Armen at the Bazaar
While his voice was initially shaped in the traditional, hymnal setting of the Toronto Children’s Chorus, Armen Bazarian is anything but a choirboy. Invigorated by the timeless power of the human voice, Armen began exploring pop songcraft in his early teens, writing and recording countless acoustic demos. Through high school and university, he fronted rock, emo and orchestral-pop projects, and while the thrill of a band setting strengthened his confidence as a performer, he found that group dynamics ultimately obstructed his stalwart, singular vision. And thus, Armen at the Bazaar was born.
Slowly, but forcefully Armen has vanquished the need for a band’s accompaniment; in the studio, by spending countless and sleepless nights honing lush orchestrations and tight arrangements; on stage, through multi-channel looping and sampling allowing him to be his own backing band rife with layered harmonies of choral chanting, soaring guitars and tribal percussion. While Armen at the Bazaar stands alone, both on the stage and in the studio, his music is anything but empty—his voice full of life and his sound full of colour.
Press:
“Hard-working Montreal-based singer/songwriter and guitarist Armen Bazarian returns with his second self-released EP in as many years. Fantastic production complements Bazarian's playful take on indie, folk and psych. Virtually drumless until Anna's Song bursts into epic electro breakbeats, Armen instead uses guitar, sound engineering and overlapping phasing and echoing of his own voice. Drive With Me especially captures the studio wizardry that allows Armen's harmonies to blissfully hypnotize the listener in a style reminiscent of Animal Collective's Avey Tare. Two EPs show a ripening artist with character and verve - keep an eye on this guy.”
4/5
“Bazarian possesses a voice that implores listeners to pay attention to the wealth of sounds he can create, even without an instrument.”
- Discorder Magazine // Adam Clark
"Armen at the Bazaar was a great live act. A real eclectic musician, with a pair of perfect pipes fully mastering the art of the one man band. I was so taken aback by his performance that I failed to snap a few shots. Next time Armen..."
- Midnight Poutine // Stacy Lee
"A highlight of the evening was the one-man act Armen at the Bazaar, the second performer of the night, who wooed everybody with his voice and music. This 23-year-old Toronto native had people singing along with his more mellow songs such as "ZED" and dancing to faster numbers like "Fire." Stylistically similar to Imogen Heap and self-professed to be inspired by tUnE-YarDs, Armen uses looping to create his desired effect. The true attraction is his strong and melodious voice.
-The Concordian (Pop Montreal Loft Show) // Uzma Khan
“Extra vocal layers here, swirling noises there, a nice dollop of dancefloor-ready beats in various places-- add those things together, and you've got the ingredients for an outstanding EP. It's an impressive evolution, and it shows that Armen at the Bazaar is definitely an artist worth watching.”
“CIAMM editor-in-chief GarfieldUK uncovered this exciting, modern brand of layered electronic music […]. I, for one really dig the psychedelic flow of the harmonies, and uplifting, almost-proggy spirit of the rhythms. Good stuff!”
"I didn't just get a 6 song EP, I got an experience. Definitely something to check out."
- NxEW.ca
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3/6/2011
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