Music Mix 14 ~ September 2010

Cover image by Sonja Mildner at Sauerkraut.

Hello… and Croseo, Bienvenue, Bienvenido, Willkommen/Guten tag, Välkommen, Salaam, Ykoso and welcome to what is a quite an international music mix with bands and artists from nine different countries. It’s almost like a magical mystery tour – what a good name for an album.

After the last two mixes (the BBQ and Anniversary ones) where we concentrated on older established bands that were selected by contributors, I’ve decided to try and highlight as many new bands and artists as possible. Artists like Jean-Michel Jarre, Los Lobos and that spring chicken Richard Thompson as this is, I believe what you want – to discover new songs by new artists (I was joking about the 3 guys above Ken). Hopefully you will like and explore further.

We also, have two tracks from Mas Duro Que Jimi Hendrix, our album of the month and four fantastic blues songs in our three-in-a-row – yes four tracks – thanks UncleRaveDave but you’ve gotta learn to do the maths.

[01] Suralin – Lift Off/Mystery Train [Leda]
Suralin come from the small East German town of Hohenstein-Ernstthal and have really impressed me with their debut album Leda. Having played Bass in a couple bands when in my teens I always have a soft spot for a good bass line and this album has the bass as one of the dominant instruments, reminding me in a way of Wire and Gang of Four.

This track has a grand old rumbling bass to start the mix but there’s more to the song than that with some lovely guitar work and a lovely feel to the song that shows maturity and mellowness for such a young band. There’s not a bad track on the album with other highlights being the opener Holy Dancer with its funky post punk sound and Time Is Timeless, a catchy alternative rock song that should surely be filling a stadium near you soon.

As we’re travelling a lot throughout this mix, we’ll also need some refreshment so how about some Soljanka soup, followed by Grilled Thüringer Bratwurst served with Mashed Potatoes & Sauerkraut washed down with plenty of Franziskaner Hefeweizen.

[02] Lowrider – Flat Earth [Ode to Lo]
Moving North to Sweden we have Lowrider, a stoner rock band formed in the mid-1990s by bassist/singer Peder Bergstrand and lead guitarist/singer Ole Hellquist, along with guitarist Niclas Stalfors and drummer Andreas Eriksson. With the re-release of Queens of the Stone Age album ‘Rated R’ (a classic stoner rock album), I was tempted to select one of their tracks – but on hearing these guys I thought who needs QOTSA when we have Lowrider.

Just love the part at 4mins 8 secs when, after some twiddling on a fuzzy guitar the main riff kicks back in and we off again – woo hoo.

Here we’ll tuck into some pytt i panna and kåldolmar accompanied by a bottle of Schnapps and some Folköl.

[03] Jean-Michel Jarre – Oxygène 4 [Oxygène]
Chatting with a guy the other day, and I asked him what his Desert Island Disc would be? Without blinking an eye he boldy stated Oxygène 4. Wow, I thought, what a song and also how does one only pick one song (I couldn’t).

Anyway, it is just a brilliant song and one of 5 instrumentals in the mix. Oh by the way we’re in France now, time for a little bit of Burgundy, Brie and some Petit Coeur biscuits.

[04] 65DaysOfStatic – Retreat Retreat [The Fall of Math]
It’s a trip across the Channel to England and a new band to me called 65DaysOfStatic. From Sheffield, they are apparently the leading lights of the instrumental post-rock and math rock scene – what the xxxx does that mean? To me it’s just good music, again an instrumental but I love the way this track ebbs and flows, back and forth conveying emotion and feeling – worth exploring further.

[05] Detroit Social Club – Black & White [Existence]
Now we go winging our way across the Atlantic to America’s largest city ‘Motor Town’… STOP stop stop – don’t book your flights just yet, these guys are from Newcastle-upon-Tyne not Detroit so it’s just a quick trip up the M1, stopping for a bite to eat in one our lovely motorway services (I just love paying £10.99 for a cup of cold tea, a greasy fry-up and stale toast).

Love the intro to this song with the big big drums sounds which is nothing but direct, bold even uplifting. The main man behind the band is David Burn, a self-confessed music-head and audiophile who obviously cares about the sound – I hear shades of Jeff Lynne even Spector maybe. He also appears to have a bit of an ego, recently telling Q magazine that rather than referring to him as the band’s songwriter he considers himself “a vibe creator, the words and what other people relate to, like the songs, that’s just the sprinkles on top of the music I’ve spent ages doing.” – bit wanky that don’t you think?

Shame as the album is good, very good.

[06] The Kings Of Frog Island – Dark On You [Kings of Frog Island]
We stay in England with The Kings of Frog Island, a 3-piece band from Leicester who draw from Psychedelic, Stoner and Retro Rock traditions. They take their name from Frog Island which is an inner city area of Leicester so named because it lies between the River Soar and the Grand Union Canal.

It’s hard to see why this band are classed as Stoner from this track, but believe me there are some mighty heavy songs on the album. Especially like Ode to Baby Jane but don’t put off by the stoner tag as the album is excellent.

What shall eat in Leicester? Let’s opt for typical British grub and visit The Curry Fever tandoori restaurant where can enjoy some bombay aloo, paneer tikka masala and an exciting mixed tandoor sizzler. We’ll probably end the experience with soothing yoghurt lassi and a few bottles of Kingfisher lager.

[07] Arcade Fire – Modern Man [The Suburbs]
Next stop is Montreal where we meet the husband and wife duo of Win Butler and Régine Chassagne who are Arcade Fire. What can one say about this band? They have to be the most original and consistent modern bands and one of the few that will surely be around for a while. Great new album, great song, great lyrics- end of sermon.

To munch on? How about some poutine and tarte au sucre with a few bottles of Molson.

So I wait my turn, I’m a modern man
And the people behind me, they can’t understand
Makes me feel like
Makes me feel like

So I wait in line, I’m a modern man
And the people behind me, they can’t understand
Makes me feel like
Something don’t feel right

Like a record that’s skipping
I’m a modern man
And the clock keeps ticking
I’m a modern man
Makes me feel like
Makes me feel like

In my dream I was almost there
And you pulled me aside and said you’re going nowhere
They say we are the chosen few
But we’re wasted
And that’s why we’re still waiting
On a number from the modern man
Maybe when you’re older you will understand
Why you don’t feel right
Why you can’t sleep at night now

In line for a number but you don’t understand
Like a modern man
In line for a number but you don’t understand
Like a modern man

Oh I had a dream I was dreaming
And I feel I’m losing the feeling
Makes me feel like
Like something don’t feel right
I erase the number of the modern man
Want to break the mirror of the modern man
Makes me feel like
Makes me feel like

In my dream I was almost there
But you pulled me aside and said you’re going nowhere
I know we are the chosen few
But we’re wasted
And that’s why we’re still waiting
In line for a number but you don’t understand
Like a modern man
In like for a number but you don’t understand
Like a modern man

And you feel so right
But how come you can’t sleep at night?
In line for a number but you don’t understand
Like a modern man

I’m a modern man
I’m a modern man
I’m a modern man
I’m a modern man

[08] Los Lobos – Tin Can Trust [Tub Can Trust]
Los Lobos (“The Wolves”) are an old American Chicano rock band from East Los Angeles California, that have been around since Spacey was a lad. They’re kinda rock and roll, Tex-Mex, country music, folk, R&B, blues. Plus if that’s not enough they also play traditional Spanish and Mexican music such as boleros and norteños – stick a fiddle up their arses and they’ll probably play a jig as well.

This track, the title track from their latest long player, is so laid back, so mellow just drifting along like some tumbleweed blowing across a dusty old train track – just love it. Oh did I mention that their biggest hit was La Bamba? No good ‘cos I hate that song.

To refresh ourselves from the long journey South from Montreal – we gotta visit El Coyote Mexican Café at 7312 Beverly Boulevard to sample a couple of their famous El Coyote Margaritas plus some authentic Chili Relleno with extra peppers and a side order of Colgate Mouthwash.

Caremelito Fuxia – [09] LLamando los Rockeros / [10] Agarame fuerte [Mas duro que Jimi Hendrix]
Two tracks from my Album of the Month. You can read more details about the band there. I think these songs confirm what a fantastic guitarist Jan the Man is and the extraordinary feel he has for his instrument (he’s not a bad guitarist too) and the song. I hear that he’s working on a new album that has some tracks with vocals – now that could be good.

So what shall we eat in Spain? We’ve hardly had any wine on our travels so a bottle or two of Rioja sounds rather pleasant to accompany our seafood paella – I know I’m predictable but it’s one of my favs and anyway whose travel fantasy is this?

[11] Toumast – Kik Ayittma [Ishumar]
We featured these guys on a previous mix last year sometime, but I just couldn’t resist this song. Three reasons: it’s a bloody good song, it sounds amazing straight after Caremelito Fuxia and a couple weeks ago me and Mrs. Dog were helping our son to pack his case and clean his room as he was leaving home to go back to UK to go to Uni. He had his iPod on shuffle and this song came on and within an instant we were all up and dancing and jigging and laughing and being the normal crazy family we are. Will always remember that moment.

Toumast is lead singer Moussa Ag Keyna who together with female singer Aminatou Goumar and French producer Dan Levy have created some sublime new African desert sounds. Moussa was born in a wide valley on the border between Mali and Niger, deep in the Sahara desert but ended up in a hospital in France after being injured in the recent civil war. He says: “The name ‘Toumast’ means ‘identity’. I chose that name because I was part of the Touareg rebellion, where everything we did was for the Touareg identity. Even music was created in order to give existence to our identity.”

The lyrics are strong ‘Hey, my brothers, blood has been shed’, sings Moussa in the rolling phrases of the song, as the chorus calls and responds throughout. ‘And they have burnt the lands inherited from our history so I beg you, Prophets and Gods, to bring rebirth of the Touareg identity’.

After those lyrics we may not be that hungry so we we’ll just settle for some foura and a cup of sweet red tea.

[12] Jim Kerr – Shadowland [Lostboy!]
Jim Kerr was born in Glasgow and is of course best known for his work with the band Simple Minds who achieved five UK #1 albums.

Shadowland was the first single from Jim’s new solo album Lost Boys which reached a respectable #8 in the UK Independent charts. I like this song, I like the way it sounds like Simple Minds (of course) in their prime, but I also hear some Bowie – a very confident start to his solo career.

Food-wise we’re in Glasgow so where shall we eat and drink – I recommend Where The Monkey Sleeps, a café on West Regent Street that vibrates to a soundtrack of vintage heavy metal, rather than Norah Jones or Katie Melua – and its lovingly assembled menu is equally different. The “kurgan” (a regularly changing special) might be a Newcastle Brown ale moistened burger with mature cheddar, or a bagel of fish fingers all washed down with bottles of Irn-Bru of course.

[13] Malted Milk – Hang On In [Sweet Soul Blues]
Originating from Nantes (France), Malted Milk moves within the sheerest Afro-American musical tradition, brilliantly combining blues and funky soul. Led by the guitarist and singer Arnaud Fradin the band has become one of the major figures of the French blues scene – and you can hear why on this delicious track that is so smooth and seductive I might need help undressing tonight! Uh!

We’re back in France so what else is there to eat… apart from everything. The region’s vineyards produce wines such as Muscadet and Gros Plant, both excellent with fish and seafood. So we’ll try a bucket of oysters with the local Muscadet. Plus some fromage du curé nantais – a cow’s milk cheese developed by a priest near Nantes, that is also excellent with Muscadet – job done.

It’s now the turn of UncleRaveDave to tell us a bit about his choice of music – give us a well earned rest from all these culinary delights. Dave says:

“Singing the blues. Blues is a state of being, a condition, a mood, a state of mind and spirit. Singing the blues, on the other hand, is a way of treating the condition. I have always admired the courage of blues singers who operate on themselves in the presence of their community and strangers. Blues songs scan the personal horizon. The lyrics obey no boundary that we can experience, and what cannot be conveyed by lyrics is carried on the wings of sound, of voice and guitar, harp and piano – the black keys, that is.

The sound of a blues song finding the air sometimes makes me feel as if something in my soul which I had never heard before has started to sing. When blues songs are most powerful, they resonate with intimacy, they feel like unrestricted exposure; thus, they are open to also touch anyone who stands in their sound. And I guess therein lies the genius of the treatment of the condition. If you can sing about a situation, you are not ruled or owned by that situation. You can sing about being down and the very act of that song filling the air represents you on your way up, and if you can stand in the sound of an honestly crafted blues song and let it find its true place within your soul – you, the participant listener, can be more whole” (Bernice Johnson Reagan)

So, anyhow, the Dog has spoken, and spoken thusly: “URD – you have to select an old bluesy 3-in-a-row for Septembers Music Mix – no excuses this time.” The Pig has asked if URD “… can dig out some we (well me anyway) don’t know about.” Technoflid likes his blues “authentic”. So, no pressure, then.

[14] Lonnie Pritchard – Come On In My Kitchen [The Roots of Rhythm and Blues 1939-1945]
The first song in this trilogy is a Robert Johnson classic, Come On In My Kitchen. It was one of the first blues songs I ever copied to tape, and which probably began my love affair with the blues. The version I recorded then was off the album Tightly Knit, by the Climax Blues Band. (The album also has a 9-minute song called St. Michael’s Blues, with some very strange lyrics: “I woke up this morning / With blues all around my bed / I took my blue socks off last night, woman / And in the morning, they had changed to red / Don’t go messing with my Marks and Spencer’s socks (They’re my good socks, baby)”. It has a great guitar solo, but ultimately it’s about rummaging about in a sock drawer (I think) – very strange). But I digress. This version of Come on in My Kitchen is by Lonnie Pitchford. Born in the 1950s in Lexington, Mississippi (30 miles from where Robert Johnson died), Pitchford learned by constructing a one-string instrument with African antecedents, known locally as a diddley bow. He played acoustic guitar and bass, both as a soloist and in a gospel ensemble and band format. Having worked with Robert Junior Lockwood over the years, Pitchford was part of a direct chain of tradition from Johnson to Lockwood to Pitchford. In November 1998, Pitchford died at his home in Lexington, from AIDS. Recorded in 1991, Pitchford’s stark reading of Johnson’s evocative classic may not be the most polished version you’ll ever hear, but if you like your blues stripped-down and basic – as I do – then I hope you’ll enjoy this.

[15] Robert Junior Lockwood with Gene Schwartz – How Long Blues [The Roots of Rhythm and Blues 1939-1945]
The second track reflects on Technoflid’s statement that Clapton’s versions of the blues “…lacked some of the rawness required. We all know Eric’s an incredible guitarist, but he’s so polished that it sometimes lacks the pure emotion of some other guitarists.” I do agree with this, but personally find it’s a problem with most white boys playing the blues. For me, certain blues songs almost HAVE to be sung by a Black artist to really ring true. Here, for instance, is one of my favourite blues tracks; I love Clapton’s take(s) on the song, but this version has far greater authenticity, as far as I’m concerned. The track is How Long, How Long Blues, here by the aforementioned Robert Junior Lockwood, with Gene Schwartz on bass. Born in Marvell, Arkansas in 1915, Lockwood grew up in Helena. Inspired by his stepfather, Robert Johnson, he began an unparalleled career as a working musician. From the 1930s on, he participated in almost every chapter of blues history as a central character and a major musical influence. Wherever the blues flourished, in Clarksdale, Mississippi; Helena, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; St. Louis, Missouri; or Chicago, Illinois, Lockwood plied his trade with Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Miller), Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, B.B.King, and most of the other major figures in Delta and Chicago blues history. Lockwood can be credited with introducing a jazz-inflected sophistication to the Chicago bar band sound. He died in 2006 at the age of 91 in Cleveland, having earlier suffered a cerebral aneurysm and a stroke.

[16] Jessie Mae Hemphill – Train, Train [The Roots of Rhythm and Blues 1939-1945]
And this third track is specially for Technoflid, in light of Sister Rosetta Sharpe floating his boat so adroitly. The song is Train, Train by Jessie Mae Hemphill, who carried on the traditional music of Mississippi’s Hemphill family until she suffered a stroke that paralyzed her left side in 1993, preventing her from playing guitar and resulting in her retiring at that time from her blues career. Her grandfather and musical inspiration, Sid Hemphill, was a fiddler and guitarist recorded by folklorists Alan Lomax and George Mitchell. Her mother, Bertha Lee, and aunt, Rosa Lee, were also guitarists. A flamboyant stage personality, she toured Europe and recorded for several labels. Her song here exemplifies the connected themes of separation and travel. In blues tradition, images of trains dominated the very first blues collected and throughout blues history trains have worked as sexual metaphors, symbols of escape, or agents of mistreatment. Jessie Mae Hemphill died in Memphis in 2006, after experiencing complications from an ulcer.

Ok, Dawg, there’s the 3 old bluesy numbers you asked for, but to use them in your mix you also HAVE to include (but not as part of the 3-in-a-row), this track: What It’s Like by Everlast.

[17] Everlast – What it’s like [Whitey Ford Sings the Blues]
I always told myself that, when I eventually get round to doing a 3-in-a-row blues sampler, this song would feature. But it’s not that old, and certainly not a “typical” blues song. What it is, though, and what it shows, is that blues does not have to be confined to an old, scratchy, recording of a Black man pouring out his soul. Everlast is Erik Schrody, a Grammy-Award winning Irish-American rapper and singer-songwriter, known mainly for this solo hit and as the front-man for rap group House of Pain. This song is off his second solo album Whitey Ford Sings the Blues and ranks consistently as one of my all-time favourite songs. The album has one or two other good songs also (Ends has some truly awesome lyrics), but apart from that I don’t know much of his work. For this track though, many thanks Eric !

Thanks URD for a wonderful 4 in-a-row.

[18] We Only Said – Cheerful Girl [We Only Said]
We Only Said is another new band to me and you I hope, led by Florian Marzano, who along with Mathias Prime, Loïg Nguyen, Cédric Moutier & Pierre Marolleau make some good good music. As for their music, their MySpace page says they “hover at the crossroads of post-rock and North American indie pop”. A good description as I hear many influences from these genres, especially Midlake (why does everyone sound like Midlake to me now?). Anyway, it’s a gentle laid back song with a chilled out vibe, nice sounding guitar and they’re French which means more gastronomic delights.

For refreshment we’re going to visit the Funky Munky Bar, at 37, rue St. Melanie. It’s a cool vodka/cocktail bar located near an entrance for the Thabor park. Drinks are relatively cheap – the more you buy, the cheaper it gets. The bar serves 30 flavors of vodka, numerous cocktails (including a Long Island Iced Tea, Cosmos, Sex on the Beach, and a delicious drink called a Purple Turtle) and a few beers on tap or in bottles. The bar hosts a poetry slam every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month and a quiz night every Monday from about 8pm on. The bartender (and owner!) speaks both French AND English, so don’t worry about having to speak perfect French. For food… who needs food when you can have sex on the beach with a purple turtle?

[19] Frogg Café – Under Wuhu Son: In the Bright Light [Bateless Edge]
This band from New York must be my most eclectic find of the month. A one-time Zappa tribute band they create sounds and songs that should not make sense – should not sound so darn good – but they do.

Their website says “Frogg Café explores many new textures and colors that add great dimension to the contemporary jazz-fusion sound that is unmistakably their own. The band incorporates for the first time detailed orchestration akin to symphony music. Clarinets, mandolins, cellos, glockenspiels, bass clarinets, xylophones, string quartets and many other instruments all integrate to create a soundscape that will yield the listener infinite details on future listens. Classical Indian influences also find their way into the mix, along with new levels of intricate compositional complexity, including a track that boasts a 28-page musical score consisting of roughly twenty-five different instruments.” – Enough said.

This song is part of a trilogy which, for me is the highlight of the album. The trilogy is nearly 20-minutes long and as the composer Andrew Sussman explains, “This piece of music is very personal to me and based on true life events surrounding the adoption of our baby girl, and it has taken me nearly a year to get my thoughts into this piece”. In this elaborate journey, Frogg Cafe explores textures and detailed orchestration akin to symphony music; a giant step forward for the band. Clarinets, mandolins, cellos, glockenspiels, bass clarinets, xylophones, string quartets and many other instruments all integrate to create a sound world that will yield the listener infinite details on future listens. An amazing song – remember what you are hearing here is only the first part – I hope our dear friend Techy will be able to play it in full on his next radio show.

To refresh ourselves how about a trip to B. B. King’s Blues Club and Grill on West 42 Street where we can enjoy some Ribs and Bud in the Lucille Grill and listen to… what else but some more blues.

[20] Richard Thompson – First Breath [The Old Kit Bag]
I cannot wait for this guy’s new album Dream Attic, expected very soon. But in the mean time let’s enjoy one of the highlights from my favourite Thompson album The Old Kit Bag. Did you hear how it mixed so well with the previous track – so smooth like it was meant to be?

What more can I say about this guy – this track? Not much, just enjoy.

As Richard is a London boy I thought we would visit Peckham (I have no idea why). But I do know that on Peckham High Street is a place called Obalende Suya Express that sells Suyas – skewer after sizzling skewer of African street food. The Suya originated in Nigeria and is basically like an African kebab; thin strips of meat are rubbed with ground peanuts and spices and then grilled. A traditional accompaniment is sliced tomato and onion.

It’s a scruffy little place, the waiting area consisting of a few battered chairs that look like they came from the old Labour club in Merthyr about 20 years ago; so we’ll have a take away, find an ‘offie’ and sit on a park bench nearby with our Suya and a case of Fuller’s ESB, one of the strongest regularly brewed draught beers in the country (at 5.5% ABV) but also one of the tastiest.

Lyrics to First Breath:
Let’s love
what’s left
Last Dance
First Breath

New friends
Hard won
Old hearts
Shine on

The frost is cruel
And fades the sign
On that little place
That I call mine

Let’s love
what’s left
Like new born
First breath

Old stars
New shine
Old cup
New wine

Sun rise
Moon glow
Someday
We’ll know

Inch by inch
Word by word
The lock is sprung
That caged the bird

Let’s love
What’s left
Last dance
First breath

[21] El Ten Eleven – My Only Swerving [El Ten Eleven]
If we’re still standing after our ESB, it’s time for the climax of our mix. Another instrumental and one that is guaranteed to assist in you becoming horizontal and totally chilled out and relaxed.

El Ten Eleven is a Los Angeles duo known for combining guitar/bass doubleneck or fretless bass with heavy looping, or vamping, and using effects pedal, over acoustic or electric drumming. The sound they make is just great – no words but the songs seem to tell their own story, express their own opinions and invariably you find yourself lost in the music.

FYI – The name El Ten Eleven is derived from the name of an airplane, the Lockheed L-1011 TriStar and consists of bassist and composer Kristian Dunn and drummer Tim Fogarty. I like the use of a doubleneck guitar – reminds me of Jimmy Page in his prime – these guys aren’t in his league, but still create music that is worthy of a place in my mix and I hope we’ll hear more from them in the future.

We’ve already eaten in Los Angeles with Los Lobos and had a great time at El Coyote Mexican Café. For our last meal on my fantasy travel/pigging out guide why don’t we go a bit ‘posh’ and visit the Blue Velvet Restaurant on Garland Avenue. Where we can dine in style with some Pan Seared Chilean Sea Bass with Sake Nage, Carrot Puree and chips (I asked for the chips as a special). Accompanied by a few bottles of Windstream Chardonnay from the local Sarmento Vineyard – a luscious, structured wine with intense flavors of ripe pear and green apple.

So there we have our Music Mix for September – hope you enjoy the music, hope you enjoy some of the new names I’ve discovered this month and of course if you like the track there’s a very good chance that you will like the album.

The September Music Mix [a 173 mb zip file] will be available for one month from today – until midnight on 31 September 2010. As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome in the comment box below.