Stuff (I'm just testing this)
ARTIST`````Paroplapi
ALBUM`````La Finestra Dell'Ultimo Piano
GENRE`````World
YEAR````````2005
Some badly translated info
This group, with an unusual name, suggests the beginning of the XXI century the meeting "music-language" coming from the shores of the Mediterranean. Paroplapi draws its inspiration particularly in France and Italy, which represent areas of origin of members of the group. Voices and meanings. The practice and study of this repertoire, highlights the strong ties between the people and values in common, so are no longer the only musical traditions of a region thatartists exploit, but rather a cultural, evolving in the name of unity in diversity. Individual carriers of these directories for many years, members of the trio Paroplapi met in order to offer a broad spectrum of the Latin folk songs, the anthology of what collective memory has gathered on the edge of time.
From http://www.rambles.netParoplapi is the name of an Italo-French folk trio that is like a ray of sunshine, and one of the most popular Italian world-roots music groups. The name comes from "little Cecilia, whose words often collide with her lips," daughter of one of the band members, and performer on this CD.In Italian, French and Provençal-Occitan, Paroplapi's sound is a joy.On La Finestra dell'Ultimo Piano, their second CD, the vocals of Samuela Gallinari and Gael Princivalle blend nicely. Giorgio Albiani's guitar adds another dimension. The CD also features standout hurdy gurdy, bagpipes, accordion (Paolo Simonazzi), mandolin (Silvio Trotta), pipe (Stefano Tartaglia) and a host of guests too numerous to mention."A Come Armatura" ("A for Armour") the first song featured, is a nursery rhyme song featuring the children of the band members --- well coached as it turns out -- interwoven with Gallinari's fine, clear Italian soprano. This is the true gem of the record, though not the only first-class track. It's a catchy, lively alphabet song right out of traditional Tuscan lore.Princivalle, whose voice has the timbre of an Occitan Gordon Lightfoot, sings on several tracks including "Maremma," a dialogue between a shepherd and his beloved, from Emilia-Romagna; his voice blends well with that of Gallinari, in complex harmonies.Songs such as "I Disertori" (Italian) and "La Palombe" (Franco-Provençal, originally from an Arabic source) are timely calls for peace, against war. The former is particularly well-done, with Gallinari on vocals, accompanied by the accordeon: "We don't talk about this war / as long as eternity / to conquer a leaf-sized land / how many brothers have died already."Matteo Belli is featured in the role of Dante in "Dante e Arnaut," the concluding track and one of the more interesting, with spoken word over instrumental.
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V.A. The In-Kraut Vol. 1 - Hip Shaking Grooves Made In Germany 1966-1974 (2005)
ARTIST`````Various
GENRE`````Obscuro, Psychedelic, Funk, Easy Pop, "Rock & Roll"
YEAR````````2005
Review:
What you get is a terrific collection of swingin' bachelor pad music, complete with a view of the Reeperbahn; most of the tracks suggest someone like Si Zentner trying to play something like rock & roll, with an added level of cultural disconnect added as the performers struggle to play American-style pop, often while attempting to sing in English (frequently in a manner that suggests they learned the lyrics phonetically). If this sounds like a pan so far, though, it isn't -- The In-Kraut is actually lots of fun, with most of the tunes boasting tight arrangements, great studio bands, and punchy, enthusiastic performances, even if the results often have little to do with rock & roll. (It's significant that, according to the liner notes, the upbeat "Marihuana Manta" was recorded by a musician who never smoked dope in his life, while "Molotov Cocktail Party" sounds less like a call to revolution than a tribute to the pleasures of blowing up stuff.) For the most part, The In-Kraut finds studio-centric big bands attempting to tackle rock & roll, and while they don't quite make it on face value, they come up with something that's exciting, compelling, and lots of fun -- proof that sometimes squares can be a lot cooler than you'd expect.
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V.A. The In-Kraut Vol. 2 - Hip Shaking Grooves Made In Germany 1967-1974 (2006)
ARTIST`````Various
GENRE`````Obscuro, Psychedelic, Funk, Easy Pop, "Rock & Roll"
YEAR````````2006
Review:
The upbeat "Swinging London" by the Hazy Osterwald Jet Set is a standout. The band shouting out London landmarks and addresses of "The Swingin' City" over a KPM styled groove. Mary Roos offers a take of the Jorge Ben penned Sergio Mendes hit "Mas Que Nada" - here in German as "Blauer Montag" (Blue Monday). The legendary James Last provides a number titled "Soul March". It's uptempo, full and well produced with a nice touch of flanging to give it that "sky-ing" effect. Trippy! My fave of the disc is by an attractive gal named Hildegard Knef. In her slightly accented English she talks deadpan over a light jazzy groove on "Holiday Time". It's way out - try to imagine Nico pretending to be a dominatrix reading news headlines and you've got the drift. Dieter Reith's brilliant funky Hammond n horns "No No No" reminds me of Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames take on Earl Van Dyke's "Soul Stomp". No wonder it's culled from an album entitled "Hammond Explosion". The organ and sitar groove of Carlos Fendeira on "Gimmi Moro" is a wild mix that really works and sounds like a deleted cut from the Vampyros Lesbos film soundtrack! "Moon Mission" by Kai Rautenberg & Orchester Juergen Ehlers is a fuzz guitar vs. organ duel that is definitely my favorite instro excursion on the disc. If horns and Hammonds are your thing you need The In-Kraut Vol. 2 for your next soirre, gig, love-in et al.
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V.A. The In-Kraut Vol. 3 - Hip Shaking Grooves Made In Germany 1967-1974 (2008)
ARTIST`````Various
GENRE`````Obscuro, Psychedelic, Funk, Easy Pop, "Rock & Roll"
YEAR````````2008
Review:
Described in the liner notes as the final volume in this series focusing on late-'60s and early-'70s psych and soul obscurities from West Germany, The In-Kraut, Vol. 3 is, like its predecessors, a perfect mix of the knowing wink and the honestly amazing. Whether it was a question of the technical expectations of a German listening audience, or simply good playing all around, nearly every song on here sounds incredible on a level of tactile impact: horns stab out of speakers, vocals are crisp and clear, and some of the feedback levels sound monstrous even after decades of heavy metal. That said, the flip side lies in the enjoyably workmanlike quality of so many of the contributions: these are adaptations and reworkings of so many American sources of inspiration in particular (or at a slight remove), thus the jaw-dropping version of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" by bandleader Dieter Zimmermann, who replaces the vocal line with a horn section that sounds like a way ahead of its time college marching band, and the mid-song freak-out with lush strings set against a brooding bass swell that it's almost easier to simply marvel at how well they transmute the original material for the kind of starchy swing that seems to be the best way to dance to them. Perhaps inevitably, Peter Thomas steals the show on the whole thing with "The World Is Gone," a bizarre news bulletin-turned-street corner giggle/rant backed by his usual brass-led groovers. Whether it's South African expatriate Gene Williams' rather forced vamps on "My Soul Is Black," or the ridiculous singing on Georgees' "Butterflies Never Cry" -- it makes Blood, Sweat & Tears seem like Low -- this is definitely something that once heard is never forgotten. Whether that's positive or negative may depend on how you feel on the day.
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FINLAND'S BIG BAND SPACE ROCK
ARTIST`````ASTRO CAN CARAVAN
ALBUM`````21st CENTURY DRIFTING EPISODE
GENRE`````BIG BAND, PSY-JAZZ, INSTRUMENTAL, EXPERIMENTAL
YEAR````````2005
ABOUT (FROM AURAL):
Highly experimental, with one foot solidly in the RIO camp and the other in outer space, Astro Can Caravan is an unconventional mix of large ensemble post-Sun Ra cosmic jazz, Magma-influenced Euro-fusion and Herbie Hancock/Miles Davis-styled avant-jazz funk. The 20 members of ACC (most of whom are apparently Finnish) all display a consummate musicianship and a keen awareness of the intricacies of ensemble playing throughout the ten tracks on 21st Century Drifting Episode, and in the process virtually create a new sub-genre one might call "big band space rock."Imagine if Sun Ra's Arkestra were composed of members of Amon Duul II and Can - 21st Century Drifting Episode is the kind of album he would've done.
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WASH AWAY AND DO IT BETTER
ARTIST``````THE ORB
ALBUM``````OKIE DOKIE IT'S THE ORB ON KOMPAKT
GENRE``````AMBIENT TECHNO, EXPERIMENTAL
YEAR`````````2005
WHY:
I've stopped listening to Kompakt artists few years ago but then I rediscovered this gem and hell, I'm interested again. Great, great work by one of the genre's finest producers.
THE ORB SHORT BIOGRAPHY:
The Orb virtually invented the electronic genre known as ambient house, resurrecting slower, more soulful rhythms and providing a soundtrack for early-morning ravers once the clubs closed their doors. The group popularized the genre as well, by appearing on the British chart show Top of the Pops and hitting number one in the U.K. with the 1992 album U.F.Orb. Frontman Dr. Alex Paterson's formula was quite simple: he slowed down the rhythms of classic Chicago house and added synth work and effects inspired by '70s ambient pioneers Brian Eno and Tangerine Dream. To make the whole a bit more listenable -- as opposed to danceable -- obscure vocal samples were looped, usually providing a theme for tracks which lacked singing.
ALBUM REVIEW:
Absurd title aside, Okie Dokie marks the Orb's absolute absorption into Cologne's Kompakt label, following a series of 12" releases and compilation appearances dating back to late 2002. The principal factor is Thomas Fehlmann, a longtime associate and Kompakt elder statesman whose presence is felt on every track, consequently inhibiting Alex Paterson's whimsical impulses. There are no incongruous vocal appearances, silly spoken bits, or lumbering dubwise squibs. All the unnerving flights of fancy and widespread deficiencies that made Cydonia and Bicycles & Tricycles the slightest Orb albums have been washed away, exchanged for a stern focus and a series of productions that are also consistent for their even level of quality. Okie Dokie is a prime, stimulating example of what can happen when innovators find themselves inspired by younger producers who have been deeply influenced by their work.DOWNLOAD
NASTY, TRASHED OUT HUSBAND & WIFEARTIST`````````````MU
ALBUM`````````````OUT OF BREACH
GENRE`````````````LEFT-FIELD/PUNK-ELECTRO
YEAR```````````````2005
WHY?Angry, bitchy, nasty, freestyle punk-electro husband and wife band spreading hatred and obscene wishes...ummm...tasty.
ALBUM REVIEW
Unless you're a shady label owner ("Tigerbastard"), an exploitative media land-shark ("Stop Bothering Michael Jackson"), an eBay pirate ("I'm Coming to Get You"), a cowardly DJ ("Like a Little B*tch"), a person who cuts in line at a money-exchange counter ("Extreme"), or a hater ("Haters"), there's no reason to feel truly antagonized by the second album from husband-wife duo Maurice Fulton (instruments, production) and Mutsumi Kanamori (vocals, "body fluids").
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Original cover.
NON-STOP RAVING NOISE AFRICAN MADNESS FROM CONGO!
ARTIST`````````````KONONO Nº1
ALBUM`````````````CONGOTRONIC
GENRE`````````````BAZOMBO TRANCE MUSIC
YEAR```````````````2005
MY VIEW:
This is a complete and sudden surprise. You could call this - pure contemporary african rave. Unfortunately, of all the musicians in the world, Bjork was the first capitalist bitch who gave them a bunch of money to play for her...
NICE ALBUM REVIEW (by Steve Leggett):This amazing record is the product of utility, coincidence, and accidental discovery as much as it is a product of academic deliberation, and it manages to sound old and traditional even as it is refreshingly (even radically) new and avant-garde. Konono No. 1 was formed in the 1980s by a group of Bazombo musicians, dancers, and singers from the Democratic Republic of Congo to play traditional likembe (thumb piano) music in the streets. They soon discovered, though, that they needed amplification to be heard and -- this is where the story of this album really begins -- they took a DIY and utilitarian approach by building their own amplification systems out of junked car parts, magnets, and other flotsam. Once assembled, the system produced a huge hum that Konono No. 1 embraced as part of the sound of the group. At the center of everything were three amped-up thumb pianos tuned to three different registers, and coupled with all manner of pots, pans, whistles, and brake drum snares for percussion and with the vocals blasting through megaphones, all embedded in the huge buzz and hum of the homemade PA system, the group accidentally created a sound that was at once both ancient and traditional and yet eerily akin to experimental 21st century electronica.
Congotronics is Konono's second album (the first was a live outing entitled Lubuaku), and while it was ostensibly recorded in a studio setting, it sounds wonderfully live and immediate, as if the dozen members of the group were standing on a busy street corner like some Congolese version of a second-line Mardi Gras band, only with thumb pianos instead of horns. Musical themes emerge and reemerge in the various tracks, and what sounds initially chaotic and random is revealed to be nothing of the sort, giving the whole album the feel of a ragged, joyous suite. Part traditional, part African rhumba, part smart avant-garde electronica, Congotronics is the sound of an urban junkyard band simultaneously weaving the past and the future into one amazingly coherent structure, and not only that, you can dance to it. This is the band Tom Waits has been looking for all his life.
The group recently finished collaborating with Björk on the song "Earth Intruders" from her studio album, Volta. They will also accompany her on her promotional tour for the album.
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Reuploaded 8/June/2010.
