Kavus Torabi - October By Name

Its rare to see Iranian performers visible in the music industry, prior to knowing about Kavus Torabi, the only ones I was aware of were Sick of it All Drummer Armand Majidi and the late Darius Campbell Danesh of Pop Idol fame. In fact its rare to see many Iranians in the ‘entertainment’ fields full stop, there are of course the comedians Omid Djalili and Shaparak Khorsandi and controversial actress Golshifteh Farahani, but compared to other ‘minorities’, we are left wanting for some reason.

Torabi has been at this a long while, starting in the late 80’s with Thrash/Death Metallers Die Laughing before going onto The Monsoon Bassoon and Knifeworld. I have to confess I’m not overly fussed about two of the other bands Kavus is involved with, Cardiacs for instance I find grating whereas Gong has me leaning more towards indifference. However as a fan of The Utopia Strong who I had the honour of seeing live in Huddersfield a couple of years ago, I was intrigued to hear what Kavus had to offer up on his third solo full-length album October By Name, which followed 2024’s The Banishing and 2020’s Hip to the Jag. I’m about to find out…

‘Signals Shine’ showcases a more song based approach especially when compared to the avant-garde improvisations of Utopia Strong. It is certainly more organic, as hinted at by the record’s artwork and taps into Pink Floyd around the time of Ummagumma and tracks such as ‘Grantchester Meadows’. It's quite Folky and of the traditional English type but thankfully more engaging than say Steeleye Span, a solid opener. ‘In Her Radiance’ sees Kosmische Musik elements being employed, with hints of the otherworldly sounds of Ash Ra Tempel and Electronic Meditation era Tangerine Dream. Ambient Music also gets a look, so Brian Eno also gets the nod here, a beautiful piece. ‘Water Into Wine’ will appeal to fans of Robyn Hitchcock, with its whimsical qualities and eccentric flourishes, at times he even appears to adopt some of the former Soft Boys frontman’s cadences. It has a playfulness which took me by surprise, though not of the zany kind of the aforementioned Cardiacs. While its not usually a style I tend to gel with, there's a charm and authenticity present which makes it impossible to ignore, lovely stuff to quote Alan Partridge.

‘From the Storm’ has a hippy Psychedelic vibe such as one might associate with Stonehenge and the druidish, shamistic tendencies of the brilliant Julian Cope. It is also seems ideally suited for the free festival scene with which Kavus has/had many an experience past and present. This is a bewitching number and a definite standout for yours truly. ‘My Shameful Namesake’ is definitely progressive, along the lines of bands such as Jethro Tull and Strawbs than the pompous excess of Tales from the Topographic Oceans and Works Volume 1 & 2. It's genuinely inventive and reminds one even of Hawkwind’s underrated S/T debut, very well done. 'Ancestor’s Song' is the longest track on the album at over seven and a half minutes and maybe it's me, but I was reminded of Philip Glass’ work on Koyaanisqatsi. It has a classical, minimalist strain which adds extra depth to the mellow Folk on offer. Additionally it betrays a Post-Rocm/Talk Talk influence as well as Slowdive’s heavily experimental, 1995 release Pygmalion. The literal dictionary definition of epic and a wondrous way to conclude proceedings.

October By Name proved a cathartic and comforting listen and I will most certainly be checking out Kavus’ prior solo efforts resultantly. Highly recommended.