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“The Greatest Man That Ever Lived (Variations on a Shaker Hymn)”08 May 2008
As is the fate of all albums released this decade (“In Rainbows” excepted, of course), the lion’s share of the new Weezer album has finally hit the internet a month in advance of its release date. While tracks like ‘Pork and Beans’ and ‘Troublemaker’ keep up the traditional pop quotient, the most interesting thing leaked so far has been “The Greatest Man That Ever Lived”. Variously described on forums as “atrocious”, “the pinnacle of recorded sound” and “bamboozling”, it’s probably somewhere between all three. Certainly the strangest thing Weezer have ever recorded, it may well also be the best – a genre-straddling epic in no uncertain terms, making absolutely no sense, but at the same time, sounding like something you always knew. Still, by the looks of things, Weezer is going to be the band’s commercial suicide album. Highlight: 2:21 – Rivers’ bitchin’ falsetto, or 4:06 – in which Cuomo quotes Shakespeare. I really wish I was making this up.
More from Alex Cornetto here
Afrobeat Party26 April 2008
Not much to say about this one except that a scintillating combination of brilliant music and dancing, a wonderful venue and a killer performance as crown entertainer by Fela Kuti makes for an absolutely incredible video.
Computer Incarnations of World Peace 1 + 225 April 2008
I was a huge fan of Sonar Kollektiv’s Computer Incarnations for World Peace so was pretty chuffed to see that Computer Incarnations of World Peace 2 was on sale at Phonica .
The first one in the series was a eclectic but cohesive selection of tracks, largely from the 70’s and 80’s, and spanning everything from weird tropical sounding disco to 80’s grooves. The track I think about and love the most on the record is Talking Drums’ ‘Courage’ .
If you’re expecting more of the same on Computer Incarnations For World Peace 2 then you’re going to be sorely disappointed, and at first I was. I should have read the front cover, where the compilations is described as: ‘topical disco + new age boogie’. Luckily enough, once my disappointed subsided, I realised that the album was pretty good in its own right. All the tracks were made post 2000 and most are either English or Scandinavian. The high point for me is Al Usher’s ‘Lullaby for Robert’ .
Records I Love: Part 124 April 2008
I was record shopping in Honest Jons with a friend of mine the other day when he spotted this record behind the counter. Instantly it was played on the shop stereo and, even though i’m a complete jazz novice, I was already blown away 30 seconds in.
The album is called ‘Swiss Movement’ and was recorded live at The Montreux Jazz Festival in 1969. It’s a live recording of a show featuring the legendary saxophonist Eddie Harris and singer/piano player Les McCann . Ben Bailey appears on Trumpet and its always good to see a proper Turkish A+R on production.
The clips below show the album’s opening track, ‘Compared to What’ being performed live with the same line up as at The Monreux Jaxx Festival (it might be the actual show but I doubt it.) Although you can’t shy away from the incredible performances of Les McCann and Eddie Harris, its Ben Bailey on Trumpet (check 4.20 into the first part of the youtube) who really steals the show for me. Enjoy:
‘Compared to What’ Part 1:
‘Compared to What’ Part 2:
Young Turks on Holiday(Coachella)23 April 2008
Excuse us if theres a lack of posts over the next couple of weeks but somethings are more important(fun) than blogging all day, (saying that if I find a computer I’ll put up some photos.)
Keep well.
Family Man22 April 2008
Someone played something in the office today that reminded me just how good a song Mike Oldfield’s ‘Family Man’ is.
YouTube turned up two absolute classics:
First up, a Hall and Oates cover:
and even better, a clip that reminds me of the post i wrote about bands doing things in epic ways, (I was talking about Spiritualized.) Here you really see Mike go to town with the live set up, no expense spared:
(Norwegian) Northern Lights/Aurora Borealis21 April 2008
Aurora Borealis (or the Northern Lights) is a naturally occurring coloured light display, usually observed in the night sky and named after the Roman Goddess of dawn, ‘Aurora’, and the Greek name for the North wind ‘Boreas’. It commonly appears as a greenish glow or sometimes a faint red, as if the sun was rising from an unusual direction. The Aurora Borealis is also called the Northern Polar Lights, as it is only visible in the North sky from the Northern Hemisphere. The Aurora Borealis is most often visible between September and October and March and April.
I’m 100% sure there’s something magical in the Northern Lights. Not only do my trawls through Flickr / Google Images / Wikimedia / YouTube reveal endless wonders (such as the one at the top of this post as well as at the bottom) but for the past few years music (that I imagine is made at night, under these lights) has been emanating from Norway that leaves me blissfully spellbound in some sort of euphoric state which is how I can only imagine it would feel to be Scandinavian.
‘Folk I Farta’ is the opening track from DiskJokke’s brilliant debut album, ‘Staying In’ . I would go further than just likening the track to the magic of the Northern Lights and describe what the track actually sounds like but writing about music is like dancing about architecture (or something similar) and I’d only do it a disservice, so you’ll have to figure it out for yourself.
Lindström’s ‘I Feel Space’ (out sometime around 2004) is my ultimate Northern Lights track though. If you don’t know much about Lindström check out his excellent 12” collection album ‘It’s A Feedelity Affair’ . It’s what I’d coin an ultimate ‘emotive dance’ music track, (a track that you dance to as well as get seriously emotional about).
Anyway, I’ve gone on for too long and opened up way too much. Listen to either track with this on loop:
(With thanks to Wikipedia) , for enlightening me not only on the phenomenon of the Northern Lights but just about all the knowledge I’ve ever tried to pass off as book-read.)
W.B.D.R. (White Boy Does Ragga)21 April 2008
Like all the world’s best Dancehall/Ragga/Bashment DJs Blaise Bellville is white, middle class and from the Isle of Wight . If you’ve had the fortunate pleasure of being anywhere near Shoreditch/Old Street/any other London ‘Hot Spot’ and been troubled by a stomach quenching basslines, heady 30 second mixes and gunshots then you’ve more than likely heard Blaise dj.
This is his latest mix of all things Jamaican and violent and you can see the track listing here .