expression, would not change a piece into art by itself. The new style must be accompanied with a genuine sense of emotion, mood or feeling that the artist must have been acquainted or struggling with at the time of composition of the music or the lyrics. Let me refer you back to the feelings that the combination of music and lyrics in Namjoo's older tracks like 'Daheye Shast' (translated swiftly the Eighties) or Zolf Bar Baad track with its music video brought about Or the song Jabre Joghrafiai (almost meaning The Geography-dependent Destiny) that despite its strong message-oriented content also brings about certain impressions and feelings that communicate with the listener.

Namjoo started strong, no doubt there. He had a lot to say. His music was unique, his messages strong, and his image well suited to promote the new combination. When he moved out of Iran I grew a bit skeptical as to whether he'll be able to continue his work. After all, to me it seemed, that just as dictatorship uses the concept of enemy to define itself, Namjoo had relied on the general mood of Iranians inside Iran to create and recreate himself with his first couple of albums. How could he continue producing the same work, if he is outside of Iran, free and out of touch from worries and stresses of daily lives. Back then I thought his future work, if he wouldn't re-invent himself outside Iran, instead of relying on genuine feelings and moods that only living in Tehran could bring about, he would have to mimic his mere memories of similar events to produce music. I think I was right. His latest works are attempts at reinventing himself, working with Kiosk and Golshifte Farahani (all whom may be suffering the same problem by the way.) Not to bring down his new work. They are good work, I love the 'Hammash Delam Migire' piece and the rest of the tracks are soothing to listen to as well, but I can't help but notice that a certain lively-hood may have departed from his work.

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[1] I could have used the term 'idealized' or 'idealist' but I rather use the term 'romantic' for couple of reasons. First and most important that 'romantic' is to me at least, a word that sounds to settle much easier when talking about arts disregarding the implicit and possibly misleading meanings that it could bring about. Second reason is that the word 'romantic' is also applied to the time in the history of music where according to Wikipedia citing the Encyclopedias of Music "the sense that there had been a decisive break with the musical past led to the establishment of the nineteenth century as "The Romantic Era," and it is referred to as such in the standard encyclopedias of music."which is something that certainly applies to Namjoo's now style as a break with the past. Thirdly, I use the term because I think like similar 'idealized' or 'idealist' emotional events that accompany hyped up trends such as the Green Movement - the LA version, Buddhist fad in form of banalized Yoga classes, Namjoo's 'break' may be possibly in danger of extinction at least in the form that Namjoo presents it at the moment.