June 30, 2018 - Melody's Echo Chamber - I Follow You (2012)

Well, what do you know, a song from this century! The only reason I know about Melody's Echo Chamber is because their debut album was produced by Kevin Parker, leader of the great Australian group Tame Impala. MEC is the main project of la femme de France, Melody Prochet. This morning I watched France defeat Argentina in the World Cup. Toutes nos félicitations! Plus, my first employers were from France, and I'm part French as well. And I love French Fries! Oui! But I don't like French Onion soup. Sacrebleu.

The first track on the album is the fantastic I Follow You. The opening guitar passage is pretty cool and easy to play. Triplets: acf (F) - abf (FMb5) - gbe (Em) - fad (F6) - gbe (Em) - gad - egc (C) - efg. The drums come in at 0:11 and create a slight shift in the rhythmic awareness, and at 0:21 Melody's ethereal voice arrives from dreamland. She sings about the vulnerability of a new relationship, unsure if her feelings are reciprocated. She sounds confused but hopeful, analyzing every situation. The music shimmers, Kevin Parker showering it with layers of reverb and guitars. Parker himself plays the gurgling, scratchy phaser effect guitar solo at 2:55 that leads to the fade out. 

 

June 28, 2018 - Lou Rawls - You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine (1976)

I remember being nine and listening to Lou Rawls sing You'll Never Find Another Love Like Mine, on WLS radio in Chicago, and how I loved his voice! It was so suave and mesmerizing:

You'll never find as long as you live...the bitter regret quietly hiding behind that soft piano. The bass thumping along. The light percussion. The backup vocalists coming in at 0:45 on loves you. At 1:10, the piano hits a low note and the song curves dramatically into a pre-chorus, where Lou steps it up:

Oh I'm not bragging on myself, baby...the beat grooves, the singers move into the light, the music surges, and and!!...but this is only a tease. The music hits the brakes at 1:19 and Lou's voice cascades back down into the despair of the verses. Ah.... 

After another run through, the pre-chorus appears again at 2:02, and this time it stampedes into the singalong chorus at 2:12, where Lou and the backup singers pour it on:

You're gonna miss my loving. The horns pumping, the drums, bass, and backup singers all laying it down...love it at 3:58 when he sings when it gets real cold outside!! That's right, girl, you blew it! Similar breakup songs from point of strength include I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor and The Rain by Oren Juice Jones. What are some others?

In 1983, Lou recorded the promo ad for WGN TV. Watch that WGN video, and at 0:26 look how Lou makes that beckoning motion with his hands on welcome home. Love it. Lou Rawls was something special.

June 26, 2018 - Panbers - Haai (1972)

From Indonesia, here are the Pandjaitan Brothers, Panbers for short. They formed in 1966 in Surabaya, East Java, the second largest city after Jakarta (and where the average high year-round doesn't get below 86 degrees, way too hot!). They became stars in their country upon releasing the hit single,"Akhir Cinta", in 1970. After other groups criticized them for not sounding sufficiently Western, they released Haai in response.

Haai is a song about the joy of creating and experiencing music. Lead singer Benny Pandjaitan sings:

Playing and singing with music, happy I am, and Every music and melody I love. He also sings I like Beatles songs, I love Rolling Stones, I love Led Zeppelin, but also the Panbers I love. I love those three bands as well. On revolution pancakes in 2016, I included 16 Beatles songs, 11 Rolling Stones songs, and 12 Led Zeppelin songs. That's 10% of the 366 songs from that year. There is so much great music all over the world. It's too bad commercial radio stations are so afraid to expand their playlists. Classic rock radio is awful. How many times do they have to play Go Your Own Way and Hotel California? Too many. How about playing a song like Haai, or even something by Can or Love? Nope, we might alienate our zombie listeners (and advertisers). That would be bad for business. Ughh. Bad attitude. Baditude, dude. Hey, cmon, at least we play Walk on the Wild Side once in awhile. Yeah, going out on a limb there. One song by Lou Reed. That's all.

Haai is from the compilation Those Shocking Shaking Days: Indonesian Hard, Psychedelic, Progressive Rock and Funk: 1970 - 1978. Panbers supposedly recorded over 700 songs and released albums over three decades. They even opened for the Bee Gees (another band of brothers) when they visited Jakarta in 1974.

June 24, 2018 - Sir Victor Uwaifo - Agho (1971)

I don't know a lot about Sir Victor Uwaifo, but he's a legendary figure in Nigerian music and culture in general. He is known for a style of high-life music called joromi. He is primarily a guitarist but can play many other instruments, including saxophone and piano. He is a sculptor and Professor of Arts at University of Benin. I found out about him a few years back when I became interested in the presence of rock music in countries where English is not the primary language.

Agho is from his compilation, Guitar Boy Superstar 1970-76. Like many of his songs, it features his guitar skills against a typical high-life rhythm. It begins with some snake charmer wah wah guitar that then segues into the rhythm. The vocals appear after 1:10 or so, twin harmonies. Near the 2:20 mark, the keyboard and trumpet trade off on the Tequila riff for the remainder of the song. Where's Pee Wee?

June 23, 2018 Music from Bandcamp #25

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ndcamp

1) I'm Your Boogie Man - Uncle Gus (Crown Point, Indiana)

Yeah, man! Crown Point, home of the Star Plaza Theatre. Rock n Roll! Oh yeah, this is some cool music. Got that ZZ Top action happening, with some great almost Captain Beefheart vocals. Love it. Sweet solo.

2) Let Your Spirit Fly - Western Sunburst (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

At the moment, my Argentinian friend is bummed because they aren't doing too well at the World Cup. I like this guy's voice, reminds me of another band from this country called Almendra. This is a cool tune, I like the rhythm in the middle part. Oh yeah, another rockin guitar solo! ¡Que excelente!

3) The Gong - DUB * IRATION Sound System (Guadalajara, Mexico)

Wow, Mexico is kicking butt at the World Cup! ¡Increíble! This tune tells the story of Leonard Howell, a Jamaican religious leader, an early Rastafari preacher. He is known as The Gong, or The First Rasta. Kind of like a musical history lesson, which I support wholeheartedly.

June 22, 2018 - Glen Brown & King Tubby - World Dub: Away With the Bad (1974)

I love the title. Glen Brown & King Tubby with something heavy - World Dub: Away With the Bad. The bass rattles my speakers like Soul Rebel always does. It's not worth adjusting the EQ every time I listen to it. Man, today my house windows were shaking from the bass this guy in a truck had going. Noise pollution! Why do some people have no respect for the public? They think everyone wants to hear the amazing music coming from their vehicle. Thoughtless.

Well, let's away with the bad, eh? That's what the song is all about. Well, and lots of delay, reverb, and other knob-twisting phenomenon. Away with the bad, good mantra.

Aw no, according to Wikipedia, Glen Brown lives in a New York nursing home, suffering from a bunch of ailments. And since many Jamaican musicians were often not compensated appropriately for their work, he is also struggling to afford good medical care. Universal health care!

June 20, 2018 - Lena Lim and the Stylers - Luna, Luna (1969)

Luna, Luna is from the compilation, Singapore A-Go-Go, Vol. 1, the same album from which Why Are You Not Smiling? is taken, and released by who else but the superb Sublime Frequencies label. This time around the group is also the Stylers, but instead of Grace Lee on vocals it's Lena Lim. L-e-n-a, Lena. I wonder if she ever knew Andy Kim of 'Rock Me Gently' fame. Doubtful. I have no idea why I thought of that.

Luna, Luna is a quintessential pop song. It opens with a distorted guitar, which soon switches to a slightly cleaner tone that is joined in unison by an ethereal keyboard. Lower in the mix is a rhythm guitar with wah wah effect that comes from the left speaker. There is a descending Walk Don't Run pattern at 0:23. After a 0:30 intro, Lena starts singing and her voice is like buttah. I have no idea what she's singing, but it doesn't affect my appreciation of the song. Heck, she could be singing that she stepped in poo and it wouldn't matter. I tried to find a translation online but had no luck. Stupid know-nothing internet. Anyhow, it's probably a love song, not a poo song.

At 2:09, the intro music is repeated and there is one more run through verse before the song fades out through the chorus.

June 18, 2018 - Erkin Koray - Aska Inanmiyorum (1973)

Erkin Koray was featured on the blog in June 2016 with his song Mesafeler. Since I just can't get enough of his debut album, here's another one called Aska Inanmiyorum.

The title translates as "I don't believe in love", and the lyrics are pretty harsh:

I loved for years, burned with your love

I don't believe in love any more

I suffered a lot since I loved

I don't mind if she leaves me

If my heart that is beating for her burns

Let it burn, I don't burn

You said you loved, you told a lie

You ruined the heart that loved you

You deceived me and you didn't know my worth

I don't believe in your words any more

As is typical of Anatolian rock, the music combines middle eastern melodies with psychedelic rock instrumentation. The 0:41 intro passes through a few stages before the vocals appear. I particularly like the drum fill at 0:18. Erkin's voice is pure and passionate, I'm so glad autotune wasn't around in the 70s. I can't stand that garbage, unless it's used in a funny way.

Check out the drum fill that leads into the brief solo at 1:51. Brilliant. The guitar has that clean tone with a percussive element to it, kind of a sitar effect. I believe there is also a Baglama, a Turkish stringed instrument used on many songs.

June 17, 2018 - The Squires - I'll Love You Forever (1964)

Neil Young was 19 when he recorded the minimalist teenager-in-love tune I'll Love You Forever with his band, The Squires. Starting off with the sound of waves on the beach and a quietly strummed guitar, Neil's voice timidly appears at 0:17. There is an otherworldly quality in his double-tracked vocals and his detached and nonchalant delivery, as though he's in a trance. The melody is a bit dreamy, too, in the way each line ends with Neil remaining on the same high notes, as though drifting aimlessly along with the surf.

The lyrics are pretty generic:
I'll love you forever
and idolize
the way you comb your hair
your laughing eyes

Ah, makes your heart skip a beat, eh? The music primarily takes a back seat to the vocals, although there is the occasional twangy guitar. The whole atmosphere is somewhat like a home movie from that era, with a lingering melancholy of lost innocence. It has a similar feel to Sugar Mountain, a song he wrote around the same time.

June 16, 2018 Music from Bandcamp #24

Ban D Camp

1) Stateless - Crows Labyrinth (The Netherlands)

This track was recorded using only bass guitars and effects processing, according to the artist statement. I like it. Slow graceful ambient soundscape.

2) EEDCD-09-DTWN-B -  SEAS (New York, New York)

Sounds like an ocean shore. Water rolling onto the beach. But on some sort of metallic world. It's pleasing to my ears.

3) Ingeta ya mawa feat Joel Mbenza - Beya Tshibuabua "The Ingeta Man" (Montreal, Quebec)

In French. It is, according to the artist, "a trip to the Congo through its regions from East to West, North to South." Soulful vocals, nice harmonies.

June 15, 2018 - The Velvet Underground - Ride Into the Sun (1969)

Would you like to ride in the Velvet Underground's balloon? Made by Andy Warhol so be careful cause it's art. We can fly across the beach and crash into the sea...then we'll be wet! (Sung to the tune of Up Up and Away.)

Ride Into the Sun is an instrumental that appears on the Another View collection. It uses the same four chords as Sweet Jane, but in a different order and at the tempo of the version from Live 1969. Anyhow....

Here we are, slowly riding in a big balloon out over the Pacific Ocean as the sun sets in the west. The air is calm and we are drinking wine and having a nice leisurely time. Looking back towards the beach we see little people and houses twinkling in the light.

It's a sweet little tune. The music cycles around multiple times, but the picked guitar has a one shot moment at 1:05 that is very cool. Instead of playing its usual slide of G-A-G then down to lower G, it slides straight down the neck to lower G in that bluesy descending pattern. Only happens once.

There is a guitar solo at 1:36 that is comforting and affirming. At 2:21, a piano bangs out some chords, then at 2:45 the guitar comes back to accompany us on our voyage beyond the blue horizon.

June 14, 2018 - Tokyo Kid Brothers - Track 05 (1971)

Track 05 from the musical soundtrack to Throw Away the Books, Let's Go Into the Streets is a scary rollercoaster* at a creepy carnival. There is a sudden jolt as the chain creaks under the strain of pulling our train up the steep moun-tain. A freaked out rider sits all alone in the first car, having some sort of panic attack and creating anxiety in the other riders. I have no idea what he's yelling about, but he needs to zip it. Everyone looks around wide-eyed, bracing for something awful as the first car crests the arch.

At 0:54, we are about to plunge down the other side. The drums kick in and the bass starts pumping in our hearts. As we all head down the hill, accelerating to the curve at the bottom, a wicked guitar lick at 1:03 reminds us that this joyride lasts another 1:20; there are plenty of twists and turns left to jostle loose the contents of our stomachs.

This remaining time is like being in a guitar tornado in the middle of the most intense part of Mother Sky. When the ride comes to a stop, Tokyo Kid Brothers remind us to please visit the gift shop on our way out.

* I chose rollercoasters as an allegorical subject prior to the other day's tragic accident. I am sorry for the people who suffered. I hope the investigation will be thorough and accurate.

June 12, 2018 - Chabapai Narmwei - Plob Jai Nale-Nar [Finding Your Heart in the Future] (~1969)

We go from past to future with Plob Jai Nale-Nar, aka Finding Your Heart in the Future. The Future! Futurama! It's from a compilation called Molam: Thai country groove from Isan, Vol. 2. Molam is Thai country music that has been played since the 17th century. You can read about it on this website.

Listening to this song is like being under attack. It starts off with a falling bomb that explodes, followed by machine gun fire. Take cover! There is a moment of calm when the drums come in at 0:10, but then the music assaults the ears and doesn't let up. It sounds like some sort of hurdy-gurdy uprising, but according to the Sublime Frequencies label website, the various instruments include "a free-reed bamboo mouth organ called a khaen, indigenous lute-like instruments (the phin or the soong), a bowed fiddle called a sor and a percussion ensemble featuring finger cymbals and hand drums." It's relentless.

And how about the singer, Chabapai Narmwei? She rarely takes a breath! I wonder what she's singing about, other than finding your heart in the future. Maybe she's cussing out some poor guy. Generally, Molam songs deal with "village life, tragic love stories, and labor exploitation" (!). Throughout it all, the bombs keep exploding and the machine guns keep firing away. Intense! I surrender!

June 11, 2018 - Jethro Tull - Living in the Past (1969)

In 1974, Jethro Toe Tull released a song called Bungle in the Jungle that used animal sounds in an effort to create a wild jungle atmosphere. They tried, but failed (I really don't like the song). For a more effortless and natural jungle feel, check out Living in the Past.

It opens with claves and bass in a 5/4 time signature. The flute and guitar come in at 0:04 and the environment becomes a cool Brazilian wilderness: dark green leafy canopies, slow-moving tree snakes, eyes that silently observe from the branches, pith helmets and fanged jaguars. When Ian Anderson starts singing at 0:40, he is happy and smiling because he has walked miles to reach an oasis of cool water, tasty food, tropical birds, friendly faces, and serenity. I am reminded somewhat of the music of Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66. I don't know, it has that kind of samba feel to it.

Living in the Past is a good theme song for this blog. That's where I live when it comes to the music I know and love. The Past! Ask me to name a song by Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Drake, The Weeknd, Bruno Mars, Twenty-One Pilots, or even Lady Gaga, and I would have no clue. It's not that I don't like these people, I simply have no idea what they sound like. If, by coincidence, I have actually heard one of their songs, it certainly didn't make a lasting impression. Honestly, I don't feel that I'm missing much. Don't get me wrong, I believe there are many great contemporary musical artists out there, but they will likely never be on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine.

There's nothing wrong with living in the past, unless it has to do with clowns.

June 10, 2018 - Tangerine Dream - Ultima Thule, Pt. 1 (1971)

In ancient Greek and Roman literature and maps, Thule was defined as the furthest place north. Ultima Thule is any distant place located beyond the borders of the known world. So, it's waaaayyyy out there.

It is also Tangerine Dream's first single, and as far as I know their only single that isn't just a condensed sample of one of their longer album cuts. In reality, it is the chord progression from their lengthy piece called Fly and Collision of Comas Sola, with the tempo greatly accelerated.

It opens with a ten second burst of high-speed electric guitar that soon collapses into an uncertain holding pattern, waiting for some direction. The drums come in at 0:22, vainly attempting to lend assistance. By the end of the first minute, following some tentative steps, it has assumed an amorphous design of crashing cymbals and mad Keith Moon drum fills atop a blanket of mellotron, while the guitar and organ attempt to find their place in the crowd. Throughout the recording, things never lock into a recognizable groove, the drums seem to pause and then take off haphazardly. It all comes across like a giant space amoeba on Star Trek, stretching here and there without any purpose in the outer reaches of the galaxy.

June 9, 2018 Music from Bandcamp #23

Badcap, NM

1) Scarecrow - Bridie Jackson and The Arbour (Newcastle, UK)

Cool, shades of Sandy Denny/Fairport Convention British folk. Somber piano and violin. Nice a capella harmonies. Bride bites it the day before her wedding. Ouch.

2) Hitchhiker - The Phosphorus Bombs (Sydney, Australia)

Power chord punk rock. Heavy slashing knife-sharp guitars. In your face vocals. An excellent two minutes of high energy.

3) Hammer of the Gods - Iblissian (Danbury, Connecticut)

Wow, some righteously intense black metal a la, I dunno, Dimmu Borgir, Immortal et al. Vikings ahoy, Beavis!

June 8, 2018 - Mulatu Astatke - Yegelle Tezeta (1969)

Mulatu Astatke was born in southwest Ethiopia in 1943, to a wealthy family. He studied music in London and New York before returning to Addis Ababa in the late 60s. He was fond of jazz and Latin American music, and he blended both with traditional Ethiopian music.
Yegelle Tezeta (My Own Memory) is taken from the fourth album in the Ethiopiques series, Ethio-jazz & Musique Instrumentale 1969-1974. It is a non-stop groove. The horns kick it off for the first two seconds, then disappear as an organ plays along with the drum and bass. A sax comes in at 1:22 and plays for awhile against the locked-in rhythm. Finally, the horns rip back in at 2:20 and keep up the intensity until the end.

He's playing in France on July 18, sharing a bill with Jeff Beck. So, if you'll be in France next month, be sure to check him out.

June 6, 2018 - Los Lobos - When the Circus Comes (1992)

I don't consider it hyperbole to say that Los Lobos (The Wolves) are one of the greatest American bands of all-time. Their incredibly diverse output ranges from traditional Mexican music to Tex-Mex, country, blues, pop, rock, and psychedelia. They can play anything, any song, and do it beautifully in their own way. They are very much like The Band in their diverse influences, human spirit lyricism, and multi-instrumental talents.

In 1992 they released their classic album, Kiko, one of the best albums of the 90s. It is a pop masterpiece, one amazing tune after another, and an amalgamation of all the styles the band absorbed over the years. It's hard for me to pick a favorite song, but I think it's probably When the Circus Comes.

According to drummer and guitarist Louie Perez, it is "the story of two lifelong friends who have a falling out over something really stupid and risk losing all the history they have together." David Hidalgo sings as though weighed down by an emotional burden that he is resigned to carry. There is only one solution and that is to leave the place that has caused him so much anguish:

But when the lights are turning 'round
And wheels are rolling on the ground
That day I'll burn this whole place down
When the circus comes to town

The music flows gently and tenderly through the light percussion, the layers of guitars, and the double-tracked vocals during the chorus. At 2:00, the music shifts down into a dreamy instrumental section of distorted guitar and quietly shimmering marimba, representative of the group's experimental approach throughout the album.

June 4, 2018 - George McCrae - Rock Your Baby (1974)

At the 0:20 mark of Rock Your Baby, George McCrae says sexy. It's pretty random, he doesn't actually begin to sing until 0:38. I guess he's supposed to be saying it to his woman, hoping this will be enough of a compliment for her to take me in your arms and rock your baby. Perhaps he thinks the music is sexy? Or he's sexy? Could be. Everyone felt sexy in the 70s, right?

Rock Your Baby is an early tune from the disco era, and one of the first songs to feature a drum machine. It was written by Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch of KC & the Sunshine Band, and it really sounds like one of their tunes. The rhythm guitar is excellent, it ties the whole song together. The guitarist is Jerome Smith, who was also a member of the Sunshine Band.

George McCrae certainly has a great voice, very smooth and seductive. The music is mellow and comforting, like enjoying an evening on the beach as the sun sinks into the horizon across the ocean. It was an international hit in the summer of 1974, driving people onto dance floors all around the world.

June 3, 2018 Music from Bandcamp #22

Band-Camp

1) Sideral - My Magical Glowing Lens (Vitoria, Brazil)

A slow cosmic river of stars. Overall sound has me thinking of a trippy version of Portishead. Flanging spectacular contrails.

2) Intro (Jewels Infinite) Feat Desolation - The Coalition (Toronto, Ontario)

"I stab you with some scissors, or a knife, or whatever I can get my hands on." This guy is all aggro and violent, swearing and stuff, then a nerdy sounding guy comes in and starts rapping. Makes me think of Skee-Lo (I wish I was a little bit taller). Contrast.

3) Fear of the Atom - Abstrusity (Montreal, Quebec)

Electronic music, scratches and old speeches (Eisenhower), keyboards, drum patterns. Nice composition, kind of a soup du jour mix.

June 2, 2018 - G. Men - Il Canto Dei Ragazzi (1969)

Il Canto Dei Ragazzi translates as The Song of the Boys, but it's by G. Men. From Boys to Men. I know absolutely nothing about this group. The song is taken from the Italian psychedelic compilation, Fiori e Colori (Flowers and Colors).

This music goes to eleven. The guitar is an approaching squall, a heavily distorted wah wah white heat that hovers inches from feedback (a bit more sonically intense than We All Together's It's A Sin To Go Away, but still light years from the harsh landscape of Les Rallizes Denudes). The cheerful harmony vocals also push the arrow into the red, singing a kind of Hang On Sloopy / In The Midnight Hour melody. The bass and drums keep the tropical storm from becoming a hurricane.

Since I don't speak Italian, the lyrics are Greek to me.