Hologram Imparatorlugu

Istanbul has a deep, layered history. Growing up there, singer-songwriter Gaye Su Akyol breathed all that in every day, along with her family's ancient roots in Anatolia. Those rich traditions combine to form part of the sound she's developed on her album Hologram Imparatorlugu (Hologram Empire), where sultry Turkish melodies twine around spiky, twanging guitars and insistent rhythms.

But that, and the old music on Turkish Radio Television that she internalized, were only parts of the mix that helped shape her sound. She was constantly seeking out the new and the different, something to set off sparks in her emotions. The new album, Hologram Imparatorlugu, bears the full fruit of the partnership. It digs deeper, fired with a seductive, shadowy passion.

The thick swirl of Oriental strings on Hologram plunges towards the heated boil of Fantastikir Bahti Yarimin. The dark lullaby of Dünya Kaleska weaves a haunted post-punk spell before building to the album's climax Berdus, where spaghetti western guitar cracks over a propulsive rhythm and a sensuous Anatolian melody. The sound is cinematic and gorgeous, and Gaye's luminous voice brilliantly orchestrates these shifting moods.