Quieter than Silence by Mehdi Aminian and Mohamad Zatari

Review by: Mark Stanfield

The short:

This is the bold, experimental music of a multicultural, independent project started by two friends:  Mehdi Aminian, an Iranian, and Mohamad Zatari, a Syrian.

The long:

Quieter than Silence currently has 5 members, having expanded and thereby adding dimension with the inclusion of Leïla Renault (France), Behnam Masoumi (Iran), and Zabih Vahid (Iran).  The artists have crafted an inspiring, roots-driven music which says and sounds a lot despite the name. Their music draws from Persian, Syrian, and Sufi music cultures.

To listen or not to listen: 

Listen!  You will steal away to places reminiscent of Iran, Syria, and other Middle Eastern locales. In their own words, Quieter than Silence is “a dedication to the wandering Syrians in distress and grief. It is a form of compassion and a protest against all the noise in the world.”