bagh e Vahsh e Jahani (Global Zoo)

Album Review

On November 14, 2008, Kiosk released their third studio album, Bagh e Vahsh e Jahani (or Global Zoo) — again in collaboration with their previous label, Bamahang. "Global Zoo," as Arash Sobhani describes it, is an inevitable consequence of the failure of the Dialogue of Civilizations theory in today's world, and the album represents the band's viewpoint about the aftereffects. Bagh e Vahsh e Jahani starts with "Aay Aay," a song in which one can find almost all the themes and moods on display throughout the remainder of the album. As in their previous albums, Kiosk again try to remain current regarding all the issues and obstacles in Iran, although the band has been mainly based in the U.S. since 2006. Bagh e Vahsh e Jahani is a stinging satire regarding internal hindrances — including mismanagement, poor economic situations, energy issues, etc. — as well as external policies, as expressed by opposition groups in Europe and the U.S. and its Administration. There are also couple of ballads, such as the primarily waltz-like songs "Charkhesh e Pooch" and "Livaanha, Botriha, Gaalonha." Consisting of ten songs in total, Bagh e Vahsh e Jahani flows from the beginning to the seventh track, "Gerogaangiri dar Baagh e Vahsh," sharing the same critical and satirical stance, until the arrival of "Charkhesh e Pooch," a late interlude, and the following "Yaarom Bia," a nicely arranged piece and revisited dance song, a famous cover from Persian folklore with the same title, featuring one of the most controversial of Iranian singer/songwriters, Mohssen Namjoo. Bagh e Vahsh e Jahani shares a variety of styles from blues and Gypsy jazz — as the band prefers to call it — to folk-rock and waltzes, so it may sound somewhat different from Kiosk's previous works.