Kyrie!

Hey folks!


I know that I haven't posted for a while. I have no excuse except the usual ones. Oh well. Suck it up.


Anyway, though, today I'm taking a break from my norm, and posting an explicitly religious song. It's an unusual one, however, and I think that even those of you who aren't Christian can really appreciate it. One reason I'm posting it today is because I'm actually in Austin, Texas (my first time in Texas!) and here with my friend at the True Vineyard office. True Vineyard does great work for women who have been left widowed in Rwanda. You should definitely check them out and help support their mission. Buy some of the REALLY cool things that these women (and others throughout Africa) make to support themselves here.
So, in honor of them and all the work they do in Africa:


GOOD SONG: Kyrie sung by Les Troubadours du Roi Baudouin, arr. by Father Guido Haazen

Happy face!

The Missa Luba was a version of the Catholic Latin Mass (so all the words of the songs are in Latin, or some Greek-- like the words of this song "Kyrie, Eleison") that was put together by a Belgian priest named Father Guido Haazen after he traveled to Belgian Congo (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) in the 1950's. The words may all be Latin, but the style is 100% Congolese. It's a great testament to how cultures can blend beautifully and successfully. The version that I linked to, I believe, is the original boys choir that Fr. Haazen assembled, that toured all over the place. The version that I grew up with is actually a slightly later recording, done by the Muungano National Choir from Nairobi, Kenya, which is also really beautiful.

I think that even if you're not Catholic or religious at all, you can really hear the beauty in this song. Their young voices are so pure and gorgeous, and the call and response is cool. 

If you liked this song, definitely check out the Sanctus, too. Stunning. Love the percussion.

Enjoy!

Over and out,

Anna

The Week in Review, Part Two

(hey it rhymes.... if you say two more like "tew")


So, what else happened?

Sorrento by night. Bustling and beautiful.

ITALY!
From Roma to Rimini, it was a great trip, but too much to talk about here. 
Here's what I was BLASTING on my headphones in Italy (both songs from my boyfriend's mix, thanks dude). 


GOOD (TRAVELING) SONG #1: Asfalt Tango by Fanfare Ciocârlia
Crazzzzy Romanian band with an AWESOME beat and horn section. If you like Beirut or Balkan Beat Box, then definitely check these guys out. If you like it and you're ever in NYC, go to Mehanata to go dancing. You won't regret it. 
It's a perfect song for the insanity I had while traveling, going to a from train stations with huge suitcases in tow, surrounded by lots and lots of crazy southern Italians in the blistering heat.  Italy doesn't believe in air-conditioning. Blargh. 

They look like they're having a great time...probably because
they're in a building with air-conditioning.

GOOD (TRAVELING) SONG #2: Senegal Fast Food by Amadou et Mariam (produced by Manu Chao)
This song is still on repeat in my car. You can tell it's been produced by Manu Chao- he samples his own stuff and he sings in the video. It might as well be his song. And I don't care. It's fantastic. The harmonica???!! Amazing.  And look at those sunglasses that Amadou and Mariam are wearing!! So styling, you gotta love it. The song/video definitely has some sort of political overtones, etc., but I don't know much about the French-Senegalese relationship, so I don't really know what to say about it. 


What else happened recently?
SCHOOOOOOL!
My sister likes to joke that school is a four-letter word: SKUL


But seriously, forks, it's true: School has started again. Back to teaching!
In celebration:
GOOD (SCHOOL) SONG #1: Good Morning, Little Schoolgirl by Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters was a freakin genius. He (and B.B. King) is who got me into the blues. Sooooo good. Yes, the song may be a bit, um, inappropriate, especially for our age-sensitive ears these days, but still... Let's just pretend it's about young love. 

Why the long face Muddy? YOU'RE A MUSICAL GENIUS!
Don't be upset!

GOOD (SCHOOL) SONG #2: Be True to Your School- The Beach Boys
Absolutely hilarious lyrics:
"When some loud braggart tries to put me down
And says his school is great
I tell him right away
'what's the matter buddy?
Ain't you heard of my school?
It's number one in the state.'
So be true to your school now
Just like you would to your girl or guy
Be true to your school now
And let your colors fly."


Maybe these are only funny to me since I never had any school spirit in high school or college, so it just seems absurd. NYU is not noted for its great athletics, I will remind you.


And tonight?
The National, Wye Oak, and Yo La Tengo at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Maryland! WHOO-HOO!
Here's what I might hear...
Reasonable Man (I Don't Mind) by The National, from their 2004 EP Cherry Tree. Great lyrics. 
Sometimes I Don't Get You by Yo La Tengo from their album I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass (best album title ever). 


Gotta run!
Over and out,
Anna

When the (bon)fire is low...

So, remember that Shakira song "Waka Waka?" The one that they played all the time at the World Cup? Well, she recorded it with a group from South Africa called Freshlyground, and it turns out they are awesome!

Look at all those beautiful people of all shades

Here is a GOOD (SUMMER) SONG of theirs: Fire Is Low by Freshlyground

The members of Freshlyground hail from South Africa, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe, and are assorted ethnicities, and their diverse cultures and backgrounds make for some really cool music. They formed in 2002 in Cape Town. They released their first album, Jika Jika, in 2003, then followed it with another in  2004 and another in 2007. Fire Is Low comes from their most recent album, Radio Africa, from last year (2010). They are Afro-pop with a bit of jazz. Or maybe Indie with a bit of jazzy pop. Or maybe African with an indie-pop twist. However you describe their sound, they are a lot of fun. The lead singer, Solani Mahola, has a really beautiful, jazzy, smooth voice that is extremely smile-inducing. The other band members include Simon Atwell, Peter Cohen, Kyla Rose Smith, Julio "Gugs" Sigauque, Josh Hawks, and Seredeal "Shaggy" Scheepers. All those band mates means lots of instruments: flute, mbira, harmonica, drums, sax, violin, guitar, bass, keyboard, etc., etc. How can you not love it??

This song makes me want to dance around on a summer night when the bonfire gets low. It's impossible not to groove to that beat! Listen! The sax! The clapping!
I hope you enjoy this song, because I sure do.

If you did, indeed, like this song, you might also check out:
Paul Simon
Manu Chao
Arno Carstens
Belleruche
Laura Izibor

Over and out,
Anna

P.S. If you are in DC and free (I'm not. Oh well.) on July 2nd, you should totally go see their show at Black Cat!

Summer Time and the Livin' Is Easy...

WHOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!

I had my last day of school on Friday! Students don't realize how much teachers look forward to the summer. Definitely more than the kids do. For real.
So, in honor of my first week of summer, I thought I'd start posting fun summer songs. How's that?
This first post on Manu Chao may not be big news for those of you who are close to me and have had mixes made by me. I am a bit obsessed with Manu Chao, and I play him all the time. But for those of you who are not well-acquainted with him, or who have forgotten about his awesomeness, read on!

Manu looking appropriately beachy. 

GOOD SONG: La vie á 2 by Manu Chao, from his album Clandestino (1998)
I have heard this entire album by Manu Chao approximately 300 million times. My sister used to play it *all* the time when we shared a room, and I have memories of going to sleep to it and waking up to it later in the night when she had gone to bed, but had forgotten to turn off the lights and the music. Because of this I know ALL the lyrics to his song Bongo Bong, which is one of my favorite songs on earth. Also definitely worth a listen. But yeah, the album isn't exactly recent. But it is a classic in my book. Manu Chao is a freaking genius. He sings in French, English, Spanish, Arabic, Portugese, Italian, Galician, Wolof, and I think more. He is super-popular in Europe, but hasn't made it quite as big here in the States. His popularity is growing, though. His music has about a million different influences in it, so it is hard to describe. It's a hell of a lot of fun, though. Manu Chao & his band Radio Bemba have released three albums to date: Clandestino, Proxima Estación: Esperanza (2001), and his most recent one La Radiolina (2007).

Buy his music here: Manu Chao!

If you like this song, you might also check out:

Mano Negra (an earlier band of his)
Orishas
Gogol Bordello
Beirut
The Skatalites

More fun summer music of all types and tastes coming along soon! Keep your ears open!

Over and out,
Anna

(Belated) International Month Post #3: Lebanon + Egypt

OK, sorry guys. I know May is over and so technically, International Month should be over too. But you know what?

I was busy.

And it's my blog and I can do what I want.

So this post gets to be included in International Month's posts, since I *meant* to post it ages ago.

Next up? Got some great music goin on, from Lebanon and Egypt, two Arabic-music-producing powerhouses. 

The madonna link isn't so hard to see, I don't think...

First we have Y.A.S., this awesome electropop duo from Lebanon, made up of Yasmin Hamdan and Mirwais Ahmadzaï. Mirwais produced albums for Madonna, so he's got some pretty serious cred going on. Yasmin used to be part of Soap Kills, a Lebanese group that sang in Arabic  as opposed to English or French, and spurred many others to do the same. So she's also got some cred. 

GOOD SONG #1:  Get It Right, off their album "Arabology"

The song is really cool. It actually mixes English and Arabic. It's set in Egypt even though Y.A.S. is Lebanese, like I said. 

GOOD SONG #2 of theirs is Mahi, which you can listen to off their myspace. I love her voice on it, singing entirely in Arabic. It's got a nice groove to it. It's still electronica I guess, but not as Madonna-esque as Get It Right.

I'm gonna have to go ahead and say I think
she looks much classier than Yasmin.

Also from Lebanon, but in a totally other genre, we have Fairouz, who is arguably the most famous of all Lebanese singers. She is known as Fairouz (which means "turquoise" in Arabic, apparently) but her real name is Nouhad Wadi Haddad, and was born in Lebanon in 1935. She's a Christian (Catholic by birth, Greek Orthodox after her marriage) and is hugely popular in Lebanon and Syria. She started her singing career in the early '50's after attending a music conservatory and marrying into the Rahbani family, who worked at a radio station. She is still out and about performing at concerts around the world. Go her!

GOOD SONG #3: Beirut Hal Zarafat

Her voice is incredible-- with that sort of deep female huskiness to it that seems to be pretty common in Middle Eastern music. This recording is a live version, and is amazing. I wish I could understand what she was saying. Whatever it is, it sounds beautiful and moving. I think it's sort of an ode to the city of Beirut.

(BUY HER MUSIC HERE: Fairouz) 

On to Egypt!

So now I'm sharing with you a singer who, if you know anything about Egyptian/Middle Eastern/Mediterranean music (which I didn't until my boyfriend made me a few mixes), you will recognize. If you already are super-knowledgeable about all this, then you'll just have to forgive me for this post. Amr Diab is one of the most famous recording artists in Egypt now. He is credited with creating "Mediterranean music" which is a pretty awesome, if I do say so myself, blend of Egyptian music and Western rhythms and influences. He was born in Egypt in 1961, and is now the top selling artist in the Arab world. Not too shabby, Amr. 

I'm guessing about 10,000 Egyptian girls have this picture
posted to their wall.

GOOD SONG #4: Amarain

So this is the first Amr Diab song I heard (thanks to that previously mentioned mix). And I became obsessed with it. It's got a great slightly Spanish feel to it, plus some nice violin, and the lyrics in Arabic and Diab's distinctly Middle Eastern vocal style. So cool! His videos tend to just be lots of beautiful women making sexy faces at the camera and dancing like wild things around him. Although some babies are thrown into the mix, here, too. which is odd. Why the babies, Amr? It is pretty entertaining though, anyway. And the song is amazing. If this song doesn't make you want to dance, then I think you're dead.

GOOD SONG #5: Lealy Nahary

Just thought I'd throw this one into the mix, too. I find the cadence of the vocals interesting (I don't really know how else to describe it), and the hand-clappy sort of beat is lots of fun to dance to alone in your room. Or with others. Whatever you prefer. 

If you liked these songs, you might also check out:

Soap Kills

Nancy Ajram

Shereen

Alabina

Tamer Hosny

Elissa

Over and out,

Anna

International Month Post #2: West Africa (Cape Verde, Ghana, & Nigeria)

Sorry this post took me so long. Life got busy on me. The school year is almost over!

Anyway, across the Atlantic we go! Off to Africa! Cape Verde, Ghana, and Nigeria specifically.

Although not too far from the influences of Portugal, it seems. I just had to post something by Cesaria Evora. Her music makes me happy. My mom would always play it when she was cooking, especially at big family events like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Cesaria Evora is from Cape Verde, which is a group of islands off the coast of West Africa. It was colonized by the Portugese in the 15th century, and its official language is still Portugese, even though they gained independence a while back. Cesaria Evora is freaking amazing. They call her "the barefoot diva" since she so often performs in bare feet. She started her career in 1988 at the age of 47(!!). She is still alive and touring around, being an awesome old lady, basically. Her music is jazzy and fun and sounds similar to Brazilian music, but with a distinct Cape Verdean twist to it. She is famous for singing "morna" which is the national music of Cape Verde (like the tango for Argentina).

What a freaking amazing lady. Honestly.

Here is a GOOD SONG #1 of hers:  Carnaval De Sao Vicente (Jazzy Carnaval Mix) by Cesaria Evora.
This one is much more upbeat and fun and danceable than her others.

This second one is a more standard one of hers that I love. It's more sultry, let's say. I think it's a "morna." DEFINITELY worth a listen.
GOOD SONG #2:Mar Azul

Next up, Ghana!

He's pointing at YOU.

GOOD SONG #3: Borga by Sarkodie
So I was just searching online for good African hip-hop, and turns out Ghana's pretty big on the map. I don't pretend to know much about this guy, or African rap, but I liked this song. Check it out! Rapping in umm... whatever language it is... sounds really cool! Sorry, I can't tell the difference between the different Ghanaian dialects/languages. The video is surprisingly well done, too. He looks like a baller, I gotta admit.
Definitely worth checking out if you like hip-hop in any way, shape, or form.

I don't mean to toot my own horn, but...

GOOD SONG #4: Sorry Sorry by Femi Kuti
And last but not least, Nigeria!
So Femi Kuti is the son of Fela Kuti, the "legendary"Afrobeat musician from Nigeria. Femi played in his father's band (the Nigeria '70 and then later the Egypt '80) and Afrobeat certainly played a big role in his musical upbringing.  Femi's own son is part of his band, so he's keeping the tradition alive and all in the family, it seems. Which probably isn't too hard, since the family is large.... that's what happens when your father has had 20+ wives! Anyway, this song in particular is funky and cool, with a great beat. I love it when the horns join in. I wanna dance to this song so badly. Whooooooo

If you liked these songs, you might also check out:
Ana Moura
Lura
Seun Kuti
Youssou N'Dour
Samini

Over and out,
Anna

International Month Post #1: Brazil!

Hello all!
This month I have decided to dedicate to music from the non-English-speaking world. It's fun to get out a bit. And this first post is dedicated to... Brazil! Whoo-hoo!
Brazilian music is super cool. There are tons of influences in most Brazilian music, and much of it is sort of a fusion between different styles, cultures, and sounds. Samba, tropicália, rock, funk, African music, jazz, folk, pop, reggae, and Bossa Nova all play their part. This seems quite appropriate, as Brazil itself is such a mixture of cultures and traditions. 
So, without further ado are three (!) GOOD SONGS for you, straight from Brazil!

GOOD SONG #1:Essa é Pra Tocar no Rádio by Gilberto Gil and Jorge Ben

Alert! Alert! Man in a hat! My favorite!

I first heard really good Brazilian music when I worked at a coffee shop in NYC and my coworker would play the album that this song is from. It is totally different from the music that I was used to hearing, filled with an unstoppable beat, wild and wonderfully weird monkey-like vocal noises, elements of ... of... all sorts of cool/hot Brazilian sounds that were new to my ears. I loved it! This is my favorite song from the album Gil e Jorge, I think. But the whole album is definitely worth listening to, if you like this song. Gilberto Gil and Jorge Ben are icons on the Brazilian music scene, and are good artists to start exploring. 

GOOD SONG #2: Essa é Pá Tocar no Rádio by Slim Rimografia

Slim Rimografia, not related to Slim Shady.

This song is so fun! I think I discovered Slim Rimografia on amiestreet.com (alas, now taken over by amazon, and totally useless), although I'm not positive. However it was I'm glad of it! This is a really great song by a Brazilian hip-hop artist, and it samples none other than my first GOOD SONG! I have no idea why it's called "Essa é Pá Tocar no Rádio," though, instead of "Essa é Pra Tocar no Rádio." Who knows. Anyway, I love his vocal style, and also the style of the girl (?) Coruja who is also featured on the track. I'm surprised by how cool Portugese rap sounds. 

GOOD SONG #3: Já é by Jorge Aragão.

You'd be smiling, too, if you were this dude.

I got further (MUCH further) into Brazilian music after my friend Matt made me a Brazilian music CD, some 40 tracks long, that introduced me to some amazing Brazilian artists that never, ever fail to make me feel happy. This track was on there, and I just had to share it with you all. It's a fantastic live recording of his, and man, it just makes me want to MOVE. 


If you liked these songs, you might also check out:
Caetano Veloso
Elis Regina
Milton Nascimento
Djavan
Sergio Ricardo
Contra Fluxo
Kamau


Over and out,
Anna

Explorers, Lovers, and Poets

So Josh Ritter is amazing, basically.

I first heard him on his second album entitled the Golden Age of Radio, which was fantastic. He just released his sixth studio album, entitled So Runs the World Away (catch that quote? Hamlet Act II, Scene III, line 208). The album is darker and moodier than his previous work, with real glimpses of beauty. 

Not a morning person, Josh?

So, the GOOD SONG for today is my favorite off the album (which is saying a lot), a song called Another New World.  

Give it a listen-- it's long, but incredibly moving. It's a love song. It's an elegy. It's a ballad. It's a cautionary tale. It's a... a.... amazing.

It's about an explorer who goes off the try to discover another new world at the North Pole in his beloved ship the Annabel Lee. Unfortunately, things go a bit awry for the poor old explorer. 

Here are the lyrics, in case you're interested...  Another New World Lyrics

I think my favorite line is:

"So I said, "All I've got are my guts and my God,"

 then I paused, "and the Annabel Lee.' "


In case you haven't guessed by now, the song is loosely inspired by the poem "Annabel Lee" by Poe. They are very different story lines, but both are about losing what you love the most. 

A mourning person.

Apparently, Ritter has said in an interview that, "The Edgar Allan Poe poem wasn't in my head initially, but I must've had an experience with it a long time ago, because it emerged from the bottom of my brain." Yeah, Poe's works tend to lurk in our brains for a long time. Well, they do for me at least.


BUY HIS MUSIC HERE: Josh Ritter!

If you like this song, you might also check out:

The Decemberists

The Frames

Langhorne Slim

Bob Dylan

Jakob Dylan

Leonard Cohen

Over and out,
Anna


P.S. A quote of Josh's from a recent interview struck me as funny and relating to an earlier post of mine. He is talking about religion here, and how people interpret the Gospels, FYI.
"But maybe it’s really holding a mirror up to yourself, and how you interpret something tells you a lot about yourself. If you think A Good Man Is Hard To Find by Flannery O’Connor is funny, are you being honest with yourself, or are you just a mean person?"