Comments on: ...perhaps in Dubai

...perhaps in Dubai

Navelgazer — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:15:50 -0800

They cannot perform in public. They cannot pose for album cover photographs. Even their jam sessions are secret, for fear of offending the religious authorities in this ultraconservative kingdom. The AccoLade is Saudi Arabia's "first all-girl rock band."

By: codswallop

codswallop — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:17:45 -0800

They're stringently drug-free, too. They're afraid of getting stoned.

By: Huck500

Huck500 — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:22:11 -0800

Nothing interesting at all about the music, but good for them.

By: shockingbluamp

shockingbluamp — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:31:12 -0800

meh

By: acro

acro — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 21:39:45 -0800

Interesting post, however - NYtimes links that go to a reg-wall are kind of annoying.

By: ducky l'orange

ducky l'orange — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:08:34 -0800

Kinda sounds like Concrete Blonde.

By: wuwei

wuwei — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:14:41 -0800

Wishing them the best. Seriously.

By: Panjandrum

Panjandrum — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:25:30 -0800

Your favorite quasi-illegal all-female band from a reactionary Wahhabi theocracy sucks.

By: Salvor Hardin

Salvor Hardin — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 22:46:56 -0800

Hey, they're not the Beatles, but I thought parts of it was kind of groovy. I was surprised at the English lyrics without any apparent accent. Also, it's nice to see once in a while that social change can occur in an Islamic theocracy without the USA bombing the crap out of them.

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 23:04:25 -0800

Their manager.

By: freebird

freebird — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 01:00:19 -0800

The quotes around "first all girl rock band" are unsettling. Are they not really first, or are they not really an all girl rock band? Does being say 10% "all girl rock band" mean you can call yourself All Girl Rock Band Product? Or just girl band flavored?

By: rokusan

rokusan — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 01:19:03 -0800

The quotes around "first all girl rock band" are unsettling. Are they not really first, or are they not really an all girl rock band? Or are the quotation marks cleverly signifying that the phrase is quote from the linked article, maybe? Are we so drenched in irony we can't even take punctuation at face value anymore?

By: delmoi

delmoi — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 01:26:45 -0800

Are they not really first, or are they not really an all girl rock band? They haven't found a female drummer yet, but are looking for one. That could be why the quotes are there.

By: sebastienbailard

sebastienbailard — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 01:28:38 -0800

"Are we so drenched in irony we can't even take punctuation at face value anymore?"

By: pompomtom

pompomtom — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 01:45:02 -0800

Are we so drenched in irony we can't even take "punctuation" at face value anymore?

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 01:51:24 -0800

They're stringently drug-free, too. They're afraid of getting stoned. Wow. Really? Hope that was worth it for you.

By: aliceinreality

aliceinreality — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 01:54:23 -0800

This is probably my favorite link ever posted to MeFi (not that I've been here that long, but everyone gets an initial favorite, right?.) I recently went to a small meeting at my university with Azar Nafisi, and, combined with a couple books on Muslim culture (none of this is directly related to Saudi Arabia, I know) really enhanced my appreciation of underground culture there. I was surprised at two things, though: 1) How tolerable their music is. Not because of any racial/gender bias, but because most music sucks. 2) The English lyrics sang sans accent. o.O

By: Marisa Stole the Precious Thing

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 02:03:08 -0800

I agree, the song on the MySpace is quite good. Kind of reminded me of Sunny Day Real Estate.

By: aliceinreality

aliceinreality — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 02:18:23 -0800

I haven't heard much Sunny Day, but I felt it was a nice synthesis of the parts of mainstream rock I like.

By: Zangal

Zangal — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 02:21:55 -0800

The Art of Noise has reformed?

By: harriet vane

harriet vane — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 02:54:06 -0800

Sounds good. I hope they succeed in getting some paid concerts put on. Was interested to learn that 60% of the country's population is under 25 years of age. As they age they'll move into positions of authority in the country and be able to make the changes they want. It'll be interesting to see how that works out. I hope they chart a new course from what they've grown up with, but I bet they won't just copy western-style politics and democracy either.

By: 1adam12

1adam12 — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 03:20:34 -0800

The only Saudis I ever met were all very up on Western culture and spoke nearly-perfect English. We don't usually hear about the other kind. Good for them. Not every revolution has to arrive with a big boom.

By: DU

DU — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 04:44:21 -0800

So they are OMGSEKRIT but interviews with the NYT and FPPs on the internets are OK? I guess the ultraconservative kings don't have the google.

By: gigbutt

gigbutt — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 05:22:38 -0800

Hmmm....pretty high production quality. Likely recorded in a professional facility. Or at minimum a very good home studio. The BG's are tight and well placed in the mix. This isn't the work of amateurs. I smell something fishy.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 05:55:03 -0800

Fascinating stuff—I had no idea there was a Saudi rock scene at all, let alone an all-girl band. Thanks for the post, and ignore the meh-ers! They're stringently drug-free, too. They're afraid of getting stoned. The quotes around "first all girl rock band" are unsettling. Are they not really first, or are they not really an all girl rock band? So they are OMGSEKRIT but interviews with the NYT and FPPs on the internets are OK? I guess the ultraconservative kings don't have the google. I'm not sure which is more depressing, the reflexive need to snark or the low quality of the snark produced. You all need to go take a course with quonsar.

By: chunking express

chunking express — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 06:49:16 -0800

Was interested to learn that 60% of the country's population is under 25 years of age. I think the demographics of many Middle Eastern countries are like this. I think Iran is even more bottom heavy. (According to Wikipedia the Median age in Iran is 27.) Plus, because of the revolution, many people who wouldn't have sent their daughters to school past a certain age started doing so -- because schools are segregated and Muslim friendly I guess -- so now Iran also has really high numbers of Women in university. (I think there are more women graduating from university than men now.) I guess this entire comment is off topic. That's how I roll. WORD.

By: dunkadunc

dunkadunc — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 07:57:14 -0800

My Saudi neighbor went to Vegas last winter and came back with all kinds of stories because he randomly went to Paris Hilton's birthday party.

By: DU

DU — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 08:18:20 -0800

My comment wasn't snark. I'm seriously trying to figure out how they think they are going to remain secret if they interview with NYT. Omitting your last name is not going to keep you safe if you get big enough for Them to really care about taking you down.

By: batmonkey

batmonkey — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:59:23 -0800

Really encouraging. They are risking so very much by doing this, by even thinking of doing it, I am filled with admiration and respect for them. You've really got to love music (and personal freedom) to put yourself on the line like they are. More power to them.

By: jack_mo

jack_mo — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:34:08 -0800

Salvor Hardin wrote: I was surprised at the English lyrics without any apparent accent. aliceinreality wrote: 2) The English lyrics sang sans accent. o.O They're very obviously singing in an American accent.

By: Foci for Analysis

Foci for Analysis — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:17:40 -0800

Courageous initiative, bland music.

By: rokusan

rokusan — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:08:25 -0800

They're very obviously singing in an American accent. No, the "American accent" is just a rock and roll voice.

By: sentinel chicken

sentinel chicken — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 14:11:41 -0800

i was hoping for something a little less produced-sounding and a bit more raw. also surprised by the english lyrics. i didn't love the track i heard, but if they're for real, then good for them. in a probably meaningless show of support, i added them as a myspace friend.

By: jack_mo

jack_mo — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:46:11 -0800

No, the "American accent" is just a rock and roll voice. And the default rock and roll voice is... an American accent. (That said, a lot of the Saudis I know have vaguely American/mid-Atlantic accents, even though they've spent most of their time in Saudi or the UK, so I don't know if these women sound American because the are deliberately going for a 'rock and roll' singing style or if it's just a reflection of the way English is taught in some Saudi schools.)

By: batmonkey

batmonkey — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:48:44 -0800

Data point: They had 19 friends on MySpace this morning and, as of this comment, have 470.

By: batmonkey

batmonkey — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:50:27 -0800

460! 460! DANGIT. I do not transition well between phone key pad and 10-key pad.

By: grapefruitmoon

grapefruitmoon — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 20:48:02 -0800

The music isn't my taste, but I am into all girl rock bands! Rock on, sisters! Subvert that dominant paradigm!