I’ll be brutally honest for a second here: traditional album structures are boooooooring man.

Alright, that was hyperbole. I listen to tons of fairly traditional albums, i.e. LPs that are 40-ish minutes long, 10-ish tracks, and set up so that “hot hit single” will come on at around track 3. Sometimes the formula works like a charm. I am deeply in love with Dua Lipa’s “Future Nostalgia”, despite it being, on its surface, a fairly typical album. The songs are just really, really good. Unfortunately that just is not the case for many albums that introduce themselves to my ears. All too often I am treated to the same experience. “Oh, these guys sound a lot like Led Zeppelin. Oh wow, this is 50 minutes long. Wait, didn’t I already listen to this song? Why do they all sound the same?” Aaaaaand I’m asleep.

G​Ú​RSHÁ is the opposite of that experience. One 15 minute long track (albeit made up of multiple songs) with a mixture of traditional Ethiopian music styles, laid-back hip hop grooves, AND a Simpsons reference? Yeesh, what a way to make your statement! Honestly, it’s the exact type of concoction of styles and pretty far-out songwriting ideas while I’m scouring the great plains of Bandcamp sorted by “new”. Without these little pockets of unique stylings and innovation you might find me dead in my living room from having hit my head against a wall one too many times. Okay, that’s a little dramatic, but I digress. A lot of artists seem to be afraid of finding their own sound, rather than just copying some popular trend in *insert current year* (or some trend from 30 years ago that’s LONG played out.)

I will admit that I am a sucker for music that fuses popular western music with traditional offerings from other cultures. What’s not to love? You are going to give me a lesson in culture in a way that is accessible and enjoyable for me? Yep, I’m 100% on board. That’s more or less how I feel about G​Ú​RSHÁ. Around the 3 minute 30 second mark you are treated to Chebelew, which more or less sounds like fairly unadulterated folk music. One minute later you’re hit with Abet, a production masterpiece in the beauty of layered vocal stylings and a strong traditional instrument presence. I will admit my ignorance and admit that I don’t actually know what instrument that is playing in the background. It sounds a lot like a guitar to me, but man, I’ve never played guitar like that before. I can’t wait to try!

“Flow” is another concept that I would like to discuss. I have heard a number of albums for which the sum of the parts is not necessarily greater than the individual elements. Put another way: some albums can be made up of all strong tracks but still not be a profound experience as a full album. My favorite albums tend to be those that I really only want to hear in full album form. I enjoy singles just as much as anyone else, but, in most cases, I would rather hear them in playlist format. An album, to me, should be intentional and engaging in its structure. G​Ú​RSHÁ hits the nail right on the head. There is not an ounce of fat on this LP. Does it help that its runtime only boasts 15 minutes? Of course! Keep it short and sweet people. Would you rather hear a bloated, exhausting 60 minute snoozefest or three 20 minute long bangers? Sometimes I wonder how many incredible tracks have been buried in lengthy albums that do not warrant their length. If your album requires two vinyl discs, then PLEASE make it worth my time.

Okay okay okay, enough rants. I will summarize my thoughts. G​Ú​RSHÁ is an evocative and fascinating exploration of modern production styles fused with hip hop sounds from the last 30 years and, of course, the aforementioned traditional Ethiopian influences. As much as I hope you all just give the whole thing 15 minutes of your time… should you need a teaser, go to 12:50, which is the beginning of the final track “Addis Fikir”. The beat is FAT, and it blends perfectly with the delay-heavy vocals and soft bell sounds. It is a pleasant bookend to quite an interesting album, one that has woken my ears from a slumber onset by a myriad of trends and familiar sounds.