Music Video: Lyapis Trubetskoy - Ogon'ki

When I look for new music in countries and languages that I don't already understand, oftentimes the best place to start looking is on Wikipedia.  I don't mean this to be a commercial for the site, but it continues to help me immensely when I am looking for broad themes like "Japanese Soul Music" or today's search, "Russian Alternative Rock".

Anyway, Wikipedia pointed me to Russia's A-One TV channel, which is essentially a music video channel that focuses on alternative rock.  It turns out that every year they have a "viewers choice" awards program called RAMP (Russian Alternative Music Prize), and today's video from Belorussian band Lyapis Trubeskoy, Ogon'ki, was RAMP's 2009 award winner for Best Music Video.

I have to admit, I am not always a huge fan of eastern European rock.  As with much of the popular music that comes out of places like France that have relatively inward looking cultural scenes, eastern European rock has particular regional idiosyncrasies that have great appeal to the local market, but doesn't really appeal to my personal tastes.  But in this case, the music and video combination is pretty amazing, and is well worth checking out.

Music Video: Züri West - Güggu

Some countries just aren't thought of as "musical" countries.  Switzerland is one of those countries.  You hunger for cheese?  Sure, Switzerland is great.  You need precision time pieces?  Again, look to Switzerland.  You've got hundreds of tons of gold bullion flown in the middle of the night from a darkened airstrip in the Congolese jungle that needs to "disappear" until the international tribunal goes into recess?  You can't beat Switzerland.  But music?  Really?

Yes, the Swiss can do that too!

Let's be honest, some of my favorite bands come from Switzerland.  For thrashing psychobilly, there's The Peacocks.  For quirky alt-guitar pop, there's Stahlberger.  For reggae, there's Phenomden.  For stripped down alternative rock, though, you can't do much better than Züri West.  This band has been around for longer than most of you have probably been alive (since 1984), but as demonstrated by their recent album "HomeRekords", they can still create interesting and enjoyable music.  The song Güggu, from this album is an excellent example of Züri West's moving forward by looking back sound.  And just in case you're wondering, they're singing in Bernese, a Swiss-German dialect.

Music Video: Paula - Es Kommt Immer Alles Anders

Ever since she was first able to make articulate sounds, my daughter has loved raucous music ("raucous" was one of her first words).  My wife and I knew we were in trouble when, at the age of 3, my daughter demanded that we take The Clash off the stereo because it wasn't raucous enough for her.  As she has gotten older, she has mellowed somewhat, and now at the ripe old age of 6 her musical interests have expanded to particularly enjoying raucous bands that have female singers.  Coupled with the fact that she has always expressed an interest in being a rock star herself when she grows up, I take this interest in female lead bands as being indicative of her search for musical role models.

That is why I was happy when my daughter told me the other day about how much she loves the song Es Kommt Immer Alles Anders by Paula (BTW, Paula is the name of the band, not the name of the singer).  I love this song too.  It has a bouncy, almost 80s girl band sound (think of early Go-Gos), but retains enough of an edge that it doesn't degrade into bubblegum pop.  Paula has been around for a reasonably long time, putting out five albums in over 14 years.  Each of these albums - or at least what I have heard of them so far - is chock full of great musical hooks, and is just raucous enough to keep a budding young rock star - and her father - interested.

Music Video: ZukunaSisters - Live

When I am bored, I try to think of odd combinations.  Today, the odd combination that popped into my head was "Japanese funk."  I don't know why that popped into my head.  It just did.  But boy, am I ever glad that it did!

You see, it turns out that there is a vibrant funk and soul scene going on right now in Japan.  And one of the notable bands in that scene is ZukunaSisters (aka Zukunasi in Japan).  This all female four-piece takes what many think to be a fundamentally American style of music, applies Japanese lyrics, and belts it out in one of the more compelling live acts I've seen in a long time.

Anybody who is a fan of soul, funk, or R&B, do yourself a big favor and check ZukunaSisters out.  I promise that you will not be disappointed.

Jan Delay on Sesamstraße

From it's very beginning, Sesame Street has attracted remarkable musical talents to its show.  Artists ranging from Harry Belafonte and Tony Bennett to James Taylor and Stevie Wonder have contributed their musical talents to this show that appeals to both kids and their parents.  But in addition to the American version of the program, Sesame Street is also locally produced in 20 other countries around the world.  So the question is, do they also attract the latest and greatest musical talents?

You bet they do!

Open World Music favorite, Jan Delay, recently sang his German hit Klar with Bert and Ernie on the German show Sesamstraße.  Needless to say, this is now one of my all time favorite TV clips.

Music Video: Aquarium - Зум, зум, зум

A little over 25 years ago, as the Cold War was slowly sputtering to an end, a friend introduced me to an interesting compilation album called "Red Wave".  It consisted of recordings by around a dozen dissident rock bands from the Soviet Union.  Among the bands was one that I particularly liked: Aquarium.

As I got to thinking about something to post here today, I thought it might be fun to try to find that band again, and maybe even to find an old video for that song on the "Red Wave" album, to feature as a Blast From the Past.  Well, I couldn't find a video for that song.  However, I found something better.

After all of these years, much to my surprise and joy, Aquarium is still around.  Even better, they are still producing interesting and enjoyable music.  In Зум, зум, зум you get an almost Paul Simon "Rhythm of the Saints" vibe, with complex international rhythms punched up by a horn driven chorus.  It's toe tapping and finger snapping, and will probably eventually find its way into steady rotation on my iPod.

Music Video: Tribalistas - Passe em casa

I have only been to Brazil once.  I got a wicked sunburn, and I was mugged by a gang of knife-wielding kids.  Fortunately, though, I was still able to come home with some beautiful photographs and a CD that I picked up in the Rio de Janiero airport by the "blink and you might have missed them" Brazilian group Tribalistas.

Coming out way back in 2002, Tribalistas' one and only album was a wonderful blend of Latin-influenced guitars and percussion matched to velvety smooth Portuguese-language vocals.  Their song Passe em casa is a perfect sample of what this album has to offer.

Music Video: Nisvanis - Uhliin tuhai Logjiltei duu

I suppose that it's a prime example of selection bias.  As I look back over nearly 100 Open World Music posts, the vast majority of my selections have been from Europe.  Part of that comes from the fact that I can muddle through a few western European languages with enough competence to find music that I like.  Part of that comes from common cultural touch points that I can refer to when searching for music.  Part of that is simply that we share a common alphabet with western Europe.

Well, far be it for me to rest on my cultural biases!  When I woke up this morning, the first thought that entered my head (other than "Oh Jesus!  What time is it?!?" and "Where's the coffee?") was: "What is the farthest I can go to find new music for Open World Music?"  After traveling to Uzbekistan yesterday, the next logical place was Mongolia.  I mean, really, you can't get much further away either geographically or culturally.  Right?

I suppose that the answer is a definitive maybe.  As Mongolian band Nisvanis proves with their tune Uhliin tuhai Logjiltei duu, a hard rocking beat, driving bass line, and screaming guitar solos transcend all cultural divides.  At times they're a little metal, at times they're a little punk, at times they're straight ahead alternative.  But after listening to some Nisvanis, I'm almost ready to trade in my Lederhosen for a Del to hit the clubs of Ulan Bator.

Music Video: Davron Ergashev - Kelinchak

I realize that I'm a little late to pile on, but I wanted to help still(?!?) Presidential candidate Herman Cain with that whole Uzbekistan thing.  This Central Asian nation was a Soviet republic between 1924 and 1991.  It is landlocked, and is bordered by the nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan, placing it in a geographically and politically strategic location.  Uzbekistan is the world's third largest exporter of cotton, and is developing its production of gold, uranium, potassium, and natural gas.  Also high among its national products is the singer Davron Ergashev.

Although Davron Ergashev generally produces central Asian influenced light pop, Kelinchak relies on a heavy reggae beat.  To be honest, combining heavily commercial Asian popular music with this Caribbean groove is enough to make Kelinchak an Open World Music standard.  It isn't going to place highly on my own personal iPod playlist, but Kelinchak is well worth a listen regardless.

This Year's OWM Thanksgiving Disco Playlist

A few months ago, my step-sister made me a challenge that I couldn't resist: her new Belgian husband (another music lover, apparently) and I would go head-to-head on a Thanksgiving disco playlist.  Well, after going through a dozen permutations, I have come up with my list.  They're not all "disco" songs, but they're all danceable.  Enjoy!

1)  Baaba Maal: International (Senegal)
2)  Mexican Institute of Sound:  Bienvenidos a Mi Disco (Mexico)
3)  Timbuktu:  N.a.p.  (Sweden)
4)  Napoleon Solo:  Explota (Spain)
5)  Deichkind:  E.S.D.B. (Germany)
6)  Plasticines:  La règle du jeu (France)
7)  Madsen:  Mein Herz bleibt hier (Germany)
8)  BB Brunes:  Sixty Eight (France)
9)  Die Sterne:  Depressionen aus der Hölle (Germany)

10)  Model:  Şey. . . Belki! (Turkey)

11)  Movits!:  Sammy Davis Jr. (Sweden)

12)  Koalas Desperados:  All Night Long (Germany)

13)  Casino Royale:  Anno Zero (Italy)

14)  Nous Non Plus:  Catastrophe (USA)

15)  Jens Friebe:  Über den Weg (Germany)

16)  t.A.T.u.:  220 (Russia)

17)  Frida Gold:  Wovon Sollen Wir Träumen (Germany)

18)  Dodo:  Wett di hebä (Sweden)

19)  Mono & Nikitaman:  Komplizen (Austria)

20)  Ryo the Skywalker:  ****Japan (Japan)

21)  LaBrassBanda:  Bierzelt (Germany)

22)  Manu Chao:  Besoin De La Luna (France)

Music Video: Aydilge - Takıntı

Ah, the leaves have fallen off the trees.  The days are getting shorter.  The chronic depression is setting in.  All of this can mean only one thing:  Thanksgiving is coming!  And in celebration of "turkey day," Open World Music takes you - where else? - to Turkey.  Doing research for this first musical foray into the gateway between east and west was both fun and challenging.  It was fun because I found all manor of really interesting bands.  It was challenging because many of the bands I really liked use really common names, and when I Google them to get more information I come up with all sorts of irrelevant sites.  When I Google them with the descriptor "Turkey," I come up with all sorts of irrelevant and bizarre sites.

But then I came up with Aydilge, and her song Takıntı.  Aydilge comes from a rich lineage of poets and writers, and she has taken that background to work as a singer and songwriter.  As with much of the other popular Turkish music that I have discovered, Takıntı is an exciting blend of western rock and middle eastern rhythms. 

Blast from the Past: Xmal Deutschland - Augenblick

One of the great things about coming of age in the 1980s - at least as remembered through the sepia-toned haze of middle age - was that every high school had one really cute punk girl.  My school's cute punk girl was a year older than me, but because my school was so small, we managed to become friends.  I would loan her my Dead Kennedys and Billy Bragg albums, and she would loan me her Clash and Savage Republic albums.  One day, she supplied me with an odd EP by a German goth band called Xmal Deutschland.  While it wasn't exactly love at first listen, I liked it enough that I picked up one of their CDs that spring when I was in Munich on vacation with my family. 

Augenblick is a pretty representative sample of Xmal Deutschland in those days.  Intentionally monotonous and repetitive rhythms and lyrics weave a post-industrial tapestry of barely contained angst.  Really the perfect soundtrack for a misfit teenager in those days of the Cold War, the disintegrating family structure, and economic uncertainty. 

Not French but French

One of the first things you notice when you listen to music produced around the world is how much of it is in English.  This is true, not just in the English world as one would expect, but in non-English speaking countries as well.  With the worldwide popularity of American and British musicians, this is perhaps not all that surprising.  However, one thing that I have noticed as I have tried to find non-English popular music is how many artists perform in French when they are from non-French speaking countries.  This is not a knock in any way on the French language.  Rather, it is an observation that French, for all of its beauty and rich artistic heritage, is not widely regarded as the international language of popular music in the same way that English is.

With this in mind, I thought it might be fun to showcase three of these Francophone artists that hail from non-French countries.

First, I bring you an artist from Poland that I just recently discovered named Mademoiselle Karen.  Her music, at least on the track Ouaf, Ouaf, is hip-hop.  However, her heart is very much in the realm of French cabaret.  Adding to the confusion, Mademoiselle Karen is a classically trained musician who was born and raised in Denmark before moving to Poland to perform with Czeslaw Mosil (a fellow graduate of the Royal Danish Academy of Music). 

Next on tap, I reacquaint you with the German group Pierre Ferdinand et les Charmeurs, who performed respectably in the Bundesvision 2011 competition.  Now, I have to admit to cheating a little bit here.  Despite having many French related titles, despite usually having French subject matter, and despite often singing in what I take to be French-accented German, their lyrics are typically in German.  But hey, it's my blog, and I can showcase whatever bands I want to.  In Alles von Pierre, Pierre Ferdinand et les Charmeurs follow their usual formula of playing heavily French-influenced swing and lounge.

Finally, I bring you a band from the good old U.S. of A.  Nous non Plus has been lighting up New York City since 2005, when they formed out of the ashes of another faux-French band Les Sans Coulottes.  While often teetering on the edge of being a novelty act, Nous non Plus produces some excellent French-language pop that would not be out of place in Paris.  The new track J'en Ai Marre perfectly showcases Nous non Plus' ability to put out insanely catchy tunes in a language that probably few of their listeners actually understand.

ADDENDUM: 

Well, I'm a day late and a dollar short, but here's another artist that I wanted to be sure to add to this list because A) I can; and B) I love this song.  Paula is another German artist, who produces some very danceable electro-pop.  Most of the time, she sings in German.  Every once in a while, perhaps because her brand of electro-pop has wide appeal in France, she sings in French.  C'est comme ça is perhaps her best example. 

Music Video: Myslovitz - Scenariusz Dla Moich Sąsiadów

It's funny.  Over 14 years ago, I married a beautiful woman of Polish descent.  And yet, over the year or so since I started this blog, I have never posted a video by a Polish band.  Until now.

Today, from the Polish town of Mysłowice comes the nationally popular band Myslovitz, and their song Scenariusz Dla Moich Sąsiadów.  This particular track is an enjoyable Polish take on the alternative genre from their 2006 album Happiness is Easy.  While it is somewhat dated in that respect, Myslovitz has a new album slated for release this year.

Music Video: Locas in Love - An den falschen Orten

I will admit to having an affinity for bands with female bassists.  I don't know why that is, and I certainly don't know why I am telling the world this, other than to use it as an eye-catching way to introduce Köln, Germany's band Locas in Love.  Fortunately, Locas in Love is more than just a band with a female bassist.  For over 10 years, they have been successfully producing insidiously catchy pop tunes, like their most recent single, An den falschen Orten.

As usual, non-English language pop gets little play outside of whatever country it comes from.  If there was any justice, though, Locas in Love would have a solid underground following in the U.S. or the U.K.

Music Video: Babaman - Tentan Di Fermarmi

I am always amazed at how well reggae and its various offshoots (ska, dancehall, ragga, etc.) seem to travel around the world.  If you have read more than a few of my posts, you will note that I post a lot of German reggae.  Well, today I will give you a tasty bite of Italian dancehall.

Hailing from Milan, Babaman has put out 10 albums of pretty decent quality music.  His track Tentan Di Fermarmi, from his 2008 album "Dinamite" is a nicely representative sample.  It has slick, heavy beats, intense vocals, and plenty of typical dancehall bravado. 

Music Video: Seu Jorge - Suffragette City

This past weekend, my wife and I were enjoying some tapas at a restaurant in Georgetown, when she stopped the conversation and asked me if I could recognize the song playing on the sound system.  It took me a few moments to wrap my mind around what I was hearing.  Then it hit me like a ton of bricks: "That's David Bowie's Suffragette City!!!"

Well, not exactly.  It was actually Brazilian singer Seu Jorge providing his take on David Bowie's Suffragette City.  This one is beautifully rendered on acoustic guitar, and in Portuguese.  In my opinion, it takes what is already a really good rock tune, and turns it into something even greater and more sublime. 

All that, and the Arroz Meloso al Azafrán con Gambas was pretty good too.

Music Video: Pierre Ferdinand et les Charmeurs - Ganz Paris ist eine Disco

Let me just put this out there: I'm a lazy liar.  Yesterday, when I posted that I had run out of interest in previewing Bundesvision 2011, I indicated that much of it had to do with reviewing songs that were not terribly appealing to me.  Well, that was partially true.  That sentiment was based on incomplete information though.  When the bands for Bundesvision 2011 were announced way back in June, they didn't announce the songs.  So, having nothing else to go on, I listened to whatever random sampling of music I could find online.  When I came to Saarland entry Pierre Ferdinand et les Charmeurs, I was unimpressed by what little I heard.  They seemed like the kind of novelty act that is amusing for about a day and a half, and ends up losing a competition like Bundesvision by dozens of points (see Lower Saxony's Dirk Darmstaedter & Bernd Begemann's entry from last year, So geht das jede Nacht).

However, when I looked at the final scores from Bundesvision 2011, I noticed something that caught me by surprise.  Pierre Ferdinand et les Charmeurs' entry, Ganz Paris ist eine Disco, did not finish in last place as I had expected.  Not even close.  Sure, it didn't win either.  But 11th Place out of 16 entries was still markedly better than I had expected.  What is up with that?

Then I finally watched the video for Ganz Paris ist eine Disco, and I actually really like it.  It is disco with a healthy dollop of funk.  Yes, it is kitschy, and it is certainly tongue in cheek.  But it also gets me smiling and my feet tapping.  Lying and sloth may be deadly sins, but hopefully my confession of actually enjoying Ganz Paris ist eine Disco will at least take a little time off my stay in limbo.

Bundesvision 2011 Update

If you read this blog with any frequency, you will note that I just left the Bundesvision 2011 Preview hanging.  Well, yes.  I will admit to that.  It happened for two reasons.  First, unlike last year, most bands did not release videos for their Bundesvision 2011 entries until the last possible minute before the contest . . . if at all.  Second, to be brutally honest, I just lost interest.  In any typical year, there are basically three types of songs: songs that I think are great, songs that I think are so-so, and songs that I think are boring.  By the time I get through the first group, it is really difficult for me to devote my time to coming up with pithy, interesting, or informative things to say about the remaining two groups.

Anyway, Tim Bendzko of Berlin won this year's contest with his tune Wenn Worte meine Sprache wären.  It's a nice enough song that I personally would have put in the so-so group that I mention above.  My personal favorites (Kraftklub, Frida Gold, Alin Coen Band) all ended up somewhere in the middle of the pack.  I suppose it just goes to show why I am not a professional A&R guy.

Bundesvision 2011: Saxony

Kraftklub - Berlin

I will admit something: every year (well two, so far) previewing 16 songs for the Bundesvision Song Contest can get pretty monotonous.  There are always a handful of ballads - both male and female, a handful of electronic or dance songs, a couple of soul songs, a couple of indie songs, and the show is wrapped up with one or two borderline novelty tunes.  While many of these songs are quite good, very few of them stand out for their originality.  Occasionally though, a band does something different.  This year, Kraftklub is that band.

Kraftklub first crossed my radar a few months ago with their self-released free-download album "Adonis Maximus".  Their music is a vibrant mix of hip-hop, punk rock, and disco - musical genres that one probably would not think would go together.  Combine this with an eastern German "nerd chic" fashion sensibility, and you have a band that truly stands out from the pack.  Kraftklub's song Berlin demonstrates their craft well - although it is by no means their best song.

Prediction:  As with any band that blows away established genres, Kraftklub's success in the broader German marketplace is by no means assured.  All things considered though, Berlin is a fun, energetic, and exciting song that should do well against the more cookie-cutter competition.  I predict that Berlin will place somewhere in the top 3.

Bundesvision 2011: Hamburg

Thees Uhlmann - Zum Laichen und Sterben ziehen die Lachse den Fluss hinauf

I like songs that reflect on the paths that life takes us down.  I also like songs that have catchy musical hooks.  Thees Uhlmann's Zum Laichen und Sterben ziehen die Lachse den Fluss hinauf provides both of these things.  And really, this is a nice song.  There's plenty of emotional power, there's plenty of introspective reflection.  But for whatever reason, it seems like the sum total of this song is less than its component parts.  Despite its strong points, Zum Laichen und Sterben is musically just a little too repetitive, and its sentiment seems just a little too forced. 

Prediction:  Zum Laichen und Sterben ziehen die Lachse den Fluss hinauf will appeal to German sentimentality.  But I don't think that it will appeal to more than a minority of Bundesvision voters.  I predict Zum Laichen und Sterben to do better than some of the competition, but will still dwell in the bottom third.

Bundesvision 2011: Thuringia

Alin Coen Band - Ich war hier

Every year the Bundesvision Song Contest lineup consists mainly of artists who cater to the "norm".  They are competent musicians performing pleasant enough music that allows the listener to pass a few moments of his or her life in a not-disagreeable manner.  Every year, though, there are one or two artists with whom I fall in love because they deliver a song that goes beyond simply possessing a pleasant veneer.  Their songs deliver an emotional punch either lyrically or, more likely as my German is more than a little rudimentary, musically.  This year, the Alin Coen Band delivers that punch with their song Ich war hier.

Perhaps the best way to describe Alin Coen is as a singer/guitarist who delivers emotionally potent folk-tinged melodies in a manner similar to Joni Mitchell or Indigo Girls.  That is not to say that she simply mimics an already well-established genre.  Instead, she uses this genre as a launching pad from which to deliver tightly crafted songs that are sung with a mixture of deep emotion and obvious joy.  In a world dominated by synth-pop, hip-hop, and all of the glitz that typically accompanies these genres, Alin Coen emerged onto the German music scene seemingly from out of nowhere on the strength of the buzz generated by her low-key appearances on German music television programs.  With songs like Ich war hier, it is not hard to see why.

Prediction:  The Alin Coen Band is not your typical TV music extravaganza artist.  However, Ich war hier is a fine showcase of Ms. Coen's band's talent.  With an album currently doing well in the marketplace, I predict that the cream of Bundesvision will rise to the top, putting Ich war hier easily in the top third - although probably still well shy of top of the heap.

Bundesvision 2011: Bavaria

Andreas Bourani - Eisberg

As if to finally signal the end of my summer vacation, upon my return home I see that the Bundesvision 2011 songs have finally been announced.  That gives me precious little time to preview all 16 entrants, so without any further ado let us begin with Bavaria's entry: Andreas Bourani and his song Eisberg.

As I get older, I find that I am learning to enjoy well-crafted and well-executed "alternative" pop ballads.  Maybe I'm getting soft in my dotage, or maybe I'm simply slowing down, but I actually find inoffensive and unremarkable songs like Eisberg kind of appealing.  Don't get me wrong, I don't want to give the impression that this song is dull.  Far from it.  Rather, much of its appeal comes from the fact that it is easy on the ears, it has some pretty decent hooks while not being overly ambitious or experimental, and it is sung by an artist with a remarkably smooth, pleasing, and well-trained voice.  Best of all, at least in my own mind, Eisberg does not adhere to conspicuous and self-conscious cliche, as do so many other pop ballads in the world today.

Prediction:  Well-executed ballads seem to do reasonably well in competitions like this.  I don't think that Eisberg has an iceberg's chance in Hades of winning, but I predict that it will place respectably somewhere in the top half of the pack.

Music Video: Xindl X - Dysgrafik

I always hate it when somebody says that a particular language doesn't "track well" for popular music - typically they say this when explaining why everybody wants to sing pop in English, and why non-English music is supposedly inferior.  I hate it. . . but then occasionally I hear music from a non-English speaking country, and I think to myself, "Wow, that language really doesn't track well."  Up until today, that is what I thought of music from the Czech Republic.  Don't get me wrong, I love the Czech people, and Czech art and literature is some of the most moving and complex in the world.  But their popular music has always sounded a little "off" to me.  But totally disproving this prejudice, along comes Xindl X.  His mix of hip-hop, reggae, jazz, funk, and myriad other influences just sounds good.  Listen to Dysgrafik, and I think you will agree.

Music Video: Ucnobi - Zamtari Ertad Gadavagorot

The area where Eastern Europe meets Western Asia is a melting pot of dozens of different nations and cultures.  One of the more interesting nations is Georgia, which has has its own language and history separating it from its larger (and often openly hostile) neighbor, Russia.  Of course, even when a singer is political, politics often takes a back seat when you have great homegrown music that you can dance to.  Georgian artist Ucnobi delivers that homegrown music in spades, particularly with Zamtari Ertad Gadavagorot.  While being clearly Latin inspired, Zamtari Ertad Gadavagorot combines this Latin inspiration with a healthy dose of Eurasian exuberance to make a great tune that is fun in any language.

Music Video: Dodo - Leu vo Zueri

In case you haven't noticed, I have been on something of a roots reggae kick as of late.  What fascinates me about reggae is that, like hip-hop, it seems to transcend languages and borders almost effortlessly.  Today's illustration of this fact is Swiss reggae artist Dodo, and his song Leu vo Zueri.  As with reggae anywhere, Dodo delivers smooth grooves, a powerful message, and a gripping voice.  The only difference between Dodo and other reggae artists that we have seen here before is that Dodo delivers all of these key elements in Swiss German. 

Music Video: Uwe Banton - Aufstehn

Friday afternoons in the summertime always put me in the mood for reggae.  Yeah, I know that traditional roots reggae is typically a voice of protest against social injustice, but it is still so hard to not think of sipping rum on a beach when you hear that groove.  For that perfect combination of social protest and Caribbean groove on this beautiful sunny Friday afternoon, I bring you German reggae legend Uwe Banton with one of his very few German language songs, Aufstehn. If watching a bearded and heavily dreadlocked white German sing roots reggae has you scratching your head, I encourage you to close your eyes and open your ears.  Uwe Banton brings you roots reggae at its best.

Music Video: AfroReggae - Tempo Sem Medida

AfroReggae is one of those bands that, as a non-Portuguese speaker, you would come to think of as being a pleasant enough purveyor of fairly traditional reggae from Brazil.  Dig a little below the surface, though, and you find that AfroReggae is a very political group of young artists striving for bottom up social and political change.  Formed by former drug trafficker Anderson Sá as Grupo Cultural AfroReggae, the band AfroReggae is a project to wean the poor children of the Brazilian favelas away from the deadly world of drugs and gangsterism through education - particularly music education.  As you can hear from the track Tempo Sem Medida, AfroReggae can lay down a pretty solid groove, while also serving to educate the world about life in some of the world's most dangerous slums.

News: Seeed Releases New Single

For the past several months, the website for my favorite German band Seeed has contained little news beyond the simple note that they are working on their new album.  Every few weeks I check back to see if there are any updates.  This morning, I planned to check their website again, but Seeed beat me to it.  Waiting for me in my e-mail box was a note from Seeed titled "Neues von Seeed".  Much to my joy, after a 5 year hiatus and 4 separate solo albums by its members, Seeed has finally released a brand new single titled Molotov (available for free download from the Seed website).

Having trouble with the free download link, I initially went to the Seeed website to see if I could find the new single there.  I made the mistake of first listening to an instrumental version of Molotov.  Frankly, I was unimpressed.  It was all electric guitars, drums, and synthesizers, closer to the style of metal than the dancehall infused reggae that has made Seeed so popular.  Was this really what I had waited so long for?  After spectacular solo albums from Peter Fox, Boundzound, and Dellé, was this really the best they could do?

Eventually they fixed the bugs on the download site, and I was able to finally listen to the song they are actually releasing.  Thank heaven they included the vocal track that had been removed for the website.  It makes the song at least 85% more listenable.  That's not too bad, but still not nearly what I had expected.

Perhaps the greatest potential problem with Molotov is that it strays so far from built up expectations.  Seeed has always been known for their powerful vocals, smooth and complex rhythm section, rollicking horns, and even a DJ to add some auditory spice.  This new track lacks all but the familiar vocals.  Standing by itself, Molotov is a decent enough tune.  Standing together with the rest of Seeed's body of work, it just doesn't fit.  I understand the need for bands to musically grow and evolve.  If Molotov is any indication, Seeed hasn't just grown or evolved; it's not even the same band.

Music Video: Baaba Maal - Television

I sometimes have a very difficult time categorizing music.  Is something reggae, dancehall, or raga?  Is it soul or R&B?  Rock or pop?  Rap or hip-hop?  Country or western?  I personally do not like having to tie songs or artists to a single category, but readers often demand it because it offers them a frame of reference by which they can determine whether they will like or dislike something.  With Senegalese vocalist Baaba Maal, and particularly with the title song from his most recent album Television, I am afraid you are out of luck.  While his vocal stylings are decidedly Senegalese, his songs run the stylistic gamut.  Frankly, I like that!  Baaba Maal is a musical grab bag; you never know what you're going to get, but it's almost always a treat.

Music Video: Timbuktu - N.A.P.

When you think of places to find interesting music, it is probably safe to say that Sweden does not quickly come to mind.  Yet, whether it is because Sweden's relatively liberal immigration policies are creating an interesting melting pot of different musical influences, or whether it is just because Swedes enjoy producing great music, Sweden is a big place to listen to if you want to hear cool new music.  To the ranks of Movits! (whom I've profiled here before), Jaquee, Swingfly, and many others, today I add Swedish superstar Timbuktu and his song N.A.P..  Yeah, I'll admit that the video for this rap single kind of freaks me out, but the groove is unstoppable.

Music Video: Mono & Nikitaman - Digge Digge

This year, at Thanksgiving, my step-sister will be bringing her new husband over from Belgium.  As she is familiar with my interest in non-English music, and as her new husband also fancies himself a music aficionado, my step-sister has challenged the both of us to a DJ competition after Thanksgiving dinner.  Needless to say, I accepted that challenge, and look forward to blowing away my new brother-in-law with my non-stop international beats.  My wife, being even more compulsively competitive than I am, has suggested that we also pull out a secret weapon at this competition.  She wants us to learn and then perform Mono & Nikitaman's song Digge Digge live for the assembled family.  How could I say no?  Austrian/Dutch dancehall act Mono & Nikitaman have been setting dance floors on fire across Europe for years now, and we plan to do the same here in the U.S..

Live Show: LaBrassBanda

One of the pitfalls of tracking popular music in the non-English speaking world is that, unless I travel overseas, I am unlikely to see many of my favorite bands perform live.  One of the advantages of living in Washington, DC is that, if any of my favorite bands do visit the United States, DC is usually one of the places they play. 

Last night I had the rare treat of being able to see LaBrassBanda perform live at Strathmore, in Bethesda, MD.  It was a typical sultry summer evening, and this was a free outdoor performance with the audience casually lounging on the grass mere feet from the band, but all of this helped to contribute to a very festive and relaxed evening with the band.  The crowd was an interesting mix of older Strathmore "regulars" who show up for all of the venue's free concerts, families with young children like my own, employees and friends of the German Embassy that hosted the concert, and 20-something year-old Germans who were obviously already familiar with LaBrassBanda and were there to dance the night away.

Those of you who have seen Labrassbanda's performances on YouTube, or on their recently released video "Live im Circus Krone München" will have a pretty fair idea of what the show was like.  For over an hour and a half, the increasingly energetic crowd was treated to lots of raucous horns, a spectacularly tight rhythm section, and the kind of high-speed Bavarian German rap vocals that leaves your head spinning and you gasping for breath.  The older people in the audience enjoyed the virtuoso musicianship, while the kids and the young adults enjoyed the opportunity to work up a healthy sweat by dancing like maniacs.

As lead singer Stefan Dettl told us at the beginning of the show, this was LaBrassBanda's first ever performance in the United States.  I am incredibly happy that I could be there to welcome them.  If their reception on the other two stops on their brief U.S. tour is as warm as it was at Strathmore, I hope that they will return for many more performances.

BTW:  If you want to see more of LaBrassBanda playing live (in addition to seeing my earlier post on them from a few weeks ago), check out their songs:  Des konst glam, Aussenriess, or I Like da Butty Man.

Music Video: Casino Royale - CRX (lo rifletto)

I wasn't sure whether to put this song in among my "Blast From the Past" selections, or here with the more contemporary selections.  After all, CRX (lo rifletto) was originally published back in 1997.  However, this track from Italian group Casino Royale stands pretty much apart from time - as does the band, which continues to tour regularly.  Casino Royale first came to my attention back in the early 1990s as a pretty decent ska act.  As with many of the better ska acts out there, though, they metamorphosed into something completely new and different.  While their old stuff was good, I think the change to a hybrid of trip-hop, dub, and electronica was for the better.

Bundesvision 2011 Bands Announced!

For those of you who didn't get enough of my Bundesvision 2010 preview, in which my predictions were largely shown to be hideously flawed, the band lineup for Bundesvision 2011 has just been announced.  While the individual songs have yet to be announced, the entrants by state are:

Baden-Württemberg:  Glasperlenspiel
Bavaria:  Andreas Bourani
Berlin:  Tim Bendzko
Brandenburg:  Doreen
Bremen:  Flo Mega
Hamburg:  Thees Uhlmann
Hesse:  Juli
Lower Saxony:  Bosse feat. Anna Loos
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern:  Jennifer Rostock
North Rhine-Westphalia:  Frida Gold
Rhineland-Palatinate:  Jupiter Jones
Saarland:  Pierre Ferdinand et les Charmeurs
Saxony:  Flimmerfrühstück
Saxony-Anhalt:  Kraftklub
Schleswig-Holstein:  Muttersöhnchen
Thüringen:  Alin Coen Band

Bundesvision 2011 will be held on September 29th.  As with the Eurovision Song Contest, Bundesvision is always hosted by the home state of the previous year's winner.  Since last year's Bundesvision was won by Unheilig (whose entry, Unter deiner Flagge, I described as, ". . . all atmospheric build up with no climax - no emotional release - no point."), this year's will be held at the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Once they announce the songs, I'll start the process of reviewing each entry.  Stay tuned for more. . .

Music Video: Mobylettes - Immer Schlimmer

Music of decades past is always a good source of inspiration.  Indeed, regular readers of this blog will note that modern artists from around the world sup heartily at the trough of retro sounds; see also Ruben Cossani, Movits!, Caravan Palace, and others.  Today's artists, German band Mobylettes, take the smooth female vocal stylings of the 1960s, mix it with elements of doo wop, and bring them up to date with a wink and a nod.  They sometimes sound like a German version of Pizzicato Five.  With Immer Schlimmer, Mobylettes certainly share some of Pizzicato Five's sense of irony, although with a somewhat darker edge at times.

Music Video: TVXQ - Rising Sun

As I discovered when I first traveled to South Korea and Japan a few years ago, the popular music industry in East Asia is vast.  And yet, despite this vastness, surprisingly little East Asian popular music makes it to the United States.  South Korean band TVXQ is something of an exception.  With their high-energy mix of hip-hop, R&B, funk, and a few other disparate elements, TVXQ has developed the world's largest official fan club, and is even making some headway on the American West Coast.  While their music, like the song Rising Sun, is not quite my cup of tea, I can see why their appeal is spreading.

Music Video: Mexican Institute of Sound - Yo Digo Baila

Back when I was attending college, and working for the "Special Events" department, it always seemed to me that the school was constantly putting on bands that appealed to an older crowd but that had limited appeal to the actual student body.  Now that I am officially part of the older crowd, invitations to see bands at my old college are looking better and better.  This week, for example, they're hosting Mexico's Mexican Institute of Sound.  This exciting mix of traditional Mexican music, electronica, and dance music, as demonstrated in their track Yo Digo Baila, appeals to me on multiple levels.  I really wish I could go to the show!  In addition to being a great show to see, I probably wouldn't have to share the audience with too many students.

Blast from the Past: t.A.T.u. - Nas ne dogonyat

What seems like a lifetime ago, my wife was at the gym when she first heard this catchy little dance number being played repeatedly over the sound system.  After a little research, she discovered that it was Russian group t.A.T.u., and the English version of their massive hit song Nas ne dogonyat.  Fast forward a decade, and my young daughter finds this song buried among our old CDs.  Now it's her favorite song to sing on the way to school, even though she still struggles a little with the Russian lyrics.

Music Video: Blumio - Meine Lieblingsrapper

As I have probably mentioned already once or twice, the German rap scene is pretty hot these days.  You've got artists like Toni L., Xzibit, Samy Deluxe, Eko Freh, Massive Töne, Jan Delay (back before Disko No. 1), Harris, Curse, Massiv, Sido, Azad, D-Flame, and many others.  Then you have artists like Japanese-German rapper Blumio, who can mimic all of them in a single video.  If you want a primer on modern German rap, you can't do any better than to check out Mein Lieblingsrapper.  Of course, Blumio turns out to be a pretty good rapper in his own right.

Music Video: Plastilina Mosh - Human Disco Ball

Some of the most interesting music in the Americas today is coming from the cross-border fertilization between Mexico and the United States.  Typically, we look at how Mexican music is affecting popular music in the U.S..  However, I find the influences of American popular music on Mexican music equally - if not more - interesting.  One product of this influence is the Mexican band Plastilina Mosh.  With feet planted firmly in the Alternative, Hip-Hop, and Dance genres, songs like Human Disco Ball bring a fresh perspective and a healthy sense of fun to all three.

Music Video: Shahin Najafi - Tarafe Ma

One amazing thing about music is that no matter where in the world you go, rap has almost universally become the music of protest.  From Iran - or rather, exiled from Iran - comes rapper Shahin Najafi and his song Tarafe Ma.  While I don't speak a word of Farsi, the video for this song certainly leaves the viewer with no doubts regarding what it is about.  The fact that this video was recorded off of Voice of America should leave even fewer doubts.  As a form of protest, though, it is extremely compelling.

Blast from the Past: Tappi Tikarrass - Hrollur

Assuming that anybody ever reads this blog, I can almost hear you say "How is Tappi Tikarrass a blast from the past?  I have no idea who they are/were!"  Perhaps not, but you have probably heard of their lead singer: Icelandic musical icon Bjork.  Back when she was only 16, years before she went on to form the Sugarcubes and later to achieve enormous success as a solo artist, she was already a fixture on the Icelandic punk scene.  With this track, Hrollur, you can already see that Bjork has both a startlingly strong voice and a very unique visual style.

Blast From the Past: The Beatles - Komm, gib mir deine Hand

Liverpool may lay claim to The Beatles, but they truly honed their musical craft in the strip clubs of Hamburg, Germany.  Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the "Fab Four" recorded a few songs in the local tongue.  While everybody who has ever listened to any music anywhere in the world has heard I Want to Hold Your Hand (an exaggeration, but not by much), how many have heard The Beatles perform Komm, gib mir deine Hand?  Well, now you have.

Music Video: Farin Urlaub - Zehn

One of the reasons I first started collecting German popular music was as an educational tool for my daughter.  After all, so my reasoning went, what better way of teaching something than by making it fun and cool?  My first foray into German music led me, by twists and turns, to Farin Urlaub (formerly of punk band Die Ärzte).  And if you're trying to use music to teach a new language, what better than a song that repeatedly counts from one to ten?  Needless to say, my daughter loved the song Zehn from the first time she heard it.

Music Video: Ryo the Skywalker - ????

A few years ago, when I had the opportunity to vacation in Japan, I spent most of my non-housing and food money on music.  The Japanese consume vast amounts of popular music from every corner of the world.  They also produce some pretty impressive music.  One amazing CD that I picked up in Tokyo is a compilation of Japanese reggae artists, among whom is Ryo the Skywalker.  I wish that I could tell you the name of this song, but I don't read Japanese, and my computer won't mimic the characters.  Suffice to say, this song will cheer up even the most dour listener.

Music Video: Rummelsnuff - Salzig schmeckt der Wind

I have pretty broad tastes in music.  That being the case, sometimes I run across an artist who I both really like, but who at the same time makes me think "What the hell?"  A perfect example of this is the German singer Rummelsnuff.  Rummelsnuff's low, almost tuneless, gravelly voice mixes with traditional musical styles into something that is somewhat reminiscent of The Pogues with Shane MacGowan.  But while Shane is a skinny Irishman with no teeth and what is probably an epic case of liver disease, Rummelsnuff is a muscular, German fireplug of a man with more than a passing resemblance to Popeye.  Salzig schmeckt der Wind is one of my favorites from Rummelsnuff.  It is a sea shanty with plenty of wistfulness and emotional depth, and is both captivating and unlike anything else you have ever heard.

Music Video: Die Antwoord - Enter the Ninja

Some days you just stumble accidentally over new (at least new to you) music that really makes you think.  Rapper/Performance artist Watkin Jones from South Africa has always produced music that challenges the listener, and none more so than the music he produces in his latest incarnation as Ninja of the band Die Antwoord.  Their hit Enter the Ninja is a pretty representative sampling of what Die Antwoord is all about.  It is confrontational, usually offensive, often ugly.  But at its best, their music compels the listener to really consider their commentary on the modern world from a multi-linqual, multi-cultural, and multi-racial South African perspective.

Blast From the Past: Les Négresses Vertes - Sous le Soleil de Bodega

1992 was an important year for me.  It was the summer between my Freshman and Sophomore years of college, and I was in Prague working on a documentary crew.  The last Soviet troops were pulling out of Czechoslovakia, the first faint murmurs of the Slovak independence movement were starting to be heard, and one of our assistant directors introduced me to Les Négresses Vertes ("LNV").  The first time I heard their exciting mix of gypsy guitar, French cabaret attitude, rollicking horns, and rock and roll beat, I was forever hooked.  Sous le Soleil de Bodega was a track from LNV's second album "Famille Nombreuse", and it perfectly captures what their music was all about.

Well, time marches on.  That job in Prague got me my first (and only so far) full-time job after college.  Through a co-worker, I met the woman who became my wife and ultimately the mother of my child.  The rest, as they say, is history.  As for LNV, after the release of "Famille Nombreuse" their lead singer died of a heroin overdose.  They soldiered on for another couple more proper studio albums, a "live" album, a "remix" album, an "acoustic" album, and a "best of" album, drifting from what some critics described as "gypsy punk" to electronica in the process.

Ultimately, though, the legacy of LNV in my life is that it was my first window into a world of popular music coming out of the non-English speaking world.