...we've got the means to make amends. I am lost, I'm no guide, but I'm by your side. (Pearl Jam, Leash)
Thursday, November 13, 2008
War/Dance: "In our daily lives there must be music"
It's currently International Education Week in the U.S., which translates into busy times for me in my dayjob life. I don't mind this kind of busy, because I am tasked with bringing global culture to our campus for a week of free activities. In a welcome intersection of music and film, my event Tuesday was a screening of the exceptional film War/Dance.
I sat in a darkened theater in the late afternoon and watched a group of school children from Northern Uganda prepare their music and impassioned dance for their National Music Competition. The children are displaced refugees of the Acholi tribe, which has been subject to a horrific persecution at the hands of the Lord's Resistance Army for twenty years -- abducted, forced into child soldierhood, raped, orphaned. This tribal war has left 200,000 Ugandan children without parents, seen 30,000 abducted to fight for the LRA, and forced almost all of the Acholi people to leave the green hills of their ancestral homes and relocate to dusty camps, guarded by military 24 hours a day.
But -- when these children are swimming in the waves of their music, they are free. You can see it in the spark in their smiles, the unbridled earthy joy shining in their faces when they sing, when they stomp the dry earth and arch their backs. As one girl says in her sonorous native tongue, "In our daily lives there must be music. In everything we do, if there's music, life becomes so good. That's why I want to be part of music."
Suffering of great magnitude is extremely difficult to wrap our Western minds around, and the filmmakers incisively narrow the lens to track three young teenagers and the stories of the dark path that brought them to the camp, to this school in the remotest part of Northern Uganda. The kids take seriously the opportunity to compete with the other 20,000 schools throughout Uganda to represent their tribe as one of the best. When they perform the 500-year-old Bwola dance of their tribe, they radiate pride and spirit as they stomp and whirl in shades of a Feist video (I must not be the only one who thought that).
The film is a deeply human exploration, one that made me question what it is within the human spirit that flares up, that remains unbreakable and irrepressible. One of the main characters Nancy explains, "When I'm singing, I feel that everything is exactly how it used to be. Everything feels okay again, like I'm at home and not in the camp." Rose muses, "Music is the most important part of Acholi culture. It is our tradition. Even war cannot take it from us.
War/Dance is shot with the stunning eye of a photographer, with shots that make you ache in their purity, their power, and their sadness. The dance scenes are swirls of color and shifting focus. As they tell their unflinching stories, the skin of the children shines with an illuminated vibrancy that seems out of place in their dusty, hard surroundings.
Out of the gritty horrors of a story that could be the bleakest of bleak, hope and pride rise up in the kids. In music, they survive. It's a message that resonated deeply with me, and indeed should with all who have ever felt the power of music in any capacity. I give this movie (and the corresponding music) my highest recommendation of the screen this year.
And hey, the percussion that punctuated all the pounding-heart moments of this film made the tiny little djembe player in my own heart leap a little:
With the eyes of everyone in the world on Beijing right now (except me, much to my mother's horror), what with all the synchronized diving and underage gymnasts, this video from VBS.tv is very timely. I had no idea that China had a burgeoning punk scene -- very cool. They say:
"We hitched up with some cool kids who sounded like they knew what they were talking about and they dragged us all over the Beijing's underground music scene, into dirty alleys and dirtier bars so we could get a taste. Even though we were thousands of miles away from NYC in a foreign land, some things really are just universal. Like partying in a basement at 3am and flinging beer all over the place and rocking your face off. We liked these three bands the most."
The cool little Strut Records imprint will be releasing the new Grandmaster Flash album later this year, and in addition to a fine roster that already boasts things like Disco Italia: Essential Italo Disco Classics (so all over that!) and Funky Nassau, they have a new collection that I am absolutely loving.
Nigeria 70: Lagos Jump is a compilation of "original heavyweight afrobeat highlife and afro-funk" music that I'm finding to be just the cure for ears tired of the same old same old. Quick wiki-history lesson: Following the freedom of independence from the UK in 1960, and the bloody wars and ethnic clashes that the late '60s brought to Nigeria, the '70s were a time of relative oil-fueled prosperity, and a time where musical expression and experimentation could grow.
During this decade Nigerian musicians melded the outside influences of European and American big band, jazz, and rock that they heard crackling over their radios with their own traditional beats, instrumentation, language, and spirit. On this compilation, leading Afro archivist Duncan Brooker worked with Strut Records founder Quinton Scott to introduce a wider audience to the eclectic, funky, bold sounds of this era.
The previous 3-CD collection of Nigerian music that Strut Records put out in 2001 (Nigeria 70) is now out of print, and sells for close to $100. So, yeah. You might think about gettin' while the gettin's good. The opening track:
Yabis - Sir Shina Peters & His International Stars
Contest updates: U2/Africa winner, and a new one for the ladies with Tristan Prettyman
Thanks to everyone who submitted a story about Africa, U2 --or even Bonalmost-- for the contest to win the In The Name of Love CD of U2 covers by African musicians.
Boyhowdy's story was an early favorite (make your wife read that, boyhowdy!) and so many of you shared great tales of the ways U2 has been present at different memorable moments in your life. However the winner is Russell, because of the way I loved this paragraph he wrote about seeing U2 in 1980:
"There was real glory in an Edge solo - a dazzling scattering of light and energy that detonated dreams. Exhilaration. Running from that concert in the rain to catch a late night train remains vivid and gleaming: music mattered, life mattered. Everything was potentially magical."
Russell, thanks, and let me know where to send the winnings. Enjoy.
NEW CONTEST: Tristan Prettyman is a musician from the San Diego area with a lovely sunrise homespun voice, and an approachable acoustic sound that I dig.
She's designed a cool music-oriented tank top for the ladies, picturing the chord breakdown of her song "Hello" (the title track of her album, out this week). Stream the tune on her MySpace, and please leave me a comment if you'd like to win the shirt (via Elwood Clothing). The folks running the contest would like entrants to leave an email address to opt-in for Tristan Prettyman news in the future, but it's up to you.
LISTEN: Here's a cover Tristan did of French-Israeli artist Yael Naim's "New Soul" - that catchy ditty from the MacBook Air ad.
Bono gives props to Africa; Africa returns the favor
I was fascinated with this concept album when I first read about it: Twelve artists and musical groups from all parts of Africa gather together to cover U2 songs with traditional African instrumentation, percussion, and even languages. In many cases, the songs are completely restructured into something you can feel rising from the ground up, the beats thumping into your deepest hollows.
In The Name of Love: Africa Celebrates U2 features artists like Angelique Kidjo (previous post), Les Nubians, Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, and an oddly affecting cover of "Love Is Blindness" by Angola's Waldemar Bastos. Mali bluesman Ali Farka Touré's son Vieux contributes a rich cover of "Bullet The Blue Sky" with the spoken bridge segment done in his native language. The songs are really different than how you're used to hearing them. If you love U2 as I do, sometimes it takes a minute to get past the shock. But there's a beautiful spirit and soul shining through this amazing collection.
And you know -- I think that this is how the type of love that Bono originally sings about is supposed to sound; like a well rising, voices joining together. Pride (In The Name of Love) - Soweto Gospel Choir
NEW CONTEST! One winner will get a copy of In The Name Of Love: Africa Celebrates U2 just by leaving me a comment with either a good U2 story, a good Africa story, or both. I'll pick a winner and send the booty on its merry way.
PS - I checked, and I ain't got a Monday Music Roundup in me. Not today.
Guest post: My little brother defends his musical honor, schools us on Japanese music
Last weekend I posted something that my little brother out in San Diego had recommended to me, and I made a tiny dig at his past musical interests (who am I to talk, I liked NKOTB). Brian graciously called me on it, told me he actually still likes Japanese music, and suggested he write a little something about it to school all of us. An excellent idea, fitting in with the World Music Wednesday feature that I can't seem to find enough time to maintain these days, but am still very interested in.
In addition to trying to teach me the fine points of guitar playing (pictured above, harder than it looks), he also loves to talk music just like his big sis. So it's a pleasure: take it away, dude.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- GUEST POST I am Brian, and you are Heather's friends. My whole family, it seems, has this deep love for music in one form or another, and I could probably fill Heather's entire daily blog with music of my own tastes, because like her, music is my life. I love studying music, learning new types of music, spending hours listening to it, and constantly growing my library from which I can draw the beautiful sensations which music always delivers. Music is my fuel, which would, in some strange reorganization of words, making my sister my drive in life - but I guarantee you that is not the case. Since I breathe, eat, sleep, and drink music day in and day out, I thought I would share some of my tastes with you, Heather's faithful readers.
I have learned something as I've aged [editor's note: he's all of 25, folks], and that is that if someone who claims to love music cannot listen to music they don't understand, or music belonging to a culture with which they do not associate, they are lacking in something. I want to open the doors to what is in my opinion wonderful music, that like a fine wine may take time getting used to and learning, but will grow on you if you give it time. Sit back, relax, and take a second to try to enjoy music that you might not normally listen to.
A note about Japanese music before we start: One thing that you should remember is that English is very popular in Japan - having song titles in English, using English in the chorus line, or as the background vocals - is very popular, widely accepted, and almost standard across the Japanese music industry. I understand that (to the best of my knowledge,) there is no English-speaking country where another language is so prevalent in its music as it is in Japan, but try to keep that in mind as you listen. It is not out of the norm - rather, it is the norm.
Pizzicato Five Busting onto the scene in 1985, and calling it quits later in 2001, Pizzicato Five have been one of the longer running bands to have fame in Japan. They are one of the most individualistic, non-conforming, "we're going to play whatever the hell we want to play" bands I have ever heard. Their poppy, sometimes odd music is something that takes a little getting used to. The band's two members, Yasuharu Konishi and K-Taro Takanami, take turns singing and playing the instruments in the songs, so each song is a good reflection of both of them. Their best CD in my opinion is Playboy & Playgirl (on Matador in the U.S., 1998).
[Heather's addition:] Twiggy Twiggy - Pizzicato 5(I never get tired of this one)
Utada Hikaru Well shoot. How do I even write about Utada Hikaru and NOT take up like fifteen pages? Ahhh, bullet points. So - tell me, how many of these things have you accomplished in your life:
Released 7 studio albums totaling over 40,000,000 in sales
Become pretty much THE most popular musical icon in all of Japan, following the release of your first CD, at age 16 (and if you're thinking, "oh, it's the Japanese Britney Spears.... no. No no no.)
Had the most number one songs of any artist ever in Japan, including 12 Golden Disk awards (like our Grammy award)
Released full albums in both English and Japanese
Fricken. Rock.
Be born in New York, have a massive international audience, be popular all over the world, and.... still have no one in America know who you are, save Asian people.
That pretty much sums it up. I got into Utada Hikaru during my junior year in high school, 1999, when her first album, First Love, came out. She was 16, pretty much the same as all the girls putting out poppy little bubblegum CDs here in America, like Britney Spears, Mandy Moore, Christina Aguilera, and all the other crap that was popular at the time, but my high school, being around 65-70% Asian, had a slightly different tilt to it, and so naturally, I was sucked in.
I believe Hikaru is one of the only artists in the world who can claim the number 1 spot on the charts for seven straight albums. Hit after hit after hit - and they never stop coming. She has diversified herself from electronic-y late '90s music to beautiful ballads, albums in full English, and almost every type of music you can think of. She is more than just an icon to Japanese listeners, she carries with her so much talent, with such a great voice, creative sounds and lyrics, and it will be so hard to give you just four songs of hers. You really need to check her out. Now.
Automatic - Utada Hikaru(off her first CD) First Love- Utada Hikaru(title track to first CD, at age 16) Simple and Clean - Utada Hikaru(all in English) Colors - Utada Hikaru(off her latest CD)
Kiss Destination To be honest - I don't know a lot about this artist. To my knowledge, she only has one real album (and a host of singles) but her one disc, released in 1999, didn't really go anywhere, and she's not around anymore. If I were so lucky to have someone reading this that actually owns this CD, I will buy it off you. I can't find it anywhere, but the five or six tracks I have from the CD are all amazing.
Kiss Destination was the project of a band we're going to cover later, Globe --one of the biggest Japanese rock/electronica bands in the last 20 years-- and singer Asami Yoshida (featured to the left). Asami's voice is melodic, and she mixes her flavor of pop in with a little bit of rap and very memorable melodies.
Ketsumeishi Finally! I've been waiting to write about Ketsumeishi since I started this post last night, because they are absolutely amazing. Ketsumeishi is an awesome blend of pop music, amazingly talented rappers, great voices, and awesome beats. I don't want to lay down some blanket statement about an entire genre of music, but when most people think of rap, it has the impression of American popular rap. "oh. that." This is NOT what you're thinking. Japanese rappers are incredible -- the way that Ketsumeishi can flow is unlike anything I've ever hear out of American rap, so I highly encourage you to listen to these two tracks of theirs.
This is where I REALLY need you to put on your culture hat, and try to get past the fact that you do not understand this, and that the style of rap is totally not what you're used to. Please, do it for yourself. You will be a better person for liking Ketsumeishi. They consist of four members, Ryo, Ryoji, 大蔵, and DJ Kohno, they have released 4 albums and are working on a new release for 2007. To date, they have sold more than 4,000,000 copies. Call me crazy, but try to watch the Sakura music video without crying... I'm just a sucker for love stories.
m-flo m-flo is a Japanese hip-hop group consisting of two guys that I would just love to go out and drink with, DJ Taku Takahashi and VERBAL. Apparently the original name for the group was meteorite flow, but their producer said that it was too long, so they shortened it to the now famous m-flo. Formed also in 1999, (seems like a popular year in Japan musical history!) with their third member, Lisa, they released 5 albums and had amazing success before she decided to leave the group in 2002, citing artistic differences.
For the first several years, m-flo put out several awesome CDs and singles, and were more the type of group to have a killer CD over a ton of number one hits, but for the last few years m-flo has made their largest impact on the music scene by working with other famous artists to produce "m-flo" remixes of popular songs. Produced under the name "m-flo loves [artist] - [title]" their work has become internationally known and recognized as some of the best hiphop and remixing work in the world. I love m-flo, so again, it's going to be hard to just choose a few tracks for you to listen to, especially since both members speak perfect English and often-times interweave English and Japanese in the same sentence, or have English in the left channel and Japanese in the right - it's pretty awesome to listen to. I wonder if it would give you a headache if you were fluent in both...
Every Little Thing Last, but definitely not least, is the band that is probably most responsible for my love of Japanese music, other than Utada Hikaru. I learned about Every Little Thing around 2000 - 2001, and instantly fell in love with them. They sound a lot like an '80s rock band full of power chords, distorted guitars, synthesizers, and killer guitar solos. Some of their music has a softer quality to it, like many of the late '80s bands who would put crazy soft ballads in the middle of two hard songs.
There isn't anything that I can say that would explain why I love ELT so much -- they don't do anything better than any other group in this list, they don't have the best vocals, the most catchy sounds, or the most difficult guitar parts, but something about the sound just . . . captivates me. They have released so many CDs over the years that they were able to release 4 CDs of greatest hits, entitled Every Best Single, Every Best Single 2, Every Best Single 3, and Every Best Ballad.
So needless to say, they have a huge history of fame on the island to the west. They are semi-impervious to time, it seems, as they have not been caught up in much of Japanese pop culture (much like Pizzicato 5) and have really just done their own things, sticking to their deep rock roots regardless of what time period it is now.
So . . . I hope this was a nice venture into the land of Japan for all of you who read Heather's blog. I might just come back and do more international music sometime in the future. Feel free to email me about any of the bands listed here, if you just have any questions in general, or if you just want to be my friend and talk about music. I'm way cooler than Heather. You can reach me at powel033@csusm.edu
Spring is finally on the verge of ... springing here in Colorado. There are new layers of green outside my front door everytime I look, and I think my tulips (which I didn't plant myself, but remain an annual treat from the previous green-thumbed owner) are poised to bloom any day. There's also a gorgeous bush covered in breathtaking yellow flowers right outside my kitchen window, so I don't even mind doing the dishes lately. Hooray for Spring, I've been color-starved and sunshine-starved, even though I try to make the best of it.
Side note: there is a fantastic/rotten new entry over at ThingsMyBoyfriendSays.com that I ain't gonna post here but just made laugh for a solid minute or so...
But let's just move it along, people. Here's the music, with an appropriate first track for the revelling in the Spring sunshine.
Laissez Briller Le Soleil("Let the sun shine"?) Les Boots Every once in a while on the music blogs that I regularly read, someone throws out a curveball that just catches you offgaurd in the most marvelous way. Aquarium Drunkard has a "French Freakbeat" series up now (parts one and two) of fuzzy, garage harmonies from Gallic groups of the Sixties. Info is scant, but apparently this is "a rare bootleg collection that explores mid 1960s mod-influenced psychedelia of French bands that were paying strict attention to their British brethren, most notably The Small Faces." I love the way this sounds -- it's as if your little transistor radio suddenly picks up a station across the Atlantic with sounds that are vaguely familiar but altogether fresh. Grab the whole set. Soooo good, right up my alley.
No Pussy Blues Grinderman Following my post referencing the great Nick Cave tune (and the Pearl Jam cover of) "The Ship Song," reader Joe recommended that I check out Cave's new band with 3 of his Bad Seeds -- Grinderman, saying it was "raw, dirty, superb!" Any song titled No Pussy Blues definitely tends towards the raw and fairly dirty; it's also humorous as he details his efforts in vain to get the unnamed female to acquiesce in his growling, pointed storytelling. This is off their forthcoming 2007 self-titled release on Anti Records (US). Blistering.
Gospel The National Speaking of Nick Cave, the voice of Matt Berninger always reminds me a bit of Cave in its deep and dramatic resonation. The forthcoming 4th album from Brooklyn's The National, Boxer (May 22, Beggars Banquet label) leaked its way onto the interwebby this weekend and I've been truly enjoying feeling my way through it. It's a rich, melodic, gorgeous album with lyrics aching of romantic disillusionment and raw desire -- I had a hard time picking just one track to share. This is an album that I really look forward to delving into and relishing on repeat; first impressions are very solid.
Never Learn Not To Love Beach Boys/Charles Manson So you all know that I enjoy enriching my brain with backstories and random little snippets of musical history that fall through the cracks. The Spinner blog has a fascinating little story on how the Golden State's finest exports ended up recording the music of a psychotic murderer. Although the original writing credits of this song, which was first released as a b-side to cheery "Bluebirds Over The Mountain," list only Dennis Wilson as the author, the truth would include a credit for the wild-eyed Chuck Manson as well for his earlier version -- creepily entitled "Cease To Resist." Who knew that underneath all that sunshine and chiming harmonies there was a secret more sinister.
Strawberry Street Jeff Buckley Oooh, and finally how about a b-side from my beloved Jeff Buckley? This is one that I'd never heard before, unearthed by the superb Sweet Oblivion blog and ripped directly from the vinyl single of the great song "Forget Her." It was also a hidden track on the Australian edition of Grace. This song was written by Jeff before he moved to NYC in 1993, and it is Jeff at his most waily, electric, Led-Zeppelin-loving best.
And holy goodness (!!), I've been waiting for this news for a long time: The critically-acclaimed film festival favorite Jeff Buckley documentary Amazing Grace will finally be released by Columbia/Legacy on May 22 for purchase. I've heard nothing but revelatory raves about it but missed all screenings ever near me; add your name here to be updated on purchase information. I cannot wait to settle in to watch that one.
A recent exciting discovery for me for those days when I am feeling global and exotic is the National Geographic World Music site. A very cool foray from the grandaddies of all things international, and a logical extension for them, this site features a FREE weekly download of a world music track (this week's is an upbeat calypso "punta rock" track from Belize's Andy Palacio).
In addition to the free weekly download, you can search by region, by artist, by genre, and more. There are video features, guest DJs from around the world, and free World Music podcasts. It really does the job so well that I could just completely surrender the effort of finding stuff on my own and just let that be my hookup from now on.
So whether you studied abroad and long to return, spent a fabulous vacation on some alluring isle, or have a heritage to explore, you should take a gander - http://worldmusic.nationalgeographic.com
National Geographic: It's not just pictures of women with really, really long breasts anymore.
Nil Lara is a Cuban-American songwriter with Venezuelan roots who has just blown me away. I read about him recently on Matt Nathanson's celebrity playlist (of all places), sought him out, and immediately loved what I heard. Lara is soulful and passionate and sings like his heart is burning. Add in heavy doses of warm & layered Latin percussion, traditional Cuban and Venezuelan string instruments, and his soaring chants and vocals (in a combination of Spanish and English) - and I was hooked.
It's been named by some "Number 2 on my list of Best Albums By People That 99.5% of the World Has Never Heard Of."
His 1996 self-titled album was critically acclaimed, but never received the popular attention it deserves. As such it is kind of hard to find: It is on iTunes (but not eMusic), and you can find used copies on Amazon. I would completely go see him live, and surely dance myself sore, but he seems to be on indefinite hiatus. Download these, and buy the album, though - sheer fabulousness.
I Will Be Free - Nil Lara (I love the Spanish ululating -- which almost sounds African at times -- and furious guitar strumming on this one)
Mama's Chant - Nil Lara (standout traditional drum & chant piece, builds slowly and you feel it from your toes on up)
So, tonight I am going to get me a little culture.
My friend (of the past 15+ years) Saira, who posesses THE BEST LAUGH/CACKLE in the known universe, is getting married tomorrow night. Tonight, in the Indian tradition, she is celebrating her mehndi, the girls-only henna painting fest. My white-girl self can barely contain the excitement at the exotic prospects.
Now, for all I know this may be a rather serious occasion, but if I were the DJ tonight, we would be listening to Bombay The Hard Way. Aside from having the best name of any CD ever recorded (I was meant to write about this from the moment a friend first slipped "Ganges A GoGo" onto a driving mix CD for me), it is fun fun music with a colorful edge.
It sounds like a rather bizzare concept: DJ Shadow and Dan The Automator (of Handsome Boy Modeling School fame) decided to take selections from early '70s Indian/"Bollywood" b-movie crime thrillers, intersperse them with random dialogue from the films, dub in some updated trip-hop beats, additional sitars, and come up with something altogether fresh and --if I do say so myself-- party ready. The new titles assigned to the songs (originally written and orchestrated by noted soundtrack composers Anandji and Kalyanji Shah) are a riot.
There's a warning that easily angered purists should steer clear, but I am obviously not one of those so for me this is just grand. Take a listen and you might be surprised how much fun those Bollywood folks are having.
Ganges A GoGo (surprisingly retro-surf sound)
Punjabis, Pimps, and Players(low-key atmospheric music)
Inspector Jay from Delhi (oh, just quirky enough to be cool)
So I had said that when I have some interesting world music to post, Wednesday will be the day for that business. Today "something good" comes in the form of Juana Molina:
If you read other blogs, you may have heard of Juana Molina - and for good reason. Molina is an Argentinian folk chanteuse who sings very muted, intimate guitar songs with a fascinating underpinning of gentle electronica layers. Everyone compares her to Swede folkster José González (check out his cover of The Knife's Heartbeats), again for good reason.
Her new album Son will be released June 6 in the States (on Domino Records) and sounds very promising from what I have heard. Mellow, hypnotic goodness that will also allow you to brush up on your Español whilst you listen.
No Seas Antipática - Juana Molina
Micael - Juana Molina
If you visit her website and click on the tall red flower (I know, tricky) there is a section with 6 free downloads, 2 off each of her previous releases.
She is also on tour with José González in the coming months, check her out!
Aaaah, coffee. The beverage of the gods and the required kickstart for my days.
A nice atmospheric soundtrack to your morning java respite is the lovely Putumayo compilation entitled Music From The Coffee Lands: an aromatic blend representing Peru, Kenya, Hawaii, Uganda, Mexico, Colombia, Zimbabwe, and more. Sounds like . . .
Below The Bassline - by Jamaican jazzmaster Ernest Ranglin
Kothbiro - by Kenyan lyre (nyatiti) player Ayub Ogada. Haunting.
Soltarlo - jazzy acapella scatting and layered vocal "percussion" from Colombian singer/songwriter Claudia Gómez
The slack-key Hawaiian guitar piece by James "Bla" Pahinui and the feisty "Guajira Bonita" track by Julian Avalos & Afro-Andes that opens the CD are both also favorites of mine. Check this one out.
To learn more about where your favorite drink comes from, and to buy fair trade blends, check out Cafédirect.
A million thanks to my Mexico City reader Mario for sending me some interesting stuff that is going on south of the border (where I wish I was heading for Spring Break like all you wild young'uns still in college). I was surprised at the depth and variety of the stuff he sent me, I will freely admit to having incorrect and one-dimensional mariachi stereotypes of Mexican music. I am now enlightened and am so enjoying this look at the music of the modern Mexican scene.
Mario writes to me:
"I would like to recommend some music from our local Rock Scene (well, I have to confess, they are from all Mexico, but our "scene" is still wearing diapers)…
Zoe. These guys are from Guadalajara - Jalisco, a state full of beautiful women and the cradle of all the “charro” culture, but this guys are have more influence from Blur, Placebo or The Pixies…if you want to know more about them check their site: www.zoetheband.com
Peace and Love - Zoe
Austin TV. Originally they were a rock-punk band, but they’ve changed their musical style… becoming an instrumental band. As they say, “We try to create a different style of music, taking as influence all the beautiful music we have the opportunity to listen to.”… Nowadays they sound more like a “dream-pop” band. www.austintv.org
Ella No Me Conoce - Austin TV Olvide Decir Adios - Austin TV
Goma. A guy from Culiacán-Sinaloa…He is the spearhead of the lo-fi movement in Mexico. He says, “Goma's my nick name. In Spanish it means gum or gel or eraser. I've been called Goma by my friends since kindergarten. My parents never call me Goma, they don't like it. They like my name José Gabriel…”
Still I Wake Up In The Morning Thinking of You - Goma (highlyrecommended!)
La Live Band. They are noisy, they are nasty… and one of the most energetic live bands I had ever seen… their site is still under heavy construction: http://www.happyfi.com/laliveband/
Baby Baby Baby - La Live Band (what a great, fun song, slightly retro feel)
Los General Electrics. Yes, I know… They sound like Massive Attack. I like them and they are very easy going guys, as is their music." www.myspace.com/losgeneralselectrics
Un Minuto Para Evacuar - Los General Electrics (makes me feel like I am floating)
Muchas gracias, señor Mario. It's all eminently listenable, hip stuff. I appreciate hearing something new.
"Mali Bluesman" Ali Farka Touré, one of West Africa's best-known musicians, died yesterday following a long illness with bone cancer. I would be remiss not to feature him today on the World Music Wednesday feature.
I first heard this name of Farka Touré in around 1994/95 when he released a critically acclaimed and excellent album with Ry Cooder called Talking Timbuktu. Over the years his name and his work have popped up on various world music compilations and stations I have been exposed to and I have always been impressed, and with happy ears. This was one amazing musician.
Fascinating to explore the connections and commonalities between West African music and U.S. Southern Blues, which Farka Touré argued shared the same roots.
Today's focus on World Music Wednesday is "Songs You Know, In Languages You Don't."
I got the idea from Coverville, which always features a mind-boggling array of amazing covers (I wonder how he does it?), and is the best podcast you can find if you are a covers-whore like me. Enjoy!
Buddy Holly (Weezer cover) Bidê ou Balde (Brazilian)
Rock El Casbah (Clash cover) Rachid Taha (Algerian)
Tu Perds Ton Temps (Please Please Me - Beatles cover) Petula Clark (British, but sung in French)
A Mi Manera (My Way - Paul Anka/Frank Sinatra cover) Gipsy Kings (French)
A little trouble with editing two of the mp3s, so my apologies if you get more than you asked for. If you are playing them in iTunes, I specified for it to start and end at the correct places, but other software you may get a little extra at the beginning and end of the song than I intended. The perfectionist in me cringes, but, hey, what can you do?
I was lucky when I was at Santa Clara University to get to work with the Cuba Study Abroad Program. Even though I was never clever enough to secure a site visit to the program (which taught Cuban music, percussion, dance, and culture), I did learn a lot about the Cubans over the years, and developed a greater interest in the country and the musical culture.
The professor who championed and led the Cuba program also coordinates the free-to-the-community Music at Noon series at the University, and he regularly brings Cuban artist Omar Sosa (now S.F.-based) for lunchtime concerts. Sosa is classically trained in piano and also studied at Cuba's Escuela Nacional de Musica and Instituto Superior de Arte in percussion. Both beautifully permeate his music.
I only saw him once, but I was totally blown away by his absolute joy in the music and the beautiful sounds that flowed from the small stage. The time I saw Omar Sosa, he performed on the piano with the only accompaniment being drummer Gustavo Ovalles, from Venezuela. The two of them made eye contact for most of the show, almost daring each other back and forth with musical challenges, laughing, appreciating the sounds coming from the other. Sosa made the piano into a beat-driven, funky, gorgeous, moving instrument unlike anyone else I have ever seen. Look at the picture above. That's what it was like.
He has released a dozen albums, and all are different, ranging from jazz, to Afro-Cuban funk, to North-African inspired melodies, to remixes and piano-based instrumentals. So I profess to be nothing close to an expert here. But I have selected a few tracks that I could find which reminded me of the hour I spent listening to him and the images that the music drew in my head. He also released an album of intricate remixes in 2005 of his Mulatos album (Mulatos Remix) which was nominated for a Grammy and is really good.
Africa Madre Viva and Toridanzon - Omar Sosa & Gustavo Ovalles, Live at Ayaguna 6/25/02. Here is where you can hear the playful exploration of these songs that I got to see at their concert. Savage percussion, and the piano just leaps to life.
El Tresero (Plush Vocal Mix) - Omar Sosa, from the Mulatos Remix album (Mmmm hmmmm, listen to that bass line)
BONUS: Redemption Song - Omar Sosa & Richard Bona, reinvented with African influences and Cuban percussion.
Give him a listen, and especially go see him live if you get a chance. He is in Australia right now, then heads to Europe, and then back to the States, with 4 dates at the amazing Yoshi's in Oakland in April. It's always a treat to see someone this in love with music.
I am a huuuuge Alias dork. I do in fact believe that Sydney Bristow is one of the coolest women in the world, and I thank JJ Abrams for creating her (in his godlike fashion) from nothing, to entertain me on Wednesday evenings at 8pm, 7 Central (and Colorado).
One of the best things about the show is the fabulous use of music to accentuate the daring international spy missions. As lame as it may be to actually admit, I picked this track for World Music Wednesday today because when I first heard it, my honest first thought was that it would be killer music to accompany Sydney on a mission to, like, assassinate an evil sheik in Saudi Arabia or something. Plus, it's just a cool song and it expands my horizons, so it qualifies.
This is from the fun Putumayo CD Arabic Groove, and the artist Abdel Ali Slimani is an Algerian by birth who now lives in London via Paris. He has collaborated with world music/electronica guru Jah Wobble, as well as Sinead O'Connor and Peter Gabriel.
It is a bit outside my normal musical styles, but that is of course what Wednesdays are all about. I like the beat and the catchy vocals which have stuck in my head. Ever wanna hear me try and sing in Arabic? Yeah.
Pau Donés was born in the Spanish region of Aragon, but was raised in Barcelona. Along with his band Jarabe de Palo they released the Cuban-influenced La Flaca in 1997 and the title track became a huge hit that summer, selling millions of copies.
I absolutely love this song, from the beginning slow and sexy guitar notes, to the building Latin beat and the smooth Spanish lyrics (of which I understand maybe half, thanks to Señora Navarro and my high school Spanish classes). It is quite a smoldering song.
La Flaca was the informal clubbing anthem of my study abroad experience in Italy in Fall of 1999. I spent many a (swirling and hazy) night trying my best to do some sort of samba imitation on the dancefloor to this alongside my Italian amici. Top notch. As the song says, "y bailar y bailar, y tomar y tomar..." I, of course, had life-altering educational and cultural experiences while studying abroad as well, but those were more during the day.
It is really a fabulous song, bar none. I highly recommend it.
Many of you may have heard Brazilian singer Seu Jorge's covers of David Bowie songs for the soundtrack to The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. That CD is a fine introduction to his tropical acoustic sound, but I have been pleased to also discover his recent solo album Cru (Sept 2005, the title translated means "raw").
Seu Jorge is now a popular star in the Portuguese world, regularly selling out his live shows at home and abroad. But 32-year old Jorge was once a homeless kid who grew up in a favela, a Brazilian slum. He has come a long way from his hard-knock past, and worked his way up through local theater and musical opportunities until he landed a role in the critically acclaimed and wrenching 2002 movie City of God, where he played the part of Knockout Ned.
That same year he also released his first album, Carolina (2002) which had much less of the organic feel you may be familiar with, and experimented with different Afro-Brazilian funk sounds and hip-hop/dance music. Carolina was named Album of the Year in his native Brazil. Cru is his sophomore solo release, and is closer in feel to his Life Aquatic sessions - highlighting his hypnotic voice and laid-back sound. Some selections:
"Fiore De La Citta" Jorge sings in Italian, and it is gorgeous and very mellow.
"Don't" Yes, an Elvis cover. Listen to how he re-invents it! Jorge said of this track, "[Elvis] took from black music in the first place, and I was taking it back, imagining myself in cowboy boots."
"Bem Querer" A bit more uptempo, with subtle and refined electronica backing, gentle guitars, and stirring vocal chants.
Other standout tracks on the album include "Tive Razão" and (yet another) Serge Gainsbourg cover, "Chatterton" (which I just realized makes three straight weeks in a row for me of World Music Wednesdays which have included a Gainsbourg cover). Anyway, I find the breadth of his music remarkable and very enjoyable: from his choices of whose songs to reinvent, to his own explorations of samba, folksy reggae, and bossa nova, all infused with his own unique sound.
“If you had to nominate someone as the coolest man on the planet, for this week anyway, Seu Jorge would be a good candidate.” —Peter Culshaw, The Telegraph (UK)
Angélique Kidjo represents a beautiful fusion of world cultures, and her music is not easily pigeonholed. While her native African culture flows beautifully through all of her releases, each phase in her life and in her music represents different influences.
Kidjo lived her childhood in the West African country of Benin, where she sang with her family and, in addition to her native culture, her brothers taught her to love soul music and R&B. By the time she reached her teens she was a local star, and knew all the lyrics to James Brown's greatest hits catalog.
When she was 23, Kidjo moved to Paris, and was immediately embraced by the city's thriving Afro-Caribbean music scene. During these years, she focused on her songwriting, and supported both American jazz legend Nina Simone, as well as South African star Miriam Makeba. Since then she has worked with artists as varied as Carlos Santana (wait, who hasn't worked with Santana?), Prince's personal producer David Z (during her Afro-funk dance phase), and sax-player Branford Marsalis.
My favorite disc, I think, from Angélique Kidjo is her 2002 release Black Ivory Soul, which fuses Beninoise music with a Brazilian sound from the Salvador de Bahia region. You may have heard the track she does with Dave Matthews, Iwoya, which I think is excellent, but there are a number of very good tracks on this disc.
- "Afirika" A playful and harmonic song. Don't you wish you knew what they were saying? It just sounds jubilant.
- "Okan Bale" This reminds me of water. Kidjo wrote it in Brazil, "facing the sea."
- "Iwoya" Angélique and Dave (who was born in South Africa) go head to head, complementing each other's voices. When Kidjo asked Matthews to sing with her, he first said, "I'm not singing with you. You scare me to death."
- "Ces Petits Riens" Another Serge Gainsbourg cover! This one shows how beautifully her time in France has influenced her music.
As Nigel Williamson from UK's The Times said, "File under Africa? File under Caribbean? Just file it under superb."
Location: Colorado, originally by way of California, United States
FUEL/FRIENDS HAS MOVED! Please visit http://fuelfriendsblog.com...
"I love the relationship that anyone has with music: because there’s something in us that is beyond the reach of words, something that eludes and defies our best attempts to spit it out. It’s the best part of us, probably, the richest and strangest part...."
-Nick Hornby, Songbook -
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Got something I should hear? Email me at browneheather@gmail.com. Each comment left here is also emailed to my inbox, regardless the age of the post.
Music submissions etc. can be sent to: Fuel/Friends, PO Box 64011, Colorado Springs, CO 80962-4011
Mp3s are for sampling purposes, kinda like when they give you the cheese cube at Costco, knowing that you'll often go home with having bought the whole 7 lb. spiced Brie log. They are left up for a limited time. If you LIKE the music, go and support these artists, buy their schwag, go to their concerts, purchase their CDs/records and tell all your friends. If you represent an artist or a label and would prefer that I remove a link to an mp3, please email me at browneheather@gmail.com and I will immediately remove the file.
It's currently International Education Week in the U.S., which translates into busy times for me in my dayjob life. I don't mind this kind of busy, because I am tasked with bringing global culture to our campus for a week of free activities. In a welcome intersection of music and film, my event Tuesday was a screening of the exceptional film War/Dance.
War/Dance is shot with the stunning eye of a photographer, with shots that make you ache in their purity, their power, and their sadness. The dance scenes are swirls of color and shifting focus. As they tell their unflinching stories, the skin of the children shines with an illuminated vibrancy that seems out of place in their dusty, hard surroundings.
Aaaah, coffee. The beverage of the gods and the required kickstart for my days.
