discord : band review
“Change is the key, and I wrote - along with Mohammed Fayez - a song about that called, “El Donya Ooda” (Life is a Room), which goes: if life is a room, just change its decoration, you will feel positive”. The song is to be released in Salalem’s second album next summer. His pen has turned not only towards lyrics but also to poetry, and Ali has already finished writing his first book. The collection of poems called Ana Sa’eed (I’m Happy) which includes most of Salalem’s songs and a few more, and is slated to be published soon.
cian and that my band is my priority.” But books do come as a close second. “I do love books, and I can’t deny that working at the bookshop put me in contact with the cultural life in town. It helped me understand what people are looking for, what they’re interested in and what they read. At a certain point, I could understand someone’s personality through the book he/she is asking for.” Just for kicks, I’ll be at the bookstore soon, asking for a new release, “Ana Sa’eed”.
“I don’t see myself as a poet,” says an ever-modest Ali. “I am just a songwriter who is trying to deliver some choruses and bridges in Salalem’s tunes.” And in line with his humility, he does not have a grand message to deliver through his work. “It is just a product of what I have experienced in my life and how I see things as an individual. I just want to keep it simple, when you listen to my lyrics, you can create your own philosophy about them.” But we will wrangle one secret out of him yet. When not playing with the band, you will often find Mo Ali lurking in Al Kotob Khan in the shape of a bookworm. “Of course, it’s hard always to make a living out of music only , that’s why i wanted to have another source of income . By coincidence it was the bookshop! It was the only place where I could go and work. My boss was always aware of the fact that Discord // music magazine 44