Blagging the Blogosphere

This week we went a bit all over the place from experimental Australian music to Turkish orchestras to Cambodian pop artists from the 60's and 70's.

Playlist

Sound Information #32 - On Sacred Rights

Performed by the Australia Day 2007 iteration of the Terminal Quartet at the Make It Up Club, Fitzroy, Melbourne. Features Ash Wednesday, Steve Law, John Grant and Andrew Garton.

Sulukule'ye Sahip Çık (You Tube vid)

oturma grubu (MySpace page, Track: Kale)

(Kemal Alaçayır) Bağlama show (yine dertli dertli) (You Tube video). This live performance on a Turkish TV show has had over 448,000 views.

Dolapdere Big Gang - Losing My Religion (MySpace page)

Don't Think I've Forgotten (You Tube video)
Cambodia's Lost Rock & Roll (trailer), Directed by John Pirozzi. www.cambodianrock.com

Cambodia Rocks :: Sounds From The ’60s & ’70s
Tracks:
Yol Aularong  - Jeas Cyclo “Ride Cyclo”
Ros Sereysothea - Chnam Oun Dop-PramMuy “I’m 16″
Liev Tuk - Rom Sue! Sue! “Dance Soul! Soul!”

Sleepwalking through the Mekong (USA 2007) trailer
Documentary by John Pirozzi — Presented at Fourth Globians world & culture Documentary Film Festival, Germany, August 8 - 17, 2008. He follows Dengue Fever on tour in Cambodia.

Dengue Fever - Seeing Hands (YouTube vid)

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Bookmarks / Podcast

A new Music Alliance Pact post for January and Counting The Beat, a weekly Waiheke Radio NZ music show and podcast, has again made the New Zealand offering, this time Princess Chelsea with Monkey Eats Bananas. On a monthly basis music bloggers from around the globe select a track from their own country which is then posted collectively and simultaneously on those blogs - giving each nation's track international exposure. Giving the project an extra twist - many of the songs will be featured in another Waiheke Radio show, Blagging the Blogosphere. The full list with download links are as follows (there's a link to download all of them at the bottom):

AMERICA – I Guess I’m Floating http://iguessimfloating.blogspot.com/
Blind Man’s Colour – Jimmy Dove http://www.myspace.com/weareblindmanscolour
Blind Man’s Colour came on our radar in late ‘08 with three excellent Animal Collective covers.  With their debut album, Season Dreaming, coming out sometime in early ‘09 and Jimmy Dove as their first explosive single, they’ve got a good chance of becoming my favorite find of 2009 less than one month in. They’ve also got a free EP called Rainbow Faces which you can download from the band’s blog (http://blindmanscolour.blogspot.com/2008/10/rainbow-faces.html). Jimmy Dove is a MAP exclusive mp3.
http://iguessimfloating.net/assets/mp3s/07%20Jimmy%20Dove.mp3

ARGENTINA – Zonaindie http://zonaindie.com/
Bicicletas – 11 y 20 http://www.myspace.com/bicicletas
We started the year listening non-stop to this brand new song by Bicicletas, a superb space-rock band that has been shaking the independent scene of Buenos Aires for some years now. 11 y 20 will be included in their forthcoming album Quema, which is released in March by Bingo! Records.
http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/2202855_aun8n/Bicicletas-11y20.mp3

AUSTRALIA – Who The Bloody Hell Are They? http://whothehell.net/
The Middle East – Blood http://www.myspace.com/visitthemiddleeast
I feel like Arcade Fire comparisons have been overused in music reviews over the past whenever, so I’m going to do my best to not compare The Middle East to Montreal’s finest. It’s tough though, because this Townsville, Queensland collective do fit the criteria, at least initially – a large collection of musicians (at least six, possibly seven) who create dramatic and climactic folk-ish anthems.
http://whothehell.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/01-blood-1.mp3

BRAZIL – Meio Desligado http://www.meiodesligado.com/
Guizado – Rinkisha http://www.myspace.com/guizado
Created by Guilherme Mendonça, Guizado presents instrumental songs ranging from jazz, alternative rock and experimental electronica, always sounding avant-garde. Their first album, Punx, was acclaimed by critics (including the Brazilian Rolling Stone) as one of the best albums in 2008. As well as Mendonça, who is a well-known trumpeter in São Paulo’s underground music scene, Guizado is formed by Curumin, Ryan Batista and Régias Damasceno, musicians involved with some of the most creative artists of the Brazilian alternative scene. Rinkisha, a deep and melancholic song, sounds like John Frusciante playing with Tortoise.
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/12/10/2218195/guizado_rinkisha.mp3

CANADA – I(Heart)Music http://www.iheartmusic.net/serendipity/
Parachute Penguin – Your Crimes http://www.myspace.com/parachutepenguin
Yes, their name is horrible. And yes, this song borrows rather liberally from The Killers. But despite both of those things, if Parachute Penguin’s forthcoming EP, due out in late February, is anywhere near as good as this (or any of the other tracks on the outstanding EP the band released back in the spring), then it won’t be long until the band is playing arenas around the world. Hopefully they’ll stay away from those feathered jackets, though.
http://www.iheartmusic.net/mp3/ParachutePenguin-YourCrimes.mp3

CHILE – Super 45 http://super45.cl/seccion/blog/
Como Asesinar A Felipes – En Busca De Un Nuevo Sueño http://www.myspace.com/comoasesinarafelipes
Como Asesinar A Felipes (How To Kill Felipes) is the best way to understand what’s going on in Chilean hip hop music – cross-referenced music styles with deep and shocking lyrics. Former jazz musicians joined MC Koala Contreras and DJ Spacio to create an outstanding jazz-rap combo. Their self-titled album, released last year, has been described as the best Chilean album of the year by even mainstream media. And there is no doubt about it, no other band can take our minds, ears and bodies like Como Asesinar A Felipes have.
http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/2207643_eksa9/lipes-Enbuscadeunnuevosue__o.mp3

ENGLAND – The Daily Growl http://thedailygrowl.co.uk/
Emmy The Great – We Almost Had A Baby http://www.myspace.com/emmythegreat
Although the wait for Emmy The Great’s debut album has been long enough to make it seem like an indie-folk-pop Chinese Democracy, the good news is that First Love is finally coming out on February 2. This track is the first single from the album, released at the end of last year.
http://www.thedailygrowl.co.uk/downloads/Emmy%20The%20Great_We%20Almost%20Had%20A%20Baby.mp3

GERMANY – Blogpartei http://www.blogpartei.de/
The Notwist – Good Lies http://www.myspace.com/notwist
The Notwist is probably better known abroad than in Germany. They come from the Bavarian city of Weilheim, where other famous bands – partly with the same members – have their base, e.g. Console, Lali Puna and 13 & God. The Notwist sound is built on the characteristic voice of Markus Acher and the discreet electronic background constructed by Martin Gretschmann.
http://blogpartei.de/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/TheNotwist-GoodLies.mp3

ICELAND – I Love Icelandic Music http://icelandicmusic.blogspot.com/
Singapore Sling – Martian Arts http://www.myspace.com/singaporesling
Singapore Sling is a darkly, neo-psychedelic, avant-garage band formed in Reykjavik in 2000 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Henrik Baldvin Björnsson and lead guitarist Einar Þór Kristjánsson. The band is often compared to The Jesus And Mary Chain, The Velvet Underground and My Bloody Valentine. Martian Arts is taken from their fourth album, Perversity, Desperation And Death, released last November on the new Icelandic label Microdot.
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/7/19/2009830/Singapore%20Sling%20-%20Martian%20Arts.mp3

IRELAND – Nialler9 http://www.nialler9.com/blog/
Gran Casino – One Chance http://www.myspace.com/grancasino1
An intriguing upbeat rabble-rousing orchestral racket from a 13-piece Dublin band who have the horn for brass and blustery rock epics. Their debut Sun Music EP sounds like Arcade Fire jamming with Herbie Hancock.
http://www.nialler9.com/mp3/Gran_Casino_-_One_Chance.mp3

ITALY – Polaroid http://polaroid.blogspot.com/
Arnoux – Today, A Rainy Day http://www.myspace.com/arnouxindahouse
Cascades, the debut album by Arnoux, blends melancholic synths and glitches with acoustic sounds and warm voices, portraying a delicate and touching liquid landscape.
http://www.knifeville.it/mp3/arnoux-today_a_rainy_day.mp3

NEW ZEALAND – Counting The Beat http://countingthebeat.blogspot.com/
Princess Chelsea – Monkey Eats Bananas http://www.myspace.com/wonderfulprincesschelsea
Every May in New Zealand is NZ Music Month. Album sales and radio airplay figures of Kiwi artists soar and there is a celebration of local musical talent. For the past two years NZ music magazine Real Groove has issued a CD in May titled The Sound of Young New Zealand. One of the standout tracks of the 2008 edition was Monkey Eats Bananas, a song so infectious I’ve driven members of my household mad with repeated plays, eventually awarding it Song of the Year in Counting The Beat. It’s silly but incredibly compelling. Xylophone, electric piano, a nonsense lyric that doesn’t kick in until two-thirds of the way through the song, all atop a great rolling bass line. Princess Chelsea is about to release her debut album and Monkey Eats Bananas will be the first single.
http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/2216718_ektvy/essChelsea-MonkeyEatsBananas.mp3

NORWAY – Eardrums http://eardrumsmusic.com/
I Was A King – Weighing Anchor http://www.myspace.com/iwasaking
I Was A King is one of the Norwegian bands I expect will do very well in 2009. Frontman Frode Stromstad has a unique gift of creating addictive melodies with distinctive roots to the 60s. Distorted through the sound of the 90s indie scene, the result is I Was A King. On their self-titled second album, which received a maximum score in Norway’s largest newspaper, the trio is helped by artists such as Emil Nikolaisen (Serena Maneesh), Sufjan Stevens, Daniel Smith (Danielson) and Gary Olson (The Ladybug Transistor).
http://www.eardrumsmusic.com/MAP/I%20Was%20A%20King%20-%20Weighing%20Anchor.mp3

PERU – SoTB http://sideoftheblog.blogspot.com/
Turbopotamos – Terrorize You/Disco Flor http://www.myspace.com/losturbopotamos
After a few demos had been circulated, the rumour was that a cool new sound had awoken the sleepy local scene. With the appearance of No Love, the second album from Turbopotamos in 2007, the rumour proved to be true. With their refreshing compositions, Turbopotamos have been plotting a path that took them on to the same bill as REM and Travis in Lima last November.
http://r172vg.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p3iyXR6C4f5vki1bdmwVpMX5tVkHzhdGHaccPlGvA1g3qLBqx1pVDzri8XPjvwTP510ucqRe8Qno27It2nh5rQw/Turbopotamos_-_Terrorize_you-Disco_flor(Peru).mp3

PORTUGAL – Posso Ouvir Um Disco? http://possoouvirumdisco.blogspot.com/
The Weatherman – Chloe’s Hair http://www.myspace.com/theweathermanpt
The Weatherman is Alexandre Monteiro, a resident of Oporto in the north of Portugal. Chloe’s Hair is the first single of his second album, Jamboree Park At The Milky Way, due in February, which he recorded with guest musicians. Besides being a musician, Alexandre runs his own independent record label, Poptones, and an arts collective company, Sublime. Thanks to The Weatherman, the MAP sites are the first in the world where Chloe’s Hair is downloadable for free. Obrigado.
http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/2200600_wk3pb/The_Weatherman_Chloes_Hair.mp3

ROMANIA – Babylon Noise http://babylonoise.wordpress.com/
Les Elephants Bizarres – Have No Fear http://www.myspace.com/leselephantsbizarres
Les Elephants Bizarres is an alternative band formed in 2007 in Bucharest. Not really like those big, apathetic creatures, these dancing, multi-coloured Elephants are a very fresh and vivid appearance in the Romanian music scene. Their concerts often stir up the audience and make them dance with their indie-pop-disco-punk motley sounds. You can download some of their other songs and watch live performances on their website (http://www.leseb.ro/).
http://www.cnimigean.btn.ro/babylonoise/Les%20Elephants%20Bizarres%20-%20Have%20No%20Fear.mp3

SCOTLAND – The Pop Cop http://thepopcop.blogspot.com/
Evan Crichton – Holiday Time http://www.myspace.com/evancrichton
Glasgow-based Evan Crichton is a rare talent. He’s a singer whose songs have a timeless feel, perhaps because they are immaculately paced and seem to exist in a world and space all of their own. After a year-long absence, Evan has just returned to playing live with a full band set-up and the Scottish music scene is a better place for it. Holiday Time is taken from his debut record Bright Our Broken Days.
http://www.eardrumsmusic.com/MAP/Evan%20Crichton%20-%20Holiday%20Time.mp3

SINGAPORE – I’m Waking Up To... http://wakingupto.wordpress.com/
I Am David Sparkle – Jaded Afghan http://www.myspace.com/iamdavidsparkle
The curious name of Singaporean band I Am David Sparkle is a literal translation of a famous Malaysian disco singer in the 80s called M. Daud Kilau. Their music, however, shows only a hint of that nostalgia. In Jaded Afghan, taken from their second album This Is The New, a carefully woven ambience is animated by an intriguing blend of beats and bleeps that moves back and forth in time. For me, though, what most subtly drives this track forward in the end is the sound of a gently wandering guitar, lightly treading but hugely moving, with slightly darker rumblings underneath.
http://wakingupto.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/i-am-david-sparkle-jaded-afghan.mp3

SOUTH KOREA – Indieful ROK http://indiefulrok.blogspot.com/
The Invisible Fish – Fallen http://fuzzpop.net
Once the male half of Bluedawn – Korea’s foremost folk/dream-pop duo – The Invisible Fish is now completely on his own. For those who know Bluedawn his music is still familiar, but he’s experimenting more and the songs are more personal. Not wanting to compromise with his new-found post-noise-folk sound, The Invisible Fish releases everything by himself and put out his second solo EP, Loss/Sleepless last month.
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/12/5/2212496/The%20Invisible%20Fish%20-%20Fallen.mp3

SPAIN – El Blog De La Nadadora http://lanadadora.blogspot.com/
Saioa – Is It Possible http://www.myspace.com/saioasounds
From our point of view, Saioa has changed the concept of the singer-songwriter. She comes from the Basque land and her debut album, Matrioska Heart, was released in 2008 on the small Spanish label Moonpalace (http://moonpalacerecords.com/). Her songs follow a folk pattern with influences such as Low and Leonard Cohen.
http://www.fileden.com/files/2008/12/5/2212489/10%20is%20it%20possible.mp3

SWEDEN – Swedesplease http://www.swedesplease.net/
The Bridal Shop – The Ideal State http://www.myspace.com/thebridalshop
I can’t say enough good things about The Bridal Shop. They perfectly meld the sounds of electronic pop of the 80s with shoegaze of the 90s and indie from the 00s. In other words they’re the complete package. Their Peruvian label (I know that’s kind of a weird locale for a Swedish group) Plastilina Records (http://www.plastilinarecords.com/) deserves kudos as well for releasing some of the best indie-pop this side of Cloudberry. This song is from the band’s mini-album, In Fragments, out in February.
http://www.plastilinarecords.com/mp3/bridal.mp3

To download all 21 songs in one file click here:
http://www.zshare.net/download/54115620dc4b26e4/

The label released of three new albums, plus the digital distribution of J. Tillman’s from Fleet Foxes back-catalog. Last Spring they released Travel by Sea’s sophomore LP, Days of My Escape, followed up in the Fall with Le Switch’s full-length debut, And Now…Le Switch, and The Henry Clay People’s For Cheap Or For Free. The Aquarium Drunkard recapped each release in a recent blog post. We're going to play a couple of tracks by each of these three artists.

The Playlist

First 7 tracks are from this post: Autumn Tone Records :: 2008 Recap

The Henry Clay People are a rock and roll band from Los Angeles. With common comparisons to Pavement and The Replacements they play a type of no-frills, pretention-free rock that has sorely been missing from LA. The band is made up of brothers Joey (vocals, guitar) and Andy (guitar, vocals) Siara, Noah Green (bass, vocals) and Eric Scott (drums).

The Henry Clay People :: Something In The Water
The Henry Clay People :: Working Part Time

Le Switch

A Los Angeles based rock ‘n’ roll band fronted by singer/guitarist Aaron Kyle.

The band’s self-released debut EP, Hello Today, came out in early 2007. Soon, Eastside Angelenos couldn’t escape them. They played shows pretty much every week at The Echo, Spaceland, Little Radio, Silverlake Lounge, El Cid, El Rey, The Scene and the Viper Room.

Le Switch :: Simple Gifts
Le Switch :: Give Me Something

J. Tillman

Since 2004, J. Tillman has quietly been releasing records, some of limited quantity, some mostly available in Europe, but for the most part, unheard. The borderline-alienating starkness and well lived-in narratives of his first two records, “I Will Return” and “Long May You Run, J. Tillman” (released in limited runs of 150) endeared him to fans of Nick Drake, Will Oldham and fellow Seattle resident Damien Jurado; one of the first to hear his recordings, and who would, early on, take him on his first US tour. In 2006, after three months in Europe touring on his third album, “Minor Works”, Tillman recorded his fourth collection of songs at home with his brother and roommate. “Cancer and Delirium” strikes a perfect balance between the intimacy of his earlier releases with the nuanced, melodic sense of “Minor Works.” Each song is imbued with the same strikingly disconsolate singing and devastatingly poignant prose that Tillman is known for and accented with some of his most gorgeous, spare arrangements.

J. Tillman :: Steel On Steel

http://www.travelbyseamusic.com/store/

No ordinary post-folk outfit, Travel by Sea’s music explores an aural countryside far past the traditional confines of their predecessors. While tales of travel and distance have long been songwriting mainstays for generations, Travel By Sea builds their vivid, spacious music on a new frontier: The ability to craft songs from afar.

For nearly three years Tustin, California’s Kyle Kersten and Denver, Colorado’s Brian Kraft have been painstakingly building their music via the internet.
Their 2006 self released debut “Shadows Rise” won critical acclaim and a growing legion of fans worldwide.

Look for their much anticipated follow-up “Days of My Escape” to be released late summer 2007 on Los Angeles’ Autumn Tone Records.

Tracks:

Signal Hill

Signal Hill is an instrumental band from Los Angeles, CA. With influences such as The Mercury Program, Tristeza, My Bloody Valentine, Cinematic Orchestra and others, they play melodic, mid tempo, vocal-less tracks.

http://www.myspace.com/signalhill

The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra

The Flying Tourbillon (Tour-Bee-On) Orchestra, or FTO, came together in the summer of 2007 under the guidance of lead songwriter Hunter Cousteau. Combining dark storytelling with deft songwriting, the result became a collection of idiosyncratic pop songs replete with intricate instrumentation and lush male/female vocal harmonies. Their distinct musical style was born out of the idea to marry the sounds of classic pop and old-time rock n’ roll with something newer, enabling the band to draw from the urgency of modern indie rock while fashioning a curiously ‘out-of-time’ sound.

http://ftomusic.com/

Track: In a dream

The Rhone Occupation is a new band from Los Angeles, started as friends getting together to play along to songs written by (singer) Jacob Summers. While pulling from influences: Radiohead, Liam Flinn, Death Cab for Cutie, Tom Petty, and Bright Eyes; the Rhone Occupation has found a sound that is both recognizable and yet, largely unique. The Rhone Occupation is currently recording their debut record release, "would it kill you to talk this out?" in Venice, CA.

The Amateurs

The Amateurs' sound is all at once familiar, yet difficult to pin down. Huge drums and twisting guitars sometimes call to mind Zeppelin-inspired jams while the violin pushes the sound closer to the realm of fiddle-driven Fairport Convention. There are hints of classic artists like Fleetwood Mac and The Who and contemporary artists like Wilco and Midlake. But The Amateurs distill their influences into something that transcends a simple rehash of what they like to listen to. There are even shades of classical music especially apparent in their haunting, sprawling instrumentals. One listen makes it clear that The Amateurs revel in beautiful harmony, textural interplay, and dynamic crescendos.

http://www.myspace.com/amtrs

Karma King

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