It's back to the Vietnam era for a soul classic about a soldier writing home to his sweetheart
The Dynamics, from Detroit, assured their place in crate-digging history when this became the third track on Dave Godin's first volume of Deep Soul Treasures (it was originally released as a single on RCA Victor in 1967). When I first heard it – 30 years after it was recorded – my jaw nearly hit the floor.
Sung in the first person, it tells of a US soldier in Vietnam penning a letter to his sweetheart back home, pleading for her to "Hold on a little bit longer, baby/ Then one day, baby/ I'll be there with you/ While they play Lights Out" (which I assume to be a reference to Jerry Byrne's Lights Out, released in 1958 on Specialty, but I could be wrong about this).
Beginning with rolling, military-band drums, chugging guitar and
distant horns, the song steadily rises to crescendo, as first a choir
and then an orchestra join the march, before Hicks's devastating cry
of "Lights Out, Lights Out baby" brings the whole thing crashing down.
Magnificent.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
The man who got Tune-Yards wrong
Merrill Garbus's work is complex, sexualised and challenging. It doesn't need to be 'mansplained' by clueless critics
You could say Chuck Klosterman "mansplained" Tune-Yards on Wednesday, when he wrote in Grantland about her second album, Whokill, topping the Village Voice's annual Pazz and Jop poll of pop writers. Mansplaining is the phenomenon of a man explaining a subject to a woman, despite her being the one with the relevant knowlege and experience. Although Klosterman admitted to having "no idea what these songs are supposed to be about", he flippantly labelled Merrill Garbus as an "androgynous American woman … I get the sense that asexuality is part of her hippie aesthetic". This kind of clumsy conjecture is a major disservice to an artist who queers indie in a way this privileged male writer clearly has no language for. That Klosterman could overlook the bold, politically charged sexuality bursting our of Whokill is astounding.
Did he actually listen to the album? Hardly. "I'm not really in a position to argue for (or against) the merits of Tune-Yards, simply because I've barely listened to Whokill." If he had, he'd know that sex is a central, often volatile dynamic on the record, with the body functioning as battleground, weapon, consumer or source of healing, sometimes all at once, blurring into a heady mix of power, violence, patriotism, feminism, community, protest, love and oppression. Some of the most striking narratives in this explosive, confrontational record – made not by Garbus alone, but in partnership with bassist Nate Brenner – are pinned around complex trysts, riding along a simmering mix of frenzied horns, clattering percussion and ukulele dub.
For Garbus, androgyny in pop is empowering. It enables gender to be explored, subverted and recast, where women can reinvent who they are. "I adored [Nina] Simone when I first came across her, because she didn't fit any typical idea of the feminine voice," she told me last year, when I interviewed her for the Guardian. "Listening to her, I realised that in music there is this ability to shake off those stifling ideas about what women are 'meant' to be." She cited bold, trailblazing women such as Ani DiFranco and Miriam Makeba as sources of strength. But for Klosterman, Garbus's androgyny seems to be an absence, not a power to be celebrated but a redundant, sterile thing. In silencing her sexuality, he robs Garbus of the agency that powers Whokill, and ignores the message of songs such as Powa and Riot Riot. In the latter she is a woman who relishes exhibitionism and danger, who eschews the traditionally passive feminine to find "a freedom in violence"; in Powa she confronts ideas of intimacy, shame and catharsis with voice raised, painting vivid, connecting lines between the personal – "My man like me from behind/ Tell the truth I never mind" – and the political – "Cos you bomb with life's humiliations everyday/ You bomb me so many times I can never find my way/ Come on and bomb me".
Let's be honest – the "asexuality" he sees isn't about a perceived lack of "gender-specific pronouns" on the Tune-Yards Wikipedia page; it's her facial hair.
When Lana Del Rey plays up to hyper feminine beauty ideals and plumps her lips with collagen, she is punished for "inauthenticity". When Garbus dares to present an authentic female face with bright war paint in place of conventional make-up and a light, brush of hair on her upper lip, she has her sexual identity sterilised.
Klosterman's mis/non-reading of Garbus, a woman who makes vibrant, intelligent, boundary-blurring pop, proves that music criticism, and the wider world, celebrates a narrow idea of what women in pop should be. When Merrill sings "Mirror, mirror on the wall/ Can you see my face at all?" it's critics such as Klosterman who need to look closest.
You could say Chuck Klosterman "mansplained" Tune-Yards on Wednesday, when he wrote in Grantland about her second album, Whokill, topping the Village Voice's annual Pazz and Jop poll of pop writers. Mansplaining is the phenomenon of a man explaining a subject to a woman, despite her being the one with the relevant knowlege and experience. Although Klosterman admitted to having "no idea what these songs are supposed to be about", he flippantly labelled Merrill Garbus as an "androgynous American woman … I get the sense that asexuality is part of her hippie aesthetic". This kind of clumsy conjecture is a major disservice to an artist who queers indie in a way this privileged male writer clearly has no language for. That Klosterman could overlook the bold, politically charged sexuality bursting our of Whokill is astounding.
Did he actually listen to the album? Hardly. "I'm not really in a position to argue for (or against) the merits of Tune-Yards, simply because I've barely listened to Whokill." If he had, he'd know that sex is a central, often volatile dynamic on the record, with the body functioning as battleground, weapon, consumer or source of healing, sometimes all at once, blurring into a heady mix of power, violence, patriotism, feminism, community, protest, love and oppression. Some of the most striking narratives in this explosive, confrontational record – made not by Garbus alone, but in partnership with bassist Nate Brenner – are pinned around complex trysts, riding along a simmering mix of frenzied horns, clattering percussion and ukulele dub.
For Garbus, androgyny in pop is empowering. It enables gender to be explored, subverted and recast, where women can reinvent who they are. "I adored [Nina] Simone when I first came across her, because she didn't fit any typical idea of the feminine voice," she told me last year, when I interviewed her for the Guardian. "Listening to her, I realised that in music there is this ability to shake off those stifling ideas about what women are 'meant' to be." She cited bold, trailblazing women such as Ani DiFranco and Miriam Makeba as sources of strength. But for Klosterman, Garbus's androgyny seems to be an absence, not a power to be celebrated but a redundant, sterile thing. In silencing her sexuality, he robs Garbus of the agency that powers Whokill, and ignores the message of songs such as Powa and Riot Riot. In the latter she is a woman who relishes exhibitionism and danger, who eschews the traditionally passive feminine to find "a freedom in violence"; in Powa she confronts ideas of intimacy, shame and catharsis with voice raised, painting vivid, connecting lines between the personal – "My man like me from behind/ Tell the truth I never mind" – and the political – "Cos you bomb with life's humiliations everyday/ You bomb me so many times I can never find my way/ Come on and bomb me".
Let's be honest – the "asexuality" he sees isn't about a perceived lack of "gender-specific pronouns" on the Tune-Yards Wikipedia page; it's her facial hair.
When Lana Del Rey plays up to hyper feminine beauty ideals and plumps her lips with collagen, she is punished for "inauthenticity". When Garbus dares to present an authentic female face with bright war paint in place of conventional make-up and a light, brush of hair on her upper lip, she has her sexual identity sterilised.
Klosterman's mis/non-reading of Garbus, a woman who makes vibrant, intelligent, boundary-blurring pop, proves that music criticism, and the wider world, celebrates a narrow idea of what women in pop should be. When Merrill sings "Mirror, mirror on the wall/ Can you see my face at all?" it's critics such as Klosterman who need to look closest.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
New music: The Dø – Tightrope
This French/Finnish duo have a go on Janelle Monaé's Tightrope, giving the opulent original a minimalist makeover
Artists often cover songs either as a way of adding a layer of "authenticity" (see Travis's acoustic take on Britney's Baby One More Time, or as part of a TV talent show and they have no choice. On both occasions a good cover – to quote Simon Cowell – involves "making the song your own" and while that's always nice when it happens (Johnny Cash's reworking of Nine Inch Nails' Hurt is taken as the definitive version now), it's also fun just to hear someone giving a song a go for the hell of it. That's where French/Finnish duo the Dø's take on Janelle Monaé's Tightrope – premiered here – comes into its own. At more than nine minutes long and for the first half plodding along like an old man through snow, it's what we might call, in the nicest possible way, a bit of a dirge. But there's something brilliantly primal about the way Olivia delivers the lyrics, making "whether I'm high or low" sound more unhinged as the song goes on. It's a lesson in tension and release, the guitars getting more and more splintered and fractured until, by the end, they're bustling for space with discordant horns and Olivia's yelps.
Artists often cover songs either as a way of adding a layer of "authenticity" (see Travis's acoustic take on Britney's Baby One More Time, or as part of a TV talent show and they have no choice. On both occasions a good cover – to quote Simon Cowell – involves "making the song your own" and while that's always nice when it happens (Johnny Cash's reworking of Nine Inch Nails' Hurt is taken as the definitive version now), it's also fun just to hear someone giving a song a go for the hell of it. That's where French/Finnish duo the Dø's take on Janelle Monaé's Tightrope – premiered here – comes into its own. At more than nine minutes long and for the first half plodding along like an old man through snow, it's what we might call, in the nicest possible way, a bit of a dirge. But there's something brilliantly primal about the way Olivia delivers the lyrics, making "whether I'm high or low" sound more unhinged as the song goes on. It's a lesson in tension and release, the guitars getting more and more splintered and fractured until, by the end, they're bustling for space with discordant horns and Olivia's yelps.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Laith Al-Deen live at Tonhalle
Laith Al-Deen plays on his tour, the last of your kind in the Tonhalle in MünchenAm 08.02.2012 makes the Mannheim singer Laith Al-Deen in his "The Last of your kind" tour stop at the Tonhalle in Munich. His latest album with the same title as the upcoming club tour. Al-Deen fans had all of four years waiting for this new album with original songs of love bards. 2009 Al-Deen has been published with "sessions" his last album, though, these were a collection of pieces that he describes as the 'soundtrack of his life' and always wanted to re-interpret. However, there were new original songs since the 2007 album "The attention to detail" anymore.
But the long wait was worth it - not just for the fans, but also for Al-Deen itself: "The last of your kind" made it promptly after a few weeks at No. 5 in the German album charts. On his club tour Al-Deen intends to prove that he is not only good for singers to cuddle, but can rock too. The reputation of the cuddly song artist he probably will not let go, but eventually there must be also artists who write music and light-hearted touch their supporters so that the long term. And that does Laith Al-Deen all.
Laith Al-Deen plays on his tour, the last of your kind in the Tonhalle in MünchenAl-Deen will live as an absolute top act done, because at his concerts, there are the unique 'aura Laith' feel. His songs get under your skin - since his debut "I just want to know" from the year 2000 and the very first single, "Pictures of You" with which he made in the German music scene quickly noticed.
As an opening act occurs on the "The Last of your kind" tour Mark Forster. The new Berlin is about to release his debut album "cardboard". Al-Deen even knows the feeling, the cat is finally out of the bag - sorry, out of the box - to want to leave, after having hid themselves in the studio for months to hone his songs. Therefore, it is Mark Forster welcome the opportunity to prove themselves on stage.
They also visit the Laith Al-Deen concert on 08.02.2012 at the Tonhalle in Munich. The team from Munich Blog wishes much fun.
But the long wait was worth it - not just for the fans, but also for Al-Deen itself: "The last of your kind" made it promptly after a few weeks at No. 5 in the German album charts. On his club tour Al-Deen intends to prove that he is not only good for singers to cuddle, but can rock too. The reputation of the cuddly song artist he probably will not let go, but eventually there must be also artists who write music and light-hearted touch their supporters so that the long term. And that does Laith Al-Deen all.
Laith Al-Deen plays on his tour, the last of your kind in the Tonhalle in MünchenAl-Deen will live as an absolute top act done, because at his concerts, there are the unique 'aura Laith' feel. His songs get under your skin - since his debut "I just want to know" from the year 2000 and the very first single, "Pictures of You" with which he made in the German music scene quickly noticed.
As an opening act occurs on the "The Last of your kind" tour Mark Forster. The new Berlin is about to release his debut album "cardboard". Al-Deen even knows the feeling, the cat is finally out of the bag - sorry, out of the box - to want to leave, after having hid themselves in the studio for months to hone his songs. Therefore, it is Mark Forster welcome the opportunity to prove themselves on stage.
They also visit the Laith Al-Deen concert on 08.02.2012 at the Tonhalle in Munich. The team from Munich Blog wishes much fun.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
five tracks and a remix
A producer-trio from Brighton called Safari rack, makes it a point to sprinkle our ears with electronic chill wave. The two musicians Guy and Sean create in collaboration with video artist Jozef an atmosphere that recognized both our visual and acoustic our senses.
On the debut EP "RGLSFR", which since 25 July is available, are five tracks and a remix. The sound of instrumental lo-fi electro-synth with a lot of elements, you can face in their Soundcloud profile for free download.
On the debut EP "RGLSFR", which since 25 July is available, are five tracks and a remix. The sound of instrumental lo-fi electro-synth with a lot of elements, you can face in their Soundcloud profile for free download.
"Point Of Go" is the third album
"Point Of Go" is the third album in the discography of Jonquil and yet at the new plant is quite different. After the two previous albums "Casionos Sunny" (2006) and "Lions" (2008) the same three members left the band to devote himself to other musical projects in the future. What remained was, therefore, a certain confusion in the other three:
"It was very touch and go Whether we were even going to carry on. There was a lot of debate as to what we should do and Whether we should get three extra people in, but in the end we ended up making three people into one person to give it a new lease of life. Once we'd decided not to give up we thought 'Let's make it different'. The idea was to Minimise what we need, "says singer and songwriter Hugo Manuel, who was the winner in this year, mainly through his solo project, Chad Valley.
So it's the first album with a new cast of Jonquil: Hugo Manuel and Sam Scott, Robin McDiarmid and Dominic hand.
"It was very touch and go Whether we were even going to carry on. There was a lot of debate as to what we should do and Whether we should get three extra people in, but in the end we ended up making three people into one person to give it a new lease of life. Once we'd decided not to give up we thought 'Let's make it different'. The idea was to Minimise what we need, "says singer and songwriter Hugo Manuel, who was the winner in this year, mainly through his solo project, Chad Valley.
So it's the first album with a new cast of Jonquil: Hugo Manuel and Sam Scott, Robin McDiarmid and Dominic hand.
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