Around the World In 80 Posts

~~someonecompletelyrandom~~ · 12-09-2009, 12:58 PM

Awesome post man! I've actually been looking for some good contemporary Latin American music!

Bulldog · 12-09-2009, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Conan

Awesome post man! I've actually been looking for some good contemporary Latin American music!

Ta! Caifanes are one of the best bands from Latin America, so you can't go far wrong with that album. I know it's not really what you'd call part of Latin America, but Venezeula's another place that's pretty rich with good, contemporary-ish sounds. I'll be getting round to them a bit later.

FadedMyxomatosis · 12-09-2009, 02:17 PM

Not sure if I'm doing this right, but you should check out Icelandic music. I've really gotten hooked into that stuff lately, and I love not being able to understand the words, it gives it a more deep feeling and forces one to focus on the instrumental music rather than the lyrics.

Here's a nice beautiful song by a female group called Amiina. It's so relaxing.

Another band from Iceland. You've probably heard of them before, Sigur Ros.

Sigur Ros- Hoppipolla (I would've embedded that one if I could.)

Bulldog · 12-09-2009, 02:24 PM

Don't worry, I'm open to suggestions. This thread isn't just for me, but if anyone else has any artists they know of who could do this thread good, post a few videos, a short review or whatever if you like.

I'll confess that I don't really like Sigur Ros, but those Amiina songs you posted sound absolutely beautiful. The only Icelandic music I've got is an album by a band called KUKL - one of Bjork's old bands. And, of course, a few Bjork albums as well.

Cheers for the recs - I'll definitely check out Amiina when I can (probably tomorrow if nothing comes up).

Bulldog · 12-12-2009, 11:20 AM

Lebanon

Marcel Khalife - Best Of Songs (compilation)

Many many thanks to a certain NumberNineDream for sending this album my way a few days ago as, evidently, I quite enjoyed it!

To give you a little bit of context before I get down to the nitty gritty here, Marcel Khalife is a poet, writer and one of the most respected singer-songwriters in the Middle East, not to mention one of the most prolific. He's something of the Bob Dylan of the area then, seeing as to how outspoken he seems to be about his worldview and how he gets his message across in his music. Of course, it goes without saying that I don't, so this is all judging from what I've read about him.

This best of compilation is certainly, for me, a gateway to a whole new world of music that I previously new virtually nothing of. I remember seeing a 3-disc compilation of Arabic music in Borders once or twice, and this fella might very well have had a song on it, but that's as far as my experience with Arabic musical culture goes (barring the odd song or album buried somewhere in my EHD, which I guess we'll get to later). Khalife here represents as good a starting point as any, as there's a very consistent and profound quality to whole set of songs, all conjuring (as the best non-Anglospheric music does) very strong and powerful images. This is mainly down to Khalife's primary weapon of choice - the oud (an Arabic member of the lute family). It's also down to the fact that there's a very significant variation in sounds here, ranging from eastern variations of Dylan-esque folk, waltzes and classical-leaning sounds. Well, that's what I got from it anyway. Either way, an absolutely fascinating album when all's said and done.
The best bits: Bel Akhdar Kaffannah, Enni Ekhtartoka Ya Watani, Tosbihouna Ala Watan

Switzerland

Guyer's Connection - Portrait (1983)

Coming at you from rocky old Switzerland is part of the mainland European new wave/synth-pop scene and a long-playing effort from a band I know absolutely about (this album aside of course). It's something I came across at random on one of my many expeditions to mutantsounds, and an album that's obscure enough not to have a picture of its sleeve art any bigger than 150x150 on google images, which is what's up the dodgy picture I've found there.

Guyer's Connection are a part of a very rich musical movement of post-punk that might as well have just passed right under the mainstream press of the day's noses, which is a bit of a shame as there are some very neat little products of it, one of which is of course this album. This Swiss new wave duo, armed only with an arsenal of dodgy synthesizers and a microphone, make a fairly sparse use of vocals here, as this album's a lot more about the cyber punk-reminiscent sonic pictures that they can at least try to conjure with all the dated electronic wizardry they can. It's hardly the best album in the world by a long shot, and it's true that it sounds so cheap that it may as well have been recorded under the lead vocalist's bed, but that's all part of the charm. In the video below is a 12" they had out at the time, and is as such nowhere to be found on this album, but it gives you a good idea of the grim, bleak pictures that the LP itself conjures, with the odd dose of melody giving it all that much more spice. It's at least worth checking out, certainly if you're curious about this very obscure area of music.
The best bits: Pogo Of Techno, Ein Glas Voll Gurken, La Transformation

NumberNineDream · 12-12-2009, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bulldog

[CENTER]Lebanon

Marcel Khalife - Best Of Songs (compilation)

Many many thanks to a certain NumberNineDream for sending this album my way a few days ago as, evidently, I quite enjoyed it!

The best bits: Bel Akhdar Kaffannah, Enni Ekhtartoka Ya Watani, Tosbihouna Ala Watan

I'm glad you liked it, and very nice choice for 'best bits'.

But I just wanted to clarify, seeing the song with really absurd photos of animals, that the title says "I am Joseph, father" ... as in Joseph of the Old testament. He's saying how he got sabotaged and sold by his own brothers (kind of a metaphor of the political situation).

------------
As for the Guyer's Connection, I really liked them. Well it's always the case with everything I find on mutantsounds. I'll be checking them out.

And really loved the Matata band you talked about earlier this week, any ups?

Great work on the thread, btw :thumbs:

Bulldog · 12-12-2009, 01:43 PM

Guyer's Connection are tacky as hell, but as I say, it's part of their charm. Worth having a listen if you can - it's one of the first posts for this month over on mutantsounds, as far as I remember anyway.

And I think I've still got Matata online. I'll drop you a PM in a bit.

Thanks again for the Khalife links as well. I'll check the others you sent me soonish as well.

music_phantom13 · 12-14-2009, 03:49 PM

Thanks very much for the new thread Bulldog

Found three new bands so far, and I've been wanting to check out world music for a long time. Sadly my collection is very limited, I've actually been getting into a lot of stuff from eastern Asia but very little from the entire rest of the world - and most of them are quite popular, bands like Buena Vista Social Club. Good thing this and the India thread both popped up. Something I've noticed recently with all this world music is that a lot of the atmospheric feel that post rock embodies seems to be very influenced by classical and folk music of countries outside the anglosphere. Maybe ambient drone stuff as well. Keep up the awesome work! Oh, and if you want anything from anywhere in Asia, let me know.

Bulldog · 12-14-2009, 04:46 PM

Thanks buddy, glad you like the thread

I haven't properly had a look around for music from some parts of Asia just yet, but I'll let you know if I have any trouble when I get round to it.

I see what you mean about the atmospheric feel of a lot of world music too, especially with the obvious language barrier a lot of it has. The aforementioned Marcel Khalife embodies that kinda notion, and is one among so many. As such, 99% of the time I prefer it when music when doesn't have an English lyric - unless it can be pulled off with a lot of aplomb, it feels a lot more natural and much more effective that way. Most of the time anyway. There'll be a lot more examples coming up.

There are some countries which have a whole load of great albums from inside their borders that it's gonna be quite a harsh task coming up with one to represent it - I can see Argentina, Venezeula, Cuba, especially Senegal and Mali proving quite tricky, among others. Either way, I'll namedrop at least a couple more albums before the end of the week.

Urban Hat€monger ? · 12-14-2009, 04:54 PM

If you're looking for something good from Peru I suggest Los Saicos who were a pretty awesome 60s garage band.

12-09-2009, 02:17 PM	#23 (permalink)
FadedMyxomatosis Music Addict Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: New York State. Posts: 51	Not sure if I'm doing this right, but you should check out Icelandic music. I've really gotten hooked into that stuff lately, and I love not being able to understand the words, it gives it a more deep feeling and forces one to focus on the instrumental music rather than the lyrics. Here's a nice beautiful song by a female group called Amiina. It's so relaxing. Another band from Iceland. You've probably heard of them before, Sigur Ros. Sigur Ros- Hoppipolla (I would've embedded that one if I could.) __________________ .................... Last.fm http://imagegen.last.fm/SidebarPlain...contourmac.gif

12-14-2009, 03:49 PM	#28 (permalink)
music_phantom13 Music Addict Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 942	Thanks very much for the new thread Bulldog Found three new bands so far, and I've been wanting to check out world music for a long time. Sadly my collection is very limited, I've actually been getting into a lot of stuff from eastern Asia but very little from the entire rest of the world - and most of them are quite popular, bands like Buena Vista Social Club. Good thing this and the India thread both popped up. Something I've noticed recently with all this world music is that a lot of the atmospheric feel that post rock embodies seems to be very influenced by classical and folk music of countries outside the anglosphere. Maybe ambient drone stuff as well. Keep up the awesome work! Oh, and if you want anything from anywhere in Asia, let me know. Last edited by music_phantom13; 12-14-2009 at 03:59 PM.

12-14-2009, 04:54 PM	#30 (permalink)
Urban Hat€monger ? The Sexual Intellectual Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Somewhere cooler than you Posts: 18,605	If you're looking for something good from Peru I suggest Los Saicos who were a pretty awesome 60s garage band. __________________ Urb's RYM Stuff Most people sell their soul to the devil, but the devil sells his soul to Nick Cave.

12-09-2009, 12:58 PM	#21 (permalink)
~~someonecompletelyrandom~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 4,538	Awesome post man! I've actually been looking for some good contemporary Latin American music!

12-09-2009, 02:24 PM	#24 (permalink)
Bulldog why bother? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 4,840	Don't worry, I'm open to suggestions. This thread isn't just for me, but if anyone else has any artists they know of who could do this thread good, post a few videos, a short review or whatever if you like. I'll confess that I don't really like Sigur Ros, but those Amiina songs you posted sound absolutely beautiful. The only Icelandic music I've got is an album by a band called KUKL - one of Bjork's old bands. And, of course, a few Bjork albums as well. Cheers for the recs - I'll definitely check out Amiina when I can (probably tomorrow if nothing comes up).

12-12-2009, 11:20 AM	#25 (permalink)
Bulldog why bother? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 4,840	Lebanon Marcel Khalife - Best Of Songs (compilation) Many many thanks to a certain NumberNineDream for sending this album my way a few days ago as, evidently, I quite enjoyed it! To give you a little bit of context before I get down to the nitty gritty here, Marcel Khalife is a poet, writer and one of the most respected singer-songwriters in the Middle East, not to mention one of the most prolific. He's something of the Bob Dylan of the area then, seeing as to how outspoken he seems to be about his worldview and how he gets his message across in his music. Of course, it goes without saying that I don't, so this is all judging from what I've read about him. This best of compilation is certainly, for me, a gateway to a whole new world of music that I previously new virtually nothing of. I remember seeing a 3-disc compilation of Arabic music in Borders once or twice, and this fella might very well have had a song on it, but that's as far as my experience with Arabic musical culture goes (barring the odd song or album buried somewhere in my EHD, which I guess we'll get to later). Khalife here represents as good a starting point as any, as there's a very consistent and profound quality to whole set of songs, all conjuring (as the best non-Anglospheric music does) very strong and powerful images. This is mainly down to Khalife's primary weapon of choice - the oud (an Arabic member of the lute family). It's also down to the fact that there's a very significant variation in sounds here, ranging from eastern variations of Dylan-esque folk, waltzes and classical-leaning sounds. Well, that's what I got from it anyway. Either way, an absolutely fascinating album when all's said and done. The best bits: Bel Akhdar Kaffannah, Enni Ekhtartoka Ya Watani, Tosbihouna Ala Watan Switzerland Guyer's Connection - Portrait (1983) Coming at you from rocky old Switzerland is part of the mainland European new wave/synth-pop scene and a long-playing effort from a band I know absolutely about (this album aside of course). It's something I came across at random on one of my many expeditions to mutantsounds, and an album that's obscure enough not to have a picture of its sleeve art any bigger than 150x150 on google images, which is what's up the dodgy picture I've found there. Guyer's Connection are a part of a very rich musical movement of post-punk that might as well have just passed right under the mainstream press of the day's noses, which is a bit of a shame as there are some very neat little products of it, one of which is of course this album. This Swiss new wave duo, armed only with an arsenal of dodgy synthesizers and a microphone, make a fairly sparse use of vocals here, as this album's a lot more about the cyber punk-reminiscent sonic pictures that they can at least try to conjure with all the dated electronic wizardry they can. It's hardly the best album in the world by a long shot, and it's true that it sounds so cheap that it may as well have been recorded under the lead vocalist's bed, but that's all part of the charm. In the video below is a 12" they had out at the time, and is as such nowhere to be found on this album, but it gives you a good idea of the grim, bleak pictures that the LP itself conjures, with the odd dose of melody giving it all that much more spice. It's at least worth checking out, certainly if you're curious about this very obscure area of music. The best bits: Pogo Of Techno, Ein Glas Voll Gurken, La Transformation

12-12-2009, 01:43 PM	#27 (permalink)
Bulldog why bother? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 4,840	Guyer's Connection are tacky as hell, but as I say, it's part of their charm. Worth having a listen if you can - it's one of the first posts for this month over on mutantsounds, as far as I remember anyway. And I think I've still got Matata online. I'll drop you a PM in a bit. Thanks again for the Khalife links as well. I'll check the others you sent me soonish as well.

12-14-2009, 04:46 PM	#29 (permalink)
Bulldog why bother? Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: UK Posts: 4,840	Thanks buddy, glad you like the thread I haven't properly had a look around for music from some parts of Asia just yet, but I'll let you know if I have any trouble when I get round to it. I see what you mean about the atmospheric feel of a lot of world music too, especially with the obvious language barrier a lot of it has. The aforementioned Marcel Khalife embodies that kinda notion, and is one among so many. As such, 99% of the time I prefer it when music when doesn't have an English lyric - unless it can be pulled off with a lot of aplomb, it feels a lot more natural and much more effective that way. Most of the time anyway. There'll be a lot more examples coming up. There are some countries which have a whole load of great albums from inside their borders that it's gonna be quite a harsh task coming up with one to represent it - I can see Argentina, Venezeula, Cuba, especially Senegal and Mali proving quite tricky, among others. Either way, I'll namedrop at least a couple more albums before the end of the week.