Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Music Video: Polysics - I My Me Mine

If, like me, you came of age in the late 70s and early 80s, you came of age in a time of remarkable musical experimentation.  Inspired by the punk movement to abandon the established cliches of rock and roll music, and liberated from the guitar/bass/drums paradigm by the development of synthesizers, groups like Devo deconstructed and rearranged music to create new forms.  4/4 time gave way to jagged poly-rhythms.  Free-flowing organically derived sound gave way to repetitive and mechanical atonality that held a mirror up to the children of the computer age. 

While we may think this age of experimentation has passed, many bands look back to this time for inspiration.  The Japanese band Polysics is one of these bands that drinks fully from the font of post-punk, proto-electronic music.  This is not to say that Polysics is an exercise in nostalgia.  While songs like I My Me Mine borrow heavily from Devo, they are still heavily informed by modern sensibilities.  Polysics may not musically throw the baby out with the bathwater like Devo did back in the 70s, but they sure keep that bathwater awfully fresh.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Amusing Music Video: Buranovskiye Babushki - Party For Everybody

The annual Eurovision Song Contest has become something of a punchline.  For those unfamiliar with the concept, competing European countries all nominate a song to represent them in competing against the songs of the others.  Over the decades, competitors have noticed that the songs that win are seldom the best songs.  Rather, the songs that win typically have some sort of a gimmick.  And the competitors in this year's Eurovision Song Contest continue to buy into that formula for success.

A case in point is Russia's entry, Buranovskiye Babushki and their song Party For Everybody.  The band is made up of eight grandmothers from the village of Buranovo, in the Ural Mountains region.  Don't let their advanced years, traditional dress, and the fact that they sing mostly in Udmurt  - an obscure regional dialect - fool you.  These ladies can put on a show, and even the most stoic Russians in the audience can't help but smile.  Buranovskiye Babushki will never win any songwriting awards, but if you can get points for entertainment value - and isn't that what Eurovision is all about - they may go far.

Oh, and by the way, that large object on the revolving platform at the back of the stage is a bread oven.  Don't ask.  Just accept it.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Music Video: Holger Burner - Aufwachen

For a while, Open World Music had turned inward, relying on my own resources rather than tapping into the work already done by others.  I don't know why that is.  But today, after a long interval, I finally returned to one of my favorite music streaming services - last.fm - to try to find some new artists I had never heard before.

And, boy oh boy, did I ever!

In today's hyper-consumerist society, it is nice to occasionally hear from somebody who sings about how we can aspire to greater things than the mere accumulation of stuff.  Holger Burner is not going to win any prizes from the American Enterprise Institute.  And his heavily techno influenced rap Aufwachen isn't going to make him too many friends in the leadership of his austerity obsessed homeland of Germany.  But I will give Holger Burner kudos for reminding us that often, in our single minded focus on the current definition of "living the dream", we end up with even less than that with which we started.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Awesome Disqualifications - Part 1

When I created Open World Music three years ago, I had to be very strict with myself about what parameters I would use to select music to post.  Artists had to come from non-English speaking countries and the song that I post had to be in their native language.  The first part is easy.  The whole premise of this blog is that there are great bands from just about every country on Earth.  The second part is somewhat more difficult.  Because most poplar modern musical genres had their genesis in the English speaking world, because many of the most influential artists to gain world fame have performed in English, and because performing in English is generally considered the only way to be marketable in the world at large, many artists opt to leave their native tongues behind when they write and perform.  Personally speaking, I think this is too bad.  The point of this blog was to bring the artists who have opted to perform in their own languages to a broader audience.

However, I have always felt pangs of regret that I couldn't also post music from artists from outside of the English speaking world who have made that choice to perform in English.  Often readers will refer me to artists, or I will stumble across artists, who are absolutely awesome, but because of my arbitrary and harsh rules I cannot post here. 

Well, rules are meant to be broken - particularly rules that I made up myself.  And so I bring you the first in what may be a multiple installment series:  Awesome Disqualifications.


The Dodoz - Do You Like Boys
This French band is a great example of hard driving alternative rock.  Sometimes they have an angular sound like Franz Ferdinand.  Other times they are more straight forward.  They're always interesting.





Jaqee - Moonshine
This is a borderline call.  Jaqee is originally from English/Swahili speaking Uganda, but for the past several years she has been working out of Sweden.  I originally heard of Jaqee from her work on the Koalas Desperados project, but I quickly fell in love with her solo work.  I just can't get her voice out of my head.




The Peacocks - Gimme More
This one is an oldie but a goodie.  This Swiss band has been around since 1990, and have been pounding out energetic psychobilly ever since.  







The Van Jets - Down Below
The Belgians are producing some amazing artists these days, including The Van Jets.  This is angular alternative rock, with a hint of a 70s vibe. 




Selah Sue - Raggamuffin
While we're in Belgium, I invite you to also check out Selah Sue.  Stylistically, she looks like a much healthier Amy Winehouse.  Her music is very soulful, and in this particular case, also very heavily inspired by reggae.  Another artist with a voice that will burrow into your brain.




Miss Platnum - She Moved In
I first became aware of this Germany based Romanian singer when she backed up Peter Fox on his breakout solo album, "Stadtaffe".  But Miss Platnum has earned quite a following in her own right, particularly for this soul influenced dance track. 







Lyre le Temps - Go Down/Hit the Road Jack/About the Traum Drum
A few years ago in the United States, swing made something of a popular comeback.  Since then, a new batch of artists - particularly in France - has taken that swing groove, and added heavy electronica elements.  Lyre le Temps takes this hybrid sound to amazing heights.



Ill Inspecta - Like Puppa San
Germany has a huge reggae scene.  As part of this, Ill Inspecta made ripples with his own dancehall take.  He has since left performing, spreading the story that Ill Inspecta was "killed".  But in the meantime, Ill Inspecta left some real gems that would be right at home heard out of a Kingston sound system.





The Bawdies - It's Too Late
Japan is famous for bands that take established musical genres from the United States and Great Britain, and giving them their unique cultural stamp.  The Bawdies don't do that.  They just play straight ahead hardcore R&B that would blow most American bands out of the water. 

Music Video: Samy Deluxe - Feuer, Verbrannt, Asche

I've probably mentioned this before, but I often find songs and artists that I like by spidering out from songs and artists that I already like.  It's kind of the six degrees of separation approach to music appreciation.

So, late last night, I was sitting at home minding my own business when I get an e-mail from Amazon.de telling me that one of my favorite German artists, Jan Delay, is coming out with a new live album/DVD set called "Hamburg brennt!!".  Excellent! I think, as I quickly log on to find out more about it.  Well, it turns out that this new album is being released to stores on May 11, 2012, and it features guest appearances from a long list of German hip-hop and rap artists.  While Amazon is the Borg of internet retail, and has - in cahoots with iTunes - absolutely decimated the traditional retail music business, one nice thing that they do is post relevant videos to many albums that they sell.  In this case, they posted a video of Jan Delay performing his classic song Füchse with artists Denyo and Samy Deluxe.

As often happens, this got me interested in what else Denyo and Samy Deluxe have done independently, which led me to Samy Deluxe's recent free promotional tune Feuer, Verbrannt, Asche.  Now, I was never a huge rap fan, although I can certainly see the artistry of the genre, but this tune blew me away.  Regardless of the language barrier, Samy Deluxe's verbal virtuosity is undeniable.  Set to the beat of another Jan Delay tune Feuer, Feuer, Verbrannt, Asche really only uses it as a launching pad for his own unique rhythm, thoroughly transcending the original.  Samy Deluxe has, for the past decade, been considered by critics and listeners alike as one of Germany's top rap artists.  It is not hard to see why.

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Blast From the Past: Koos Kreuk - Waar is mijn hoofd

Ever since I started this little project, I have been trying to post Dutch and Belgian artists.  I know they're out there. . . right?  Well, every once in a while I find one that I really like (The Van Jets and Selah Sue are two awesome examples), but they inevitably only perform in English.  I guess that's good for marketing (after all, how many people out there even understand Dutch/Flemish?), but it's not necessarily the best thing for growing a dynamic grassroots music scene.

Every once in a while, though, something pokes through.  In this case, it only took the 1998 Pixies cover compilation "Death to the Pixies - We're Better!".  I will admit, a cover of an English language song in Dutch like Waar is mijn hoofd (Where is My Mind?) by Koos Kreuk is probably not the best showcase for the language.  Dutch really has a very different rhythm than English.  As for Koos Kreuk?  Hell if I know.  I can't find any information about or other songs by him.  Frankly, it looks like this is the only song that he ever released - unless one of my loyal readers has any more information.