Music Review – Turkana Boys

by Thousand Days

Album: Turkana Boy

Artist: Thousand Days

Alternative rock band Thousand Days is a fantastic band with pure rock music, and lead singer Pardis Sabeti is unlike any other female rocker out there. Hailing from Boston, Thousand Days formed in 2002 and their music is inspired by the bands Hole, Belly, and Throwing Muses. The band released the single “One Truth” in August, and their album Turkana Boy is set to release in November of this year. With a sound reminiscent of the bands Evanescence, The Cranberries, and Garbage, Thousand Days has taken the female-lead alternative rock music of the 90s and modernized the sound to create songs that combine the older alternative rock with a modern sound.

Pardis Sabeti is a very unique musician, with a truly inspirational story. A world renowned researcher and Harvard Medical School professor, Pardis released the single “One Truth” to coincide with her releasing her latest research on the Ebola virus, which was published in the journal Science in August. The single is inspired by the loss of Pardis’s colleague Dr. Shiek Humarr Kahn who had contracted Ebola while treating patients with the virus. The song features six female scientists from Nigeria and Senegal who are on the front lines of the Ebola crisis in West Africa. These women sing with Pardis, lending the song a feeling of hope, love, determination, and realness not often felt in music today. It is impossible to not be moved by the emotion that is deeply imbued in this song. “One Truth” can be found on the band’s website along with the video.

In the upcoming album, Turkana Boy, the music is raw and gritty. The guitar is intoxicating, the vocals are feisty, and the drums throb with a powerful beat. As a huge fan of 90s alternative music, I loved this album.

“Disco” is a song that will have you up and dancing. The vocals are loud and strong combined with ingenious electric guitar playing. The song is perfect to listen to with the volume turned up nice and high. In fact, I highly recommend listening to the entire album with the volume turned up.

In the song “Shallow” the band shows off their heavier side. The song reminds me of earlier Evanescence music. The lyrics are thoughtful, filled with emotion, and are, once again, accompanied by talented guitar and drum playing.

“Somebody Like You” leads with soulful guitar playing that demonstrates the diversity of the band. Pardis’s singing is beautiful and resonates with the softer guitar playing in the background, creating a song that will touch your very core.

But the album isn’t all loud guitar playing and heavy rock. The song “Set You Free” is much softer and very different from the other songs on the album. The instrumental is almost mournful, with the singing passionate and heartfelt. Although I loved every song on this album, this song was by far my favourite.

If you are in need of music that will inspire you, encourage you, and reinvigorate your determination, I highly recommend checking out Thousand Days’s single “One Truth” and their album Turkana Boy.

Samantha Stevens is an aspiring writer who loves combining her love for literature with photography, painting, music, and all creative pursuits.