Good Songs: March 2009 Edition

March 2009 Edition
(A quick recap of some of the best songs from albums I reviewed in the month of March)

"Ince Ince Bir Kar Yagar" by Selda Bagcan (from Love, Peace & Poetry: Turkish Psychedelic Music)
Yeah, so her voice is grating on a near fingernails-on-a-chalkboard level and she sounds like a twelve year-old boy. What of it? Just about everyone I've played this track for can't stand it, but somehow it doesn't bother me at all. It's about the EMOTION, MAN! I've probably listened to this song on repeat more so than any song this year so far.


"Jan Pahechan Ho" by Mohammed Rafi (from Bombshell Baby of Bombay)
I didn't pay a lot of attention to this song when I first heard it on the opening credits of Ghost World, but hearing it on CD has given me a newfound respect for it. That horn section is absolutely epic. If it hasn't been sampled and put in a rap song yet, the producers of the world are sleeping on it big time.


"Hey Young World" by Slick Rick
I remember hearing a lot of "Children's Story" growing up, but somehow I missed this single. Another one of Slick Rick's cautionary tales, the soft, rhythmic beat is definitely Slick Rick's best production work on the album. If only he had heeded his own advice we would've gotten more songs of this quality.


"Black Pussy" by The Watts Prophets
The most epic song in the Watts Prophet's catalog, this four-minute celebration of you-know-what is delivered with extreme passion and really benefits from the frantic trumpet and whoops and yells of the other poets in the background.

Bombshell Baby of Bombay: Bombay Connection Vol. 2 (2006)

Bombshell Baby of Bombay: Bombay Connection, Vol. 2 - Bouncin' Nightclub Grooves From Bollywood Films 1959-72 (2006)

It's always interesting to see the ways in which western musical styles manifest themselves in non-western countries. The first volume of The Bombay Connection explored Hindi funk music featured in Bollywood films of the 70's and 80's, and it's an understatement to say that the results were unique. They were also a breath of fresh air to a genre that has not seen much innovation since...well, the 70's and 80's. One needed to look no further than the world's second most populous country for fresh ideas in funk music.

In volume two of The Bombay Connection -- Bombshell Baby of Bombay -- expert crate digger Edo Bouman has again collected an esoteric mix of Bollywood music, this time focusing on swing and rock and roll music created in and around the 1960's. As with volume one, western listeners shouldn't expect anything completely familiar sounding. The sound is laced with various elements of traditional song and instrumentation that have been a staple of Bollywood film music since the advent of "talkies", but it's no less energetic than its western complement.

The most accessible song of this collection is given to us by Mohammed Rafi -- "the voice of Indian rock n' roll". "Jan Pahechan Ho" has already been brought to the attention of western listeners through the movie Ghost World, which is why it's better known to some as "the song that Thora Birch's character was rocking out to during the opening credits". With a memorable surf riff and an absolutely killer brass section, it's easy to see not only why it was chosen to open the film, but also why it's included on this compilation. Rather than give more of the same, Bouman goes for variety. "Ek Bottle Hogal Mein", Kishore Kumar's drunken ode to booze, incorporates a mildly middle eastern feel to the mix, while Asha Bhosle's "Sambhalo Sambhalo Apna Dil" brings a bit of a Latin flavor.

There's something about Bollywood movie theme songs that are just more fun and appealing than those of Hollywood. Perhaps it's nothing more than the fact that the western-style compositions are familiar to me and their Hindi counterparts are not. Either way, it makes me want to familiarize myself with the films more so than the five minute "Indian Superman" clip I've seen on Youtube.


Score: 8/10


"Jan Pahechan Ho" by Mohammed Rafi (composed by Shankar-Jaikishan)


"Pretty Pretty Priya" by Anand Prayag & Chorus (composed by Kalyanji-Anandji)

Love, Peace & Poetry: Turkish Psychedelic Music (2005)

Love, Peace & Poetry: Turkish Psychedelic Music (2005)

I didn't really notice how criminally absent Turkish music was from my collection until I heard this album; or how little I knew about Turkey as a country; about its history and its people. With the ninth installment of the Love, Peace, and Poetry compilation, which explores obscure world psychedelic music, Normal Records and QDK Media have opened my eyes. Does that mean that, thanks to this compilation, I can now give you a detailed synopsis on Turkish history, pop culture, and current events? Nope, but I can damn sure assume that their musicians in the 70's must've had some pretty potent drugs at their disposal.

Though the album is subtitled Turkish Psychedelic Music, the songs on here can more accurately be described as Anatolian rock, which was the name given to music that fused traditional Turkish folk with Western-style rock. Despite following in the footsteps of popular American and British psych bands, the songs on this compilation, with its infusion of traditional Eastern instruments, is actually more deeply representative of what most people today would classify as true psych rock. It's hard to argue this when listening to songs like "Yağmur" by Erkin Koray -- an artist that the liner notes calls "the most psychedelic rocker ever from Turkey" -- or the lead-off track "Bundan Sonra" by Selda, who contributes to two songs to the compilation. Her other song, "Ince Ince Bir Kar Yagar", is my favorite track on the album. It's a traditional türkü arrangement with strong political lyrics that I don't understand a word of, but the emotion of her often harsh delivery easily gives away the songs' urgent and deeply personal tone, which somehow allows me to look past the grating quality of the vocals.

Overall, this Love, Peace and Poetry collection should appeal to any fan of psychedelic music. It's a collection of music so strong that it's singlehandedly sparked my interest in the culture from which it came. Another demonstration of the power of music, I guess.


Score: 8.5/10


"Kara Yazi"


"Ince Ince Bir Kar Yagar"

Digital Good Time: "Fur In My Cap"

Digital Good Time: "Fur In My Cap"
(Digital Good Time is a feature in which xoxobra focuses on the visual side of music)

If you've payed attention to the videos I post on this feature, you may notice my tendency to post videos that take a relatively simple concept and use it in a creative or funny way. The technique used in Rob Roy's "Fur In My Cap" should be nothing new to those familiar with Late Night with Conan O'Brien and his mock via satellite interviews with the likes of Martha Stewart and Arnold Schwarzenegger, which used still pictures of the celebs with the mouth masked out and layered it on top of live video to simulate talking. It was fucking hilarious, and seeing this video made me wonder why the effect hasn't been used more often.

Though precise technical proficiency isn't required to pull this off successfully, the director, Ethan Lader, did a pretty good job of matching the lighting and angle of the mouth with that of the still picture. My only complaint (besides the painfully average song) is that he didn't expand more on the other animated elements, such as the bicycle wheels at the beginning. A few more embellishments like that could've made a good video excellent. But still, he's a talented director and this one's worth checking out.




Links:
Ethan Lader
Rob Roy

Khanate - Clean Hands Go Foul (2009)

Khanate
Clean Hands Go Foul (2009)

Khanate's sudden disbandment in 2006 was a blow to the drone doom metal world; a world not particularly large in the first place, but also one not particularly diverse. This is precisely why Khanate stood out so easily. With metal veterans like James Plotkin and Stephen O'Malley (of SunnO))) fame; a household name to some) working with a vocalist of Alan Dubin's caliber, they were bound to reach heights not easily accessible to their peers. Sadly, we only got three proper albums from this venerable supergroup of sorts before...actually, wait...make that four.

Information on Clean Hands Go Foul -- whether it is an official release or a collection of b-sides, outtakes, etc. -- is hard to come by. The most definitive definition seems to call it the "long lost" Khanate album, possibly not originally meant to see the light of day. If that's the case, it makes their break-up all the more infuriating, as even their throwaway material trumps most of what you'll ever hear from drone doom. "Wings From Spine" is probably the most immediate the band have ever been, finishing the track in a brisk (for them) sub-seven minute time-frame and establishing the dark, catastrophic feel the band is known for. Alan Dubin's voice is once again the centerpiece of this sound; his deranged shrieks and growls adding immeasurably to the unbalanced nature of the music.

Some have complained about the Gollum-ish quality (as in the Lord of the Rings character) of Dubin's vocal style, which is a good way to put it even if it is meant to be belittling. But it's still so captivating to listen to that I was convinced that he could carry an album on his voice alone. "Every God Damn Thing" did a good job of proving me wrong on that. A 32-minute so-called "diss track" with sparse instrumentation and electronic buzzing noise, Dubin more or less carries the track, and the results are pretty boring and meandering. There's a glimmer of hope at about twenty-one minutes in where some guitar pops in and it seems things will finally take off, but as quickly as it comes it goes away, and ends up serving as a colossal middle-finger to anyone patient enough to listen up to that point.

Initially I felt that this song was a terrible way for the band to close out their career with, but in retrospect, maybe it isn't. If anything, it makes the me better appreciate the contribution of the guitar and drums, and the atmosphere they create that makes Dubin's vocals so unsettling. But either way, the album could've done without the song.

So long Khanate; you will be missed.


Score: 7/10


"Wings From Spine"

Os Haxixins - Os Haxixins (2009)

Os Haxixins
Os Haxixins (2009)

If there's one age-old query that can be answered by listening to Os Haxixins' self-titled debut, it is this: what happens when a group of stoners get their hands on a vintage organ? Welp...here ya go! Add in some vintage amps, guitars and lo-fi recording equipment and you have yet another band that was formed forty years too late. They certainly aren't the first band to follow this trend but, considering my favorite album last year was from the Swedish psych band Dungen, this is one trend I personally don't mind bands following.

With a look as vintage as their sound, Os Haxixins made a name for themselves playing around São Paulo for four years before they got around to actually recording. Originally release as a vinyl-only album in Portugal in 2007, this CD reissue comes to us courtesy of Pittsburgh's Get Hip Records, complete with two bonus tracks (the instrumental "Raios" and "Please Forget", one of three English language tracks); but unfortunately absent of any clues as to how to actually pronounce the bands' name. Few things make me feel so incredibly gringo than trying to say it without struggling, but I've settled on either "os hazizins" or "that one Brazilian band I've been listening to". Both seem to get the point across.

Though there are certainly psych elements to Os Haxixins sound, the fuzzed out guitars, slightly muffled vocals, and catchy two-minute song structures place them more in garage rock territory. And as discussed, all of the songs, for better or for worse, are dominated by the organ. This isn't necessarily an automatic flaw as they actually use it quite well most of the time, adding a dimension to their sound that many similar bands lack. They can rock out with it, as they do on the opener "Onde Meditar (Imi-dà)" and on the excellent "Àcido Fincado", or they can do a more laid-back, spy music feel, as on "Depois Eu Volto (Gimme)". But their options, or perhaps just their ideas, are somewhat limited with the instrument, and throughout sixteen tracks of organ onslaught, it starts to sound a little redundant.

Overall, though, Os Haxixins is a pretty enjoyable listen that's true to the band's garage rock influences: fun, fast and loud, even if lacking a little depth.


Score: 7/10


"Depois Eu Volto (Gimme)"


"Àcido Fincado"

No one watches the Watchmen...title sequence.

In this space I had originally hoped to post the opening credits to the new Watchmen movie (which I've seen twice as of this writing, and I very rarely see movies twice). The six-minute sequence, designed by the film's director Zack Snyder with help from visual effects studio yU+Co, is a stunning montage consisting of layers of still imagery mixed with subtle movement and 3D effects, set to the Bob Dylan song "The Times They Are A-Changing". While it's essentially an animatic with gorgeous cinematography, the sequence works so well at establishing the mood of the movie, and contains a lot of easter eggs for fans of the comic. It's one of the most effective title sequences I've seen in a long while.

Maybe you've heard about it already, and that's because it's awesome. Many felt it was the best part of the entire movie. I'd love to be able to embed the sequence so you can bask in all its glory (if you haven't already), but unfortunately the sequence, originally available to view online on yU+Co's website, has been taken down due to pressure from Warner Bros Pictures and is now nowhere to be found online (at least not for long). I could complain about this further, as many have already done in various spaces online where the video used to be posted. I could argue about free publicity and the power of the internet. I could post or embed a link to the latest source to carry the sequence knowing that it will be obsolete in no time. But nah, I think most of what's been said about Warner Bros' ridiculous decision to block this small section of the film from being seen outside of a theater (not to mention denying yU+Co, the effects company who helped created it, the right to proudly display their project) has already been said. I'm just posting this to let them know that I agree with them.

Links:
yU+Co
Motionographer article on the sequence