you'd have to ask some muslims what they think of white people playing music like this while drinking alcohol in a bar in detroit. i find there's a tremendous level of naivete about this; y'all do realize that most countries in the arab-speaking world would actually literally kill you for going to or putting on a concert like this, right? they'd react to your solidarity by chopping off your head. there's maybe two or three counter-examples - and lebanon doesn't count, because it's not really a muslim state.

the people that live in the region that would enjoy something like this would have to do so deep underground, in secret venues, and they would mostly be secularists, atheists, socialists...and there's a commonality with a white crowd in detroit on that point, but it's the argument i've been making the whole time about this, isn't it? so, i don't feel particularly weird listening to something like this, because i'm actually aware of the political reality around this type of music, and these type of gatherings, in that geopolitical space. a concert like this in iran or saudi arabia would necessarily be a protest against islam, not a statement of solidarity with it.

if it was more overtly religious, and they were insisting on playing in a bar, they'd have some different types of questions to answer. but, it isn't. this is vaguely arabic without being explicitly islamic, and is consequently acceptable for secularists to enjoy without the need to ask awkward questions about it.

while it has some melodies that i think were lifted from oldfield, and could be celtic as much as they are "arabic", and that is ignoring the foundational impact of celtic music on the arabic world in the pre-classical period, the band this actually reminds me the most of is a toronto act called do make say think, that was fundamentally a kraut-rock act in the mould of tortoise but took in some large influences from other sources, including americana, punk rock, ambient music, blues and also some influence from arabic tonality. the melodic interplay is often quite reminiscent of some of their later work. a second legacy canadian act that it reminds me a little of is the tea party.

however, where dmst was very much body music, something that you felt and danced to, and the tea party were a kick-ass rock 'n' roll band, this is more sterile and intellectual - it is very much "progressive rock",  and suffers from some of the listening defects that so much prog rock does, in the sense that it's so dry and cerebral. i insist on a cerebral component in my music, you should know that by now. but, i won't let it dominate. it still needs to be fun and this often isn't.

i'd prefer to hit a punk band downtown on this night.

https://considerthesourcemusic.bandcamp.com/album/you-are-literally-a-metaphor