Artist: Shakhan
Title: The System
Genre: Alternate Rock
Label: Namohrd Ltd
Website

Shakan is Davyd Homan and the album The System is a dark, penetrating, and controversial collection of tracks. Personally, I think the lyrics were more interesting and thought provoking than divisive. This album is about deceit, lies, and everything that the media projects into our news stations on countless television screens around the world. This is not shocking news, our own government lies to us, why can't a journalist on TV?

Homan's voice is a bit off key and agitating, but his charming articulate New Zealand accent makes each word more emphatic in each song. Homan's wife Rosie should sing more, her voice is very good. I found her heartfelt performance on "Journalist," to be one of the highlights of the CD.

This music is a horse of a different color, featuring dark eerie soundscapes that you will feel drawn to out of curiosity. After giving the CD a few spins, it starts to sound better. Some of the tracks have an almost ambient sound to them with a backdrop of an organ, then Homan's voice comes in to make you hear what he is singing, I mean you really have to think about the lyrics, and that is probably exactly why he sings/talks in Lou Reed sort of way. I am most certain that people that have enjoyed the music of The Velvet Underground or Nico's solo albums will appreciate this CD. For me, I would have to be in an off-kilter out-of-sorts kind of mood to play this CD. As interesting and different as it was, it is not something that will find common rotation in my stereo; however, I did listen to it several times, so I obviously found enough value in it to do so.

The lyrics are more important than the music ever will be on this album. The music catapults the lyrical content and gives it the necessary feeling and atmosphere, almost as if someone was standing on stage reading a poem with a three-piece band behind them, as the music softly echoes off the words. For instance, check out the disturbing lyrics of "Silent Scream"...

Screams echoing through, corridors of shame/ripped out of their fleshy home, in a vision of - pain/Love child, never to be loved/Whirlwind sucked up and killed the dove/Red blood, dripping on a white sheet/quenching another innocent heartbeat.

I truly admire this artist for having the intestinal fortitude to write and sing about what really goes on inside his mind, many of us never would dare. We all have horrible disgusting thoughts but never share them with anyone, this man is ready to let the world hear what he has to say whether you like it or not. This is life, this is truth, these are thoughts from dark places, and this is the music of Davyd Homan.

Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck

July 16, 2004

01. The System (3:11)
02. Journalist (3:46)
03. I Protest About Love (4:28)
04. Religion (3:27)
05. Middleman (3:26)
06. Silent Screams (4:58)
07. Living In A Land (4:40)
08. Beautiful (4:09)
09. Justice Oh Justice (5:03)
10. Where Has The Kauri Forest Gone? (4:39)

Rating-7/10

Musicians Credits:
Davyd Homan-vocals, acoustic guitar, lead guitar, bass, flute, mouth organ, rhythm

Rosie Homan-backing vocals, vocals on "Journalist," acoustic guitar, piano, synthesizer