The Lahu people are an ethnic group of Southeast Asia, spread out over various countries and regions. I found this video of a Lahu folk song entitled "We'll Be Together Forever" (sure, Youtube can be inaccurate - but let's hope not) and fell in love with its soulful melody. A bonus: Toward the video's end, birds chirping so clearly you'll think they're in your own room add to the loving experience of hearing this song.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
The glass is half full, man!
Leadbelly - Good Morning Blues
(savefile)
This is my favorite blues song, if only because of it's pragmatic optimism. Here, Prof. Leadbelly recognizes the symptoms of common depression, and offers effective melodic treatment.
Dan Rossen - Deep Blue Sea
(via)
Dan Rossen (of Grizzly Bear) droning out a moving cover of a Flatt and Scruggs legend. probably from the bottom of the deep blue sea, from the sound of it. I wonder if anyone's ever recorded an album underwater?
Look out guys! Underwater Tiger!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
PWRFL Power & Chubby Behemoth
PWRFL Power is a musician from Japan by way of Seattle and former member of the experimental-improv-noise group, Na. PWRFL Power - Kaz Nomura and his guitar - is melodic sweetness to my ears: his lyrics, childlike in their simplicity, are cute, charming and awkwardly funny:
"Let me teach you how to hold chopsticks/You're so pretty/and holding them wrong/You're so pretty/but holding them wrong./My dad used to beat me up because I was holding them wrong/And I don't want to beat you up/Because you're so pretty."
PWRFL Power on Myspace
PWRFL Power performing "Two Keys."
Last night, I saw him at the Cake Shop with Chubby Behemoth. Chubby Behemoth is face-melting: free-jazz finding its way out of periods of extraordinarily well-composed (so disjointed and destroyed that you know it has to be carefully contrived...maybe) and melodic metal-distortion. At least two band members are accomplished, studied musicians whose forays into experimental music started, appropriately, with their moves to Brooklyn. Totally offensive and brash in their performance, their brand of noise was so amazingly discombobulated they were playing in the audience.
Live at Death By Audio
Chubby Behemoth
"Let me teach you how to hold chopsticks/You're so pretty/and holding them wrong/You're so pretty/but holding them wrong./My dad used to beat me up because I was holding them wrong/And I don't want to beat you up/Because you're so pretty."
PWRFL Power on Myspace
PWRFL Power performing "Two Keys."
Last night, I saw him at the Cake Shop with Chubby Behemoth. Chubby Behemoth is face-melting: free-jazz finding its way out of periods of extraordinarily well-composed (so disjointed and destroyed that you know it has to be carefully contrived...maybe) and melodic metal-distortion. At least two band members are accomplished, studied musicians whose forays into experimental music started, appropriately, with their moves to Brooklyn. Totally offensive and brash in their performance, their brand of noise was so amazingly discombobulated they were playing in the audience.
Live at Death By Audio
Chubby Behemoth
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Yuan Sha wrecking the Douzheng
Live and Direct from the 5th century B.C. it's the thrashably amazing Douzheng!!
The Chinese Zither! Fully customizable, from 15 to 25 strings, steel, catgut, or pure cosmic energy... In this video, Yuan Sha's hands move so deftly, swiftly you can almost see the smoke forming around her sharp, precise fingers as she rips up a most beautiful and stirring piece of music, "Ming Shan". Super!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Yeasayer on Conan, 2.15.2008
This post will be admittedly biased, because I love Brooklyn band Yeasayer. Listening to Yeasayer is a transcendental experience. There is something so visceral about them, like they are tapping into the part of you that still belongs in a hunting tribe. Aside from that, they're sparkly and upbeat and danceable - positively rhythmic. Conan seems to love them, too. Here they are performing "2080."
Yeasayer on Myspace
Yeasayer on Myspace
Bali, Indonesia
This is from the Bali Arts Festival in 2005. The children's group apparently won first prize for their beautiful Gamelan orchestrations. Gamelan is an Indonesian music ensemble; straight from Wikipedia:
"A gamelan as a set of instruments is a distinct entity, built and tuned to stay together — instruments from different gamelan are not interchangeable. The word 'gamelan' comes from the Javanese word 'gamel,' meaning to strike or hammer." Javanese mythology states that in the Saka era, Sang Hyang Guru, a god and king of all of Java, created a gong to contact the other gods. When he added a second gong, gamelan was born.
No matter where it comes from, these kids are completely amazing and shred-tastic and the music is beautiful.
"A gamelan as a set of instruments is a distinct entity, built and tuned to stay together — instruments from different gamelan are not interchangeable. The word 'gamelan' comes from the Javanese word 'gamel,' meaning to strike or hammer." Javanese mythology states that in the Saka era, Sang Hyang Guru, a god and king of all of Java, created a gong to contact the other gods. When he added a second gong, gamelan was born.
No matter where it comes from, these kids are completely amazing and shred-tastic and the music is beautiful.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Valentine's Day!
Happy Hallmark-and-chocolate-candies day, Internet. In keeping with the theme and to contribute to what Benji called a "litter of puppy dog blog posts," I updated pictures of said puppy and my own cat (nobly named after the Egyptian god, Ahmun-Ra):
For those bitter with the holiday, Kylie Minogue did a good job simultaneously describing the feeling of lost love and cheering you up in 1989. This is the original version of José González's heartbreaking rendition:
Ooh, Kylie, you do a good job looking happy and gorgeous in the midst of heartbreak (even though Ian Brown of The Stone Roses supposedly called her a 'little devil doll'?). The Stone Roses also have a great song ("I Wanna Be Adored") for February 14th accompanied by what is probably one of the coolest videos ever (instruments appearing from the midsts of purple clouds, dunes, a fisherman hat, microphone apathy):
For more cheering up, listen to Brooklyn band High Places, who I will hopefully get to see live on February 29th at the Market Hotel with Lucky Dragons (listen to "Mercy"), Soft Circle (listen to "Shimmer") & Pictureplane (listen to "No Law"), all of whom give me a dreamy head rush. (And Pictureplane was once a fan of my friend Kevin's old band, King Astro's Trip/Happy Halloween. So I'm technically two degrees of him.) Sweet High Places make me think of words like: bubbles, poppy, shiny, tropical.
High Places
Listen to "Shared Islands" to pretend that you're flying and to "Head Spins" to remind you of a dreamboat loverboy/girl, if you have one.
P.S. Speaking of my friend Kevin, go listen to his band, Most Furniture. Crazy beats to melt your face.
-Monica
For those bitter with the holiday, Kylie Minogue did a good job simultaneously describing the feeling of lost love and cheering you up in 1989. This is the original version of José González's heartbreaking rendition:
Ooh, Kylie, you do a good job looking happy and gorgeous in the midst of heartbreak (even though Ian Brown of The Stone Roses supposedly called her a 'little devil doll'?). The Stone Roses also have a great song ("I Wanna Be Adored") for February 14th accompanied by what is probably one of the coolest videos ever (instruments appearing from the midsts of purple clouds, dunes, a fisherman hat, microphone apathy):
For more cheering up, listen to Brooklyn band High Places, who I will hopefully get to see live on February 29th at the Market Hotel with Lucky Dragons (listen to "Mercy"), Soft Circle (listen to "Shimmer") & Pictureplane (listen to "No Law"), all of whom give me a dreamy head rush. (And Pictureplane was once a fan of my friend Kevin's old band, King Astro's Trip/Happy Halloween. So I'm technically two degrees of him.) Sweet High Places make me think of words like: bubbles, poppy, shiny, tropical.
High Places
Listen to "Shared Islands" to pretend that you're flying and to "Head Spins" to remind you of a dreamboat loverboy/girl, if you have one.
P.S. Speaking of my friend Kevin, go listen to his band, Most Furniture. Crazy beats to melt your face.
-Monica
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Chihuahua tornado
Cowabunga! First serious post... the runt of what will hopefully be a very productive litter of puppy dog blog posts. by the way, heres a picture of the little guy.
Over the next few forevers, We'll show you everything excellent available on the net ever. Let's start with a song.
dan rossen - graceland
Daniel Rossen from the hoopy forest dwelling collective Grizzly Bear (more from them soon) delivers a trance enducing cover of this Paul Simon creation... It will enmesh itself nicely in the oh so impressionable folds of your brain box...
And now for some moving pictures.
Liu Fang (pipa axewoman)= ambush from all sides...
If you are unfamiliar with this instrument, It's Chinese, and has been in existence for over 4000 years. Mad licks delivered.
Tony Capstick covering Ewan McColl - Go! Move! Shift!
BLUES DANCE PARTY! Valentines Day Romp! For the Ladies!
these tunes are guaranteed to put the itch in your backside and a twitch in your eye.
I've uploaded them to the internets via savefile.com- so bear with me, they're all worth it. especially Stomp Boogie, cuz we all have the boogie inside us, and it's gotta come out.
John Lee Hooker - Stomp Boogie
Good Gin Blues - Bukka White
Candy Man Blues - Mississippi John Hurt
--no more blues. cheer up--
Everyone should chew for a bit on the drawlings of Jim Woodring... a Seattle based indie comic folk legend... and he's got a terrific blog... Truly a genius, another power player in the modern artist's quest to provide pure sensory titillation. and just a swell guy.
that about wraps it up, folks. Stay tuned.
-Benji 02.14.2008-
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