Doing very well on The Roots Music Report's Top 50 World Album Chart, Monsieur Doumani’s fourth album, Pissoúrin, takes its name from a term that means “Night Darkness,” and the three musicians paint soundscapes that actually color the blackness with dreamy fantasies, imaginative illustration and creative surprises. From the Mediterranean Island of Cyprus, the trio is based in the country's capital and largest city, Nicosia.  Monsieur Doumani includes Demetris Yiasemides (trombone), Andys Skordis (guitars, percussion, loops) and Antonis Antoniou (tzouras, synthesizers, electronics, stomp box). All three sing too, and some backing vocals are provided by Angelos Ionas or Martha Frintzila on a few tracks.

While Monsieur Doumani’s previous releases have been more acoustic in nature, Pissoúrin takes them in an avant-folk direction emphasizing feverish rhythms, plucked string melodies, multi-layered singing, a low end driven by trombone, and electronic technology. While I’m not sure if Antoniou plays the 6-string or 8-string variety, I particularly enjoyed the distinctive Greek sound of the tzouras, an instrument related to the bouzouki that takes its name from the Turkish cura. With the exception of the closing track, “Astrahan,” written by Andys Skordis, all the music (and most lyrics) were written by Antonis Antoniou. While the trio has been around for over a decade, Skordis only recently joined as a full-time member (about 2019) when founding member Angelos Ionas left the band. 

As a concept album meant to paint a portrait of the night, Pissoúrin incorporates elements of Cypriot folkloric tradition, infused with powerful rock, colorful Turkish psychedelia, and even tints of hypnotic West African beats. Cyprus sounds like a pretty hip, eclectic place. Monsieur Doumani’s liner notes, with English translations of the lyrics, indicate that the songs are about dreams, feelings, truth, honesty, innocence, freedom, love, and of course, many creatures (both real and imagined) of the night.      

Opening with “Tiritíchtas,” (about an imaginary, mysterious being), we’re left with many questions as the singing directs us to “Just listen to the night giving birth, at the crack of dawn it’s in labor, something makes noise and disappears, the wind brings a voice with it.” A few tracks later, “Kalikándjari” (Hobgoblins) evolves with an intense groove and message that non-conformity and craziness will actually save us. Other interesting tracks refer to the guardian owl (“Koukkoufkiáos”), night bat (“Nychtopápparos”), mermaid (“Astrahán”), and fey or faeries (“Alavrostishiótis”). 

To truly get a better understanding of what Monsieur Doumani is trying to accomplish on Pissoúrin, one should look to the contemplative lyrics of the title track. If we agree that “darkness is the time when gifts are handed out,” then you’ll clearly enjoy this innovative album. If you irrationally fear the dark (the word is nyctophobia), then Monsieur Doumani’s pulsating music may actually “mess with your mood” and leave you feeling a bit anxious, tense, or uncertain. I chose to let their music stir me to action by awakening, dancing, jumping, laughing, reflecting, breathing and simply having fun. (Joe Ross, Roots Music Report)