I'm listening to the new Garbage CD right now, Beautiful Garbage. I liked it the first time I played it. It has echoes of their first two albums, so there are shades of alterna-pop and techno, but there's more of a rock-and-roll sensibility to this one. Lots of guitar licks and riffs. Very nice.
Some of the songs have a retro feel to them that I like a lot. And Shirley Manson's voice is amazing, as always. She goes from lion to kitten and back again, over and over. She is one of my favorite rock vocalists.
Friday, October 26, 2001
David Byrne Hates World Music
I just ran across this New York Times column by David Byrne (from 1999): I Hate World Music. He makes a lot of interesting comments about the world music "ghetto" and the politics of the term. I think we all know that David Byrne doesn't really hate world music (just look at his own music, and the artists signed to his label), but what he says is thought-provoking:
This interest in music not like that made in our own little villages is not, as it's often claimed, cultural tourism, because once you've let something in, let it grab hold of you, you're forever changed. Of course, you can also listen and remain completely unaffected and unmoved - like a tourist. Your loss. The fact is, after listening to some of this music for a while, it probably won't seem exotic any more, even if you still don't understand all the words. Thinking of things as exotic is only cool when it's your sister, your co-worker or wife; it's sometimes beneficial to exoticize that which has become overly familiar. But in other circumstances, viewing people and cultures as exotic is a distancing mechanism that too often allows for exploitation and racism.
For me, the appeal of world music lies somewhere in between the exotic and the familiar. I listen to Tuku and I'm excited by the vocals and guitars, but also intrigued by the parallels with western pop. I love to hear how American music becomes just one more influence on artists from elsewhere, something to be worked in with other stuff from other places, redone in new ways, turned around and inside out. David Byrne says it better, of course:
There is some terrific music being made all over the world. In fact, there is more music, in sheer quantity, currently defined as world music, than any other kind. Not just kinds of music, but volume of recordings as well. When we talk about world music we find ourselves talking about 99 percent of the music on this planet. It would be strange to imagine, as many multinational corporations seem to, that Western pop holds the copyright on musical creativity.
No, the fact is, Western pop is the fast food of music, and there is more exciting creative music making going on outside the Western pop tradition than inside it. There is so much incredible noise happening that we'll never exhaust it. For example, there are guitar bands in Africa that can be, if you let them, as inspiring and transporting as any kind of rock, pop, soul, funk or disco you grew up with. And what is exciting for me is that they have taken elements of global (Western?) music apart, examined the pieces to see what might be of use and then re-invented and reassembled the parts to their own ends. Thus creating something entirely new.
CJ Chenier / You Used to Call Me The English Beat / Jeanette Paul Simon / Old Billy Joel / Los Angelenos Los Van Van / Muevete Madonna / Don't Cry for Me, Argentina
Just a nice little collection of songs from DTTAH 6 (end of side two). The Paul Simon song is a special favorite of mine. But I am also growing more and more fond of The English Beat of late. I think I need to pick up one of their CDs.
Old Paul Simon
The first time I heard "Peggy Sue" I was 12 years old Russians up in rocket ships and the war was cold Now many wars have come and gone Genocide still goes on Buddy Holly still goes on But his catalog was sold
First time I smoked -- guess what -- paranoid First time I heard "Satisfaction" I was young and unemployed Down the decades every year Summer leaves and my birthday's here And all my friends stand up and cheer And say man you're old Getting old Old Getting old
We celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas day And Buddah found Nirvana along the Lotus Way About 1,500 years ago the messenger Mohammed spoke And his wisdom like a river flowed Through hills of gold Wisdom is old The Koran is old The Bible is old Greatest story ever told
Disagreements? Work 'em out
The human race has walked the Earth for 2.7 million And we estimate the universe about 13 - 14 billion When all these numbers tumble into your imagination Consider that the Lord was there before creation God is old We're not old God is old He made the mold
Take your clothes off Adam and Eve
Wednesday, October 24, 2001
V-Ice?
I woke up this morning to news that Vanilla Ice is back, calling himself V-Ice. He releases a new double album, Bi-Polar, today.
I guess the mythology surrounding Vanilla Ice (V-Ice, or Rob Van Winkle, if you want to be really accurate) is that he was "forced" to record "Ice Ice Baby" by his record company, and now feels that he became a laughingstock because he was coerced into recording such a stupid song. On his "comeback" a few years ago, he raged about the situation in a song called "Too Cold."
I guess my question is, who ever would have known about Vanilla Ice if not for "Ice Ice Baby"? How could he ever have had a comeback if he'd never had that first huge hit?
Sometimes the thing you hate most is the the thing that gets you where you want to be in the end.
Tuesday, October 23, 2001
Vintage Susie-Mixes
At this time of year I like to listen to one of my oldest compilation tapes: As an Angel Runs to Ground. I know I've written about it here before. I'm also playing my Desert Island Music frequently at the moment. These two mixes have really stood the test of time for me.
Sunday, October 21, 2001
Music from Senegal
AudioGalaxy has done a nice review of Baaba Maal's new album, Mi Yeewnii. You can download one of the tracks there, too, if you use AudioGalaxy.
I have this album and absolutely love it. Baaba Maal is from Senegal, like the more famous artist Youssou N'Dour, and they both play Mbalax music (which you can read more about here, if you like).
This new album features a lot of acoustic guitar and interesting percussion. I think it will be a surprise to many listeners. Download the song Miyaabele from AudioGalaxy and see what you think (the link is at the bottom of the review).
Saturday, October 20, 2001
World in My Head
My last two world music mixes are complete. This series of five CDs has been so much fun to work on. I am very grateful to Marel Trout for inspiring this project.
Incidentally, Marel's Don't Try This at Home series still appears to be going strong after ten installments... Marel is a mixing god!
So, the final two discs are called "Forest" and "Party." If you'd like to see the playlists, or check out the earlier ones, they're all posted to Art of the Mix. I may do a page with further comments about these mixes at some point, but for now the lists and artwork are over at AOTM.
I've been playing a bunch of different stuff lately. I finished my two last world music mixes (I will post the playlists and artwork soon on Art of the Mix) and have been wallowing in the songs I chose for those as well as the leftovers. Just a sampling:
Baaba Maal has a new CD out, Mi Yeewnii (Missing You) which I got this weekend in New York. It's heavenly.
Tuku Music by Oliver Mtukudzi -- always a favorite. I want that hat!
Various Indian movie songs, a few of which came from Maria, and one ("Chamma Chamma") which I discovered on my own. Also, "Chamma Chamma" has this "Ice Ice Baby" groove that I find irresistible.
A bunch of Harry Belafonte songs I downloaded (but I am planning to buy some of this for myself soon).
Papa Wemba's 1992 album, Le Voyageur -- oh my god, this is wonderful.
Michael Learns to Rock, a Danish group Maria introduced me to this past weekend (thanks to the Bat).
I am also hoping to hear the new Garbage CD soon. It's been out a couple of weeks, I think, but I haven't heard it yet. Early reports sound very promising.
Bonus link:Hollywood Borrows from Bollywood, an article about the use of Indian movie songs in Western movies. Also there's an interesting list of Bollywood movies that were based on Hollywood movies -- including a Bollywood remake of Reservoir Dogs. I honestly can't even imagine that, but the thought is intriguing.
I'm listening to the new Garbage CD right now, 
