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| A | ||
| Bryan Akipa | The Flute Player | American Indian flute playing, mellow like the wind on the plains just after sunrise. Or something like that. Not so much melody, but mainly atmosphere and feeling. Not so much rhythm, but patterns of sound. Long tunes, with nature sounds of crickets and birds included, like on the Bayaka CD. I like this, though it's quiet. (4jun96) |
| Pachito Alonso | Una Salsa en Paris | The modern form of the merengue comes through full force on this. A set of synthesized horn sections and lots of saxophone sounds over the top of a simple, driving rhythm. The mood of the music is purely exuberant and fun, and this album avoids too much of the truly cheezy aspects that happen too often in shameless pop music. I got to know this style of music through Juan Luis Guerra and country dance clubs in Costa Rica last summer, and it's great to dance to: any idiot can do the step, as opposed to the salsa or samba or dances like that. (25feb97) |
| Laurie Anderson | The Ugly One With The Jewels | Made up of spoken word readings with backing music from the book Nerve Bible that she released last year, this album totally weirds you out. I mean, it's normal, but it's bizarre. The solo accompaniment on her electronically processed violin only occasionally stands out, most of the time you're immersed in the world that she's speaking about. I saw the live show in April 95 at Lisner auditorium, and it was amazing, much better than the album because she was there and it was live....it just blew me away. The best piece from the show, about an interview with John Cage that set the theme for the whole show and the album, isn't even on the album. Damn, why? No clue. Anyway, the stories all deal with a mixture of alienation, the spaces between people, and the states of mind within these spaces. Very powerful, but somehow unsettling in ways that you can't explain. Listen to her talk about the nun who died after walking around a cloister for three years with a bag over her head, or tell the story about nearly dying after she hitch-hiked to the North Pole, or tell how some guy slaughtered a bunch of dogs and freaked her out, or explain why contacts are jewels (and she was the ugly one, hence the album title)....it's too much to write here, so I'll stop..... (13mar96) |
| ARC music 20 best of Tropical Dance Music | With 20 songs taken from 20 albums out of their catalogue, this album could be frighteningly bad and unpredictably good, and it's definitely in between. This seems to be a generally good label with generally good taste. That, or they took one good song off of 20 albums. Anyway, point is that the songs are good, and span a million (well, 20 or less) musical styles. There's cumbia, salsa, merengue, samba, afrobeat, lambada, calypso....the list goes on. Steel drums come in on the one truly lame track (a version of Hey Jude....no, just, well, no, people, it doesn't work), but other tracks have good steel drums, and accordions float around, while some crazy percussion shows up just about everywhere. Fun album. (20aug96) | |
| B | ||
| Bally Sagoo | Tum Bin Jaya | Technically, this isn't world music but more dance/club/remix music, but the group is from India, so I feel justified in putting it here, right? This is the single to a great little dance tune, a bit of jungle here, and bit of house there, a bit of DJ Spooky and some Strobe. The vocals are buried on some versions, alive on the others, and as always, itâs just remix stuff. As world music elements infest dance music a bit more regularly, itâs not a surprise that some good music comes out of it. Enjoy! |
| Bang on a Can | Cheating, Lying, Stealing | Big fat pompous punk chamber music classical, if that makes any sense. These guys hopefully don't take themselves too seriously. The music fits well into the modern composition style of people like Todd Levin, Steve Martland, or the entire Argo label. The language is classical instruments but it's neither Mozart, Webern, or Reich. A fine album of avant-garde brought back to earth a little bit and made accessible without too much dissonance. Well rounded..... (31may96) |
| The Base | Jet Crash Kills | A short EP of four songs, where the drummer is a cousin of mine. His father is a jazz musician who has moved from free jazz to Latino/Argentinian jazz styles, and this EP sounds nothing like jazz. Why should it, it's not his father playing. No, instead, this set has a sort of goth sound, with a heavy bass presence, and flexible drumming in a traditional rock sense of the word. The lyrics are morose, "I go to sleep with a six pack," with a baritone almost as if Peter Murphy with his present singing skills were singing for late Bauhaus. It reminds me of the years when I listened to Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, Cure, Christian Death, and all those guys. Even if this wasn't family, I would say that the music is good, a bit too pop for my present tastes (and the agenda of this page of mostly world music reviews), but enjoyable. If it wasn't short (the curse of every EP), I would put it on more often. For the fact that these guys are Austrians whose native language is not English, the lyrics sound just like any other American or British band. I like it. If you're reading this in Austria, then go out and buy the thing. It's on the austro mechana label. Remember, "just because you're paranoid doesn't mean that you reach the ground safely." Good stuff: the world needs more dark bass sounds, we have enough of the guitar screech verse-chorus-verse crunch Bush sound, right? |
| Franco Battiato | Shadow, Light | A mass sung in Italian, modern classical style with a very melancholy tinge to it, sad and deep and really pretty damn beautfiul. It's transcendental music (like Gorécki, Pärt, or Schnittke) from the southern parts of Europe. The long Kyrie is gorgeous and subsumes your ears like Gavin Bryars in the Sinking of the Titanic, the rest of the CD is a great listen, too. (31may96) |
| Batucada | The Sound of the Favelas | This is crazy Brazilian percussion, rapid samba-style, that's been cropping up in clubs throughout the world in answer to the jungle movement. They took a samba, and left out the instruments. Neat idea, y'know? Pure rhythm, with a whistle now and then (like Bomb Squad production, 1987), especially on the best known track, Ba-Tu-Ca-Da. This is great, pounding, driven, ecstatic music!!! (20aug96) |
| Bayaka | The extraordinary music of the BaBensele Pygmies | Once again, more Pygmy music from the wonderful ellipsis arts label. This time around, the recordings are in a less controlled setting: each track starts off with the jungle sounds that the microphone picked up as the music slowly began. The music itself is more excellent rhythmic pattern mismatching: these people have a sense of rhythm and melody that is incredibly sophisticated. When I listen to the tracks (all but the rather lame guitar-like track), the voices and drumming patterns leave me speechless. I can't really explain why that is, but there's something interesting, engaging, and fascinating in all of it. Four tracks deal with a certain ceremenony, and the liner notes do a good job of describing the development of the music throughout. The differences between male and female vocal styles and effects are worth noting, too. Each gender has its own songs and genres, it seems. Like with the Echoes of the Forest CD that ellipsis arts put out, a few songs stand out far above the rest, but the total effect is still on par with the Echoes CD. Another winner in the well-represented vein of Pygmy music.... (8apr96) |
| Francis Bebey | Akwaaba | This guy plays the sanza (which is called the mbira in other cultures, and is best described as a thumb piano) while singing, with percussion and bass to accompany him. He sounds absolutely great! It's got a pure, simple western African sound from Cameroon, while somehow being different from the pure traditional sounds from the area (that we have in the world music CD books). The vocals are at times scratchy and grating, like the mic was turned up too high, creating a totally raw sound. The interweaving sanza and bass keep you grooving out while all this is going on. Even though it was released in 1984, it's still one of the best albums of world music from Africa that I know. Seriously, it's a hidden gem for this whole genre. I can't get enough of listening to it! (13mar96) |
| David Bowie | Earthling | I've liked Bowie for years, through all sorts of critical acclaim and critical disgust, and have always wondered at his ability to be a chameleon, able to change musical styles while always carrying his own personality into his songs. That he brings this ability to the anonymous world of electronica is great! His songs sound junglish if turned up loudly, they sound like vintage Bowie (no escaping that voice) when turned down low. Reeves Gabrels is the main musical source, though, not the frantic rhythmic churning. Gabrels pulls noises out of his guitar that grate, pound, and ache. Over the top of this violent mix comes Bowie's silky, sexy voice. Damn, what a great album! For all those people who thought Bowie didn't exist or thought he was washed up, you're wrong. While certain songs on Black Tie White Noise and Outside stood out, this whole album simply works. Cool stuff. (24feb97) |
| Naftule Brandwein | King of the Klezmer Clarinet | Old, scratchy recordings of klezmer music from the 20âs, with that wacky klezmer feel and fun. Track 2 is also recorded by the Klezmatics, and the comparison is interesting. The percussion on this version is more insistent, less rockânâroll. The whole album suffers from its sound quality, but not enough to keep me from playing it and enjoying the hell out it. Klezmer!! Eastern European Yiddish music which in this case is filtered through New York, and itâs great to listen to! Enjoy. (23apr97) |
| Brave Combo | Polkas for a Gloomy World | I don't know why the hell I would enjoy polkas, other than the fact that my family is from Austria, and I've grown up listening to polkas in the Slovenian style all my life. Watching my mom dance to them was just what happened, that's all. But Brave Combo stays away from the Slovenian style, and stays either in the Polish, Czech, German, or Norteno styles. These all sound different, and it's easy to hear the difference, too. The Polish ones are the wackiest: fast and loud in the spirit of klezmer music. The Norteno polkas are from northern Mexico and southern Texas, and have a hoppity accordion sound to them (I can't explain the stutter sound much better than that). The German ones are actually rather trite on this CD, sounding mostly like slow oompah music when there's much better material out there for the Combo to play. All in all, the CD is a lot of fun. Not all songs are worth listening to, but the frantic sound of a Polish polka can fit into other genres, too. Hey, as usual, it's not for everyone, but I liked it. (8apr96) Read a Washington Post review here. |
| Gavin Bryars | The Sinking of the Titanic | Somehow, Bryars composed music (based on the repetition of the spiritual "Autumn") that actually drags you under water, envelops you, drowns you within your ears, and still manages to soothe you completely. The idea was that the band kept playing the tune as the ship sank, so what would that sound like? The theme is repeated over and over; the hymn is presented in more and more echo and reverb; the whole pattern is deconstructed so that only echoes of the melody make it through the wash of sound. At the end, your body sits still, your ears beg for more, your brain has lost a reasonable thought on its own and you are calmly at peace with your surroundings. THIS is ambient chill music, but it's so much more than tuning out: it's being alive and floating inside yourself and being there, wherever you happen to be listening. I've never heard anything else like it, it must be the best thing Bryars has ever composed.... (20mar96) |
| C | ||
| M. Saeed Chisti | Quari Sage Miran. Vol. 2 | Astoundingly good qawwali music, suffering only the problem that there are no tracks on the album! Argh. There are four pieces, though. Iâve marked the time when each starts, plus their titles, though. Itâs worth it to play one of the pieces now and then: thereâs power and rhythm and intensity in all of this, much like with the Sabri brothers or Nusrat Fateh Ali Khanâs Intoxicated Spirit album. Just amazing and wonderful to listen to. (24apr97). |
| Sheila Chandra | ABoneCroneDrone | Droning, ambient like music, very very chill. Multi-voiced music, no rhythm, atmosphere alone. Each song sounds like the previous one, all are about the same 7 minute length. Not until you listen to the whole thing is the pathway of the album clear. By the end, the calmness is gone, and the rise in intensity (completely anything Seattle-like, duh) makes for a great ending. In a sense, it reminds me of the way Gavin Bryars did the Titanic: slow development that pulls you in, pulls you close, and slowly changes as you forget to pay attention. As radio music, though, it's excellent as a fade-in fade-out piece of sound. I like all the tracks.... (20aug96) |
| Clave y Guanguanco | Songs and Dances | This must be heard to be believed. It sounds like 30 people got together for a backyard party, and they all (just coincidentally) happened to be amazing musicians. At some point, they started singing with a leader or two, while all of them managed to find drums and sticks (the instrument, not kindling...) and any form of percussion they could get their hands on, and then the party REALLY started. Holy shit, how do they keep track of time while they play? This must be one of the most intricate rhythmic discs that I've heard! Listening to it creates some wonderful challenges for the ears. The vocals are either solo with call and response to a larger ensemble, or the whole ensemble going off on one vein. Awesome. Crazy! (13mar96) |
| Larry Carush | Piano Crossroads | More or less enjoyable album of piano/jazz based excursions into nice rhythms and cool melodies. Djimo Kouyate plays kora on here, and has been on the Possession (African Dub) and Pharoah Sanders album lately. Like those, this is essentially good listening, not abrasive, with a mellow rhythm (it's what piano with kora are probably best for) and has good percussion and a bit of harmonica, too. (20aug96) |
| Celia Cruz | El Merengue | I have no information about this woman, other than her picture on the cover of the CD. She was on the Mambo Kings soundtrack, though, and did a few versions of traditional songs there (like Guantanamera). This album is a great showcase of slower merengue style music, as the title implies. Some of the songs really kick, but usually it's more laidback than what you would hear in a club in the year 1996. As is so often the case in Latino music, the voice adds a whole lot of tone to the style with its richness and fullness. Of course, we're not talking about Cesaria Evora here, but it's still good. I'm having a hard time dancing to it, since it's too slow! I got used to a faster merengue when I was learning it down in Costa Rica..... (20aug96) |
| D | ||
| Dead Man Walking, the movie | The Score and The Soundtrack | Two albums came out to accompany this movie:
the score presents the music that actually existed in the movie,
while the soundtrack presents music that was inspired by the
movie. The soundtrack has a broad range of musicians on it: Bruce Springsteen in his morose phase, Johnny Cash being upbeat, Patti Smith being thoroughly astounding, Tom Waits doing both a jive tune and a sad ditty, Lyle Lovett doing an incredibly quiet acoustic tune, Steve Earle and Mary Chapin Carpenter add a bit of a country element (though stylistically they fit right in), and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan teams up with (for god's sake, you're serious?) Eddie Vedder for two songs. The material deals with the death penalty, duh. It walks both sides of the opinion fence, in a way, but mostly deals with human dignity in the process of it all. This makes for powerful lyrics, insightful thoughts, and excellent story-telling. The stories stand out: in each case a human being is presented to you, in each case someone is brought alive (I'm thinking of Steve Earle or Tom Waits here), and in each case, the song ends with some sense of loss. In other words, accompaniment for the movie: perfect. The Score to the movie, on the other hand, seems less accompaniment than actual content. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is the main vocalist, and David Robbins (who organized the score more than he composed it, as I see it) recognizes this in his liner notes. The spirituality of qawwali music plays a large role in the presentation of soundscapes here, and it works. Two songs from the soundtrack are extended to their full length (of 10 and 16 minutes), both songs being the ones on which Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Eddie Vedder work together. I have to point out that I (for the first time) like a Vedder tune. Maybe it helps that Khan and his ensemble work with Ry Cooder on the music. Anyway, except for one gospel song (where the Sister Prejean was in the choir in the movie...), the entire album seeks this spiritual element. Even the movies rape/murder scene has its music here, and it's similarly calm; except it isn't, and you feel it. The Score is less varied than the Soundtrack, but both are worth having: one for its sprituality, one for its storytelling skills. (29apr96) Read and Addicted to Noise review here. |