Sakin Hayat Album Review

There are some albums where every single track is a masterpiece. We live in a fast-consumption society now, so people don't really make full albums anymore. And honestly, it's a shame because the ones that do come out are usually getting worse.

In this post, I'll be taking a look at Sakin's album, Hayat. Even though it was released back in 2008, it still feels as fresh and relevant as ever.

If you've never listened to this masterpiece, you're in for a treat. Enjoy it!

Kor Bir Ay

In this album, all the beats are really simple, but the real power lies in the lyrics. Whenever this song comes up on my playlist, the opening scares me a little, but then it settles into such sweet, heartfelt lyrics. It feels like a beautiful outcry. Plus, that guitar solo at the end. Absolutely stunning.

İkarus Başarsa

To understand this song, I have to tell you the myth first. In Greek mythology, Icarus and his father are imprisoned. To escape, his father creates wings out of wax and feathers. He warns Icarus not to get too caught up in the thrill of flying and most importantly, not to get too close to the sun. As the story goes, Icarus ignores this, the wax melts and he falls into the Aegean Sea to his death.

However, this song offers a different perspective: it actually wants Icarus to succeed. But instead of suggesting he stay away from the sun, the song imagines a world where the sun never rises. It's a fascinating twist. As for the music itself, it's easily in my top three on the album. It's pure life energy.

Laleler Beyaz

There are three things about this song that I absolutely adore and I find myself coming back to them over and over again. First, the opening. it's fast, sharp and hits you right away with such strength. Second, the lyrics. 'Hoş senin de bir varoluş sebebin var. Yakından uzaktan alakam olsa mutluyum.' To me that is the perfect definition of love. Finally, the outro gives off this incredible vibe, the feeling of a summer evening coming to an end. It's an exquisite track, truly.

Bir Ses

This song is proof of that you don't need complex lyrics to create something impactful. It's the kind of song that cheers you up the moment you feel down, yet, contrary to its upbeat vibe, the lyrics carry a sense of underlying anxiety.

To put it in perspective, as the lyrics go: 'Sen küçük kız bize alkış tut / Hayat batırırken'. I think I'll be using this phrase 'hayat batırırken' from now on.

Edepsiz Komedya

Much like the rest of the album, this song features lyrics that you could interpret in 50 different ways. It has such a lively, catchy tone and the chorus is just beautiful. It includes a very nice naive definition of love in the lines: 'Seni sorana her yanım derim / Ve dahasını da eklerim.' By calling it an 'a cheeky comedy', i think it's describing a kind of love that pushes boundaries.

Bu Defa

Much like the song itself, the music video feels incredibly mysterious. The chorus is fantastic and the build-up towards the end is just exquisite. This track is definitely another one of my top three favorites on the album. I'd love to know what the 'three days and twenty-three minutes' actually refers to. My favorite line has to be: 'Bir defa kalsam yanında / Hayat güzel hikayemde kalınca.'

Denek Hayatım

Sadly, this song is based on a heartbreaking event: the 2004 Pamukova train derailment in Turkey. Due to excessive speed, the train travelling between Ankara and Istanbul went off the tracks, causing the tragic loss of 41 lives. What strikes me most in the lyrics is the line: 'Kokla, bu ceset, bu yüzüm ağlar kan içinde.' Every time I hear it, I get this incredibly strange, haunting feeling. Another powerful part is: 'Bağırır bu raylar / O sahte, o kart düzene.' After the accident, investigations into the officials responsible for the neglected tracks were blocked and the true culprits were never held accountable. Those lyrics perfectly capture that 'cardboard system' and the injustice.

It hits home with the line: 'Sebepsiz ve sonuçsuz, denek hayatım.'

Also, one of the most brilliant, yet chilling details in the music videdo is the reference to crash-test dummies, reflecting how our lives are often treated like experiments.

Yağmur Güncesi

What a riff! It's absolutely incredible. The song captures a specific feeling: the realization that comes around age 23 or 24, the idea that life shouldn't be lived in a constant rush. It teaches us to slow down and truly savor the moment. It suggest that the only thing we need to be happy is to remove the sources of our unhappiness and that it's entirely in our hands. After all, we are the ones who decide what unhappiness is worth.

Kırmızı Oda

The instrumental intro, the irregular rhythm and the beauty of the lyrics are simply something else. As much as I love the opening, I must admit I don't feel the same about the chorus, it feels like it's missing a little something, a tiny touch. But then again, song are whole units, and we should embrace them as they are.

It's another quintessentially 'Sakin' track.

Dönsün

There was a time when songs were created to tell a story, something significant. They carried a cry of resistence. They were among the most powerful and human responses to injustice. 'Dönsün' is Sakin's powerful response to the ongoing genocide and inhumane attacks in Palestine. Written from the perspective of a Palestinian child, the song is a direct call for justice.

As the lyrics resonate: 'Ve öldürsen durur mu çarpan kalp, sonundayım / Ne söyleyeyim adalet senin, tanrı seçmişken.' (Even if you kill me, will this beating heart stop? I am at the end / What can I say when justice is yours, and God has chosen you?)

Sentetik Sezar

This track is my third favorite musically on the album. It addresses yet another human tragedy: the horrific torture at Abu Ghraib prison under US military supervision during the Iraq War in 2003. Yes, there was a time when songs were written about such things and they did it so masterfully that anyone listening could instantly understand the weight of the message. This song is a perfect example. 'Sentetik Sezar' (Synthetic Caesar) refers to a fake, artificial dictator. Is it really that unclear who it's about? As the lyrics go: 'Al, sömür, yut, dünya durur bugün / Hiç bilinmez yarın suçlu kim?' (Take, exploit, swallow, the world stops today / Who knows who will be the culprit tomorrow?)"