As I Open My Eyes

Khyam Allami's last recording, with his band Alif, featured some of the most innovative oud sounds yet heard. His radical approach, combined with years working as a heavy metal drummer, make him the perfect choice for scoring a film about an alternative-rock band in pre-revolutionary Tunisia. Both the film, As I Open My Eyes, and Allami's music for it have won numerous awards but it's interesting to hear how the songs stand up by themselves on disc. The short answer is pretty well.

The film's star, Baya Medhaffar, is a charismatic singer and the blend of slightly lo-fi electronica and punky grit – superbly driven by drummer Youssef Soltana – admirably conveys the ingenuity and frustration of bored youth. It's an edgy sound from the Arab world that is rarely heard in the West, though anyone familiar with Natacha Atlas might hear resonances of her early work. What is always startling and fresh is Allami's oud playing, which thrashes and charms in equal measure. The songs – many of which we get twice, in live and studio versions – are good; his solo taqsim (instrumental improvisation) that closes the album is simply ravishing.