A Lahu Folk Song

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.

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!

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

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!

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

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.

Son House - Death Letter

This is the blues... Son House is drowning me with paralyzing pathos!