(Review from progressive.homestead.com, gevende.com)

The band was founded in 2000, in Eskisehir (of Turkey) and took the name “Gevende” in 2002. Since their formation, “Gevende” have focused on perfecting their unique ‘psychedelic folk’ sound. The band combines Balkan and Middle Eastern cultures in their songs. Improvisation plays a key role in each stage performance and this open attitude has meant they have played with many diverse musicians both in Turkey and internationally.

Gevende recorded a demo in 2004 but it wasn’t until 2006 they managed to release their debut album. “Ev” is overloaded with ideas, which are arranged with compactness perfectionism, and professionalism. It almost give a feeling of something of the richness of the world, and this in a relaxed form, but in reality it is nothing else but the open vision and preparation on their own personal journey that led to these tracks.

The opening track, “Celik Comak” has some foreign language in the first vocals, and seems like having a Turkish rock band playing mixed in with a Balkan brass ensemble, with a small part somewhere with Indian rhythm-vocals on Turkish percussion as if it’s tabla. This kind of Balkan/Turkish feeling can also be noticed in the next track, “Refik” as well, presenting a happy progressive world fusion rock form, with hints to jazz, Indian music, and those elements origins aren’t immediately recognized.

“Nem” is a strong well composed track from their demo. It is classically inspired and composed “progressive” rock with a subtle arrangement. It evolves into an improvisation with the Turkish ney flute that leads this improvisation, and then some violin does a splendid composition. This is followed by more tracks from their demo. “Okyanus Dugunu” from the next two, is similarly classically gifted in style, with an improvisation on a rather classical composition, performed by a small chamber orchestra, with trumpet and electric guitar and bass. “Nayu” is a beautiful and comprehensive, slightly melancholic song, with varied improvised arrangements.

“Anonim” is a Middle Eastern traditional, arranged by the band starting with very beautiful and thoughtful, well arranged vocal harmonies. Then the band improvises on it in an acidic fusing folkrock way, with a rock band fundament with additional trumpet and trombone.

“Gözagri” (again from the demo) once again showcases a gifted composition. Just like a classical composition, it has different sections and this with a spontaneously changing rhythm according to the theme being used, from a jazzy song improvisation, with a rhythmically calmer layer of chamber-jazz rock arrangement to it, over a Turkish way of complex chamber music rock, to a more bluesy jazz improvisation. With the same qualities, “Sermest” starts with RIO-like arrangements of complex rhythms, then changes into weird vocal lead arrangements, over a more odd rock structure, with further sections of jazzrock kind of organ improvisation, a didgeridoo part with trumpet and bass, and some complex Indian-like violin improvisation with tabla, over to a complex fusion rock repeating the mode of the earlier started complex rhythms.

Last track “Seker” is a more relaxed track, lead by a classical guitar improvisation (with second guitar and bass) accompanied with harmonica and tabla, while a child voice starts to tell a whole little story (with a bit of school children noise coming in on the background), and a bit flute, until the child laughs joyfully and the album, in a relaxed mode, just like the travels of Gevende might have brought, leaves you with nothing but good memories.

Line-up:
- Ahmet Kenan Bilgic / vocals, guitar, e-bow
- Omer Oztuyen / viola, back vocals
- Can Omer Uygan / trumpet, back vocals
- Okan Kaya / bass, cumbus, oud, melodica, acoustic guitar, back vocals
- Gokce Gurcay / drums, back vocals
with
- Arda Yigit Bulut / fairy tale boy (9)
- Cenk Erdogan / fretless guitar (4)
- Cetin Erlik / percussion (2)
- Gulsah Erol / cello (4, 5)
- Izzet Kizil / percussion (1, 8, 9)
- Murat Ferhat Yegul / trombone (1, 2, 6), ney (3)
- Pin Rada / didgeridoo (8)
- Serdar Pazarcioglu / fiddle (8)
- Sinan Sakizli / saxophone (1, 6), acoustic guitar (9)

Track List:
01. Celik Comak – 3:55
02. Refik – 4:03
03. Nem – 6:31
04. Nayu – 4:25
05. Okyanus Dugunu – 4:09
06. Anonim – 5:07
07. Gozagri – 4:06
08. Sermest – 3:44
09. Seker – 6:55

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