Serj Tankian

With his trademark eclecticism and one-of-a-kind vocal style, Serj delivers, Elasticity, a five song EP that run the gamut from hard-driving, electronically enhanced anthems like the title track to rallying cries for his beloved Armenia (“Electric Yerevan”) to the tongue-in-cheek political mash-up of “Your Mom.”

“Oh, ‘Your Mom’ is complicated,” Serj says with a sly smile. “Originally conceived as a symptom and cure for ISIS, the song was written a while back and so the specifics of the lyrics were no longer timely. It evolved into something more surreal, with radicals committing human rights atrocities and your mom fighting them—almost like a funny video game.”

On the complete opposite end of the emotional spectrum, “Rumi” has a special double meaning. “It’s about my son Rumi, and Rumi the poet at the same time,” Serj offers, making a rare exception to his policy of not explaining lyrics. “Lyrical specificity in music is generally discouraged because less people internalize them as they have less of a personal connection. But there are cases where it is vital if the inspiration and muse is specific. In this case, a father talking to his son and reverence to the poet that inspired the son’s name could not be re-written so one can generalize.”

All told, Elasticity is another sonic canvas in Serj’s ever-expanding repertoire chalk with diversity and wit set to driving rock soundscapes.