Pomegranates

• Track Listing

2016 repress; originally released in 2009. Pomegranates collects some of the finest Persian pop songs ever recorded. Many are acknowledged classics within Iran and throughout the Iranian Diaspora. Some are obscure. This collection is a trove, ripe for discovery and rediscovery, and worthy of inclusion in the canon of idiosyncratic musical gems from the global south. Most of contemporary Iran's artistic and creative leanings, and it's grapples with history and identity, are loosely and mystically conjoined and contested in memory. Iran is marked by the complex interplay of diverse constituencies, philosophies, and influences - ethnic, religious, political, geopolitical, and historical. As in many other countries, the '60s and '70s were a time of tumult in Iran, bringing growth (via petrodollars) and freedom (under the banner of socioeconomic development) while exacerbating inequalities within the country. The music and voices that blossomed during those decades exemplify the turbulence and excitement of the age. It is worth recognizing these left-out and lost artists individually and as a group when considering the global happenings of '60s/'70s psych, rock, and folk, while exploring their influence and relevance since. This collection endeavors to recontextualize these songs from the realm of reminiscence, nostalgia, and memory into a specific and accessible narrative to share and relate within the universal musical gamut. It is for aficionados, the curious, and collectors alike. The recordings excavated here are highly sexual musings, voluble love songs, simple folk tunes, and subtle works of political protest. Includes performances by Zia, Mohammad Nouri, Mehrpouya, Googoosh, Kourosh Yaghmaei, Parva, Nooshafarin, Soli, Marjan, Sima Bina, Ramesh, and Dariush.

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