KRONOS QUARTET AND ASHA BHOSLE You've Stolen My Heart: Songs From R.D. Burman's Bollywood (Nonesuch) cd 21.00
We've already sold a ton of these. It's not hard to see why. Everybody loves Bollywood film music, and Asha Bhosle is the queen of Indian cinema singers. And the always-adventurous chamber group the Kronos Quartet are pretty cool as well, aren't they? So the idea of Kronos teaming up with Bhosle to record a bunch of the best film songs written by famous Bollywood composer Rahul Dev Burman (1939-1994) is a fine one, and it's worked out marvelously on this disc. Rather than the hyperkinetic, energetic style of music that accompanies the big production dance numbers so often characteristic of Bollywood film, these tracks are of a more languid, moody variety, full of tender sentiment and romantic yearning. Perfect for the sad yet uplifting strings of Kronos (with help on tabla and other percussion from guest Zakir Hussain, and also Wu Man on pipa). And of course perfect for the lovely voice of Bhosle, who sang so many of these songs originally. We said "moody" but these moods do range widely, from sad to seductive to joyous.
This package (which comes ensconced in a nice metallic cardstock slipcase) includes a thick booklet full of detailed notes and photos. You get lyrics and even a synopsis of each of the films in which these songs first appeared, generally back in the early '70s. All in all, gorgeous tribute to Burman and his classic Bollywood ballads, and mostly likely a worthy introduction to them for many.
MPEG Stream: "Dum Maro Dum (Take Another Toke)"
MPEG Stream: "Mehbooba Mehbooba (Beloved, O Beloved)"
MPEG Stream: "Nodir Pare Utthchhe Dhnoa (Smoke Rises Across The River)"

KUBAN, ALI HASSAN From Nubia To Cairo (Piranha) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Anyone captivated by the hypnotic grooves found on the great "Ethiopiques" series should check out this not-dissimilar music by one of Ethiopia's neighbors to the north. The late Egyptian bandleader Ali Hassan Kuban, who passed away this summer at the age of 72, had a thirty-plus year career playing his unique brand of Nubian dance music. Indeed, he was a major million-selling artist known as "The James Brown of Nubian Music", and this new cd collects some of his biggest hits. Blending Sudanese, Egyptian, and Western traditions and technologies (from early on, his band utilized electric guitars, basses and organs along with horns and various ethnic instruments), his music is fun, funky and infectious!
RealAudio clip: "Amira"
RealAudio clip: "Yah Nasma Yah Halina"

KUBAN, ALI HASSAN Real Nubian (Piranha) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
A fairly recently recorded collection by the "James Brown of Nubian music." Ali Hassan Kuban has been both celebrated for fusing jazz / popular music with traditional Nubian music by many and reproved for debasing it by others. Nevertheless, Kuban made an indelible mark on Nubian and Egyptian popular music, selling millions of copies of his records in his 72 years. "Real Nubian" was recorded between 1997 & 2000 and demonstrates that Kuban was not shy, even in his golden years, to incorporate new and modern elements into his arrangements. So it should come as no surprise that this album has a greater presence of synthesizer and electric bass, but also harmonica, saxophone, bagpipes and even a little bit of vocal processing a la Cher's "Believe" on one track. It all gets a little too Peter Gabriel at times and maybe a little rich for some palates, but if you can get past the chilled white wine and restaurant dining al fresco production values of this album the same Ali Hassan Kuban spirit and inventiveness remains there underneath it all.
RealAudio clip: "Gammal"
RealAudio clip: "Koma Wo Beda"

KUTI AND THE AFRICA '70 WITH GINGER BAKER, FELA Live! (MCA / Universal) cd 15.98
Oh my god! We're overwhelmed with this sudden spasm of Fela Kuti reissue activity -- a dozen cds (many of them containing two LPs worth of music) in the last couple weeks alone, with more on the way! Needless to say, we're not YET able to offer reviews of each individual disc, but when we've plowed through them perhaps we'll re-list any especially stand-out gems. On the whole, though, we're pretty certain you can count on the majority to be essential '70s Afro-Beat from the originator and master of the style.

KUTI, FELA Army Arrangement (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98

KUTI, FELA Beasts Of No Nation (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98
Here's three more in the continuing onslaught of reissues of classic records by the King of Afro-beat. Since we're still working sifting through the last dozen, again we'll just list that we have these and hopefully provide some more specific reviews at some future date!

KUTI, FELA Best Of The Black President (Knitting Factory Records) 2cd 21.00

MPEG Stream: "Lady"
MPEG Stream: "Water No Get Enemy"
MPEG Stream: "Coffin For Head Of State"
MPEG Stream: "ODOO"

KUTI, FELA Coffin For Head of State / Unknown Soldier (Universal) cd 16.98

KUTI, FELA Everything Scatter / Noise For Vendor Mouth (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98

KUTI, FELA Expensive Shit / He Miss Road (Universal) cd 16.98

KUTI, FELA Ikoy Blindness / Kalakuta Show (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98

KUTI, FELA J.J.D. / Unnecessary Begging (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98

KUTI, FELA Live In Amsterdam (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98

KUTI, FELA Monkey Banana / Excuse O (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98

KUTI, FELA Open & Close / Afrodesiac (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

KUTI, FELA Opposite People / Sorrow Tears and Blood (Wrasse Records) cd 15.98

KUTI, FELA Original Suffer Head / I.T.T. (Universal) cd 16.98

KUTI, FELA Roforofo Fight (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98

KUTI, FELA Stalemate / Fear Not For Man (Universal) cd 16.98

KUTI, FELA Teacher Don't Teach Me Nonsense (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

KUTI, FELA The '69 Los Angeles Sessions (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98

KUTI, FELA The Best Of Fela Kuti: Music Is The Weapon (Wrasse) 2cd + dvd 33.00
Here's a mighty impressive set for all you Fela Kuti fans out there: two cds packed with his best (Gentleman, Zombie, No Agreement, Coffin For Head of State and more) and the legendary 1982 documentary on Fela shot in Lagos, Nigeria. While the running time is only 53 minutes, there's nary a moment of un-necessary footage. Along with shots of Lagos and interviews with Fela there's plenty of footage of rare live performances at Fela's Shrine club and at the collective where he and his group reside. It must also be noted that this DVD includes both the French and English versions of the documentary which are different -- so it is recommended that you watch both.
MPEG Stream: "Zombie"
MPEG Stream: "Coffin For Head of State"

KUTI, FELA The Two Sides of Fela: Jazz & Dance (Universal) 2cd 24.00
Two disk anthology of Fela Kuti's grand ouevre. As the title implies, one disk focuses on Fela's jazz oriented cuts and the other on his dance elements -- though parsing those two, which are so entwined in all his music, is somewhat tough. Never the less, this is a pretty good introduction to the music of Fela Kuti, spanning twenty years of his prolific career (with tracks from as far back as 1972 and as recent as 1992) and is recommended to those who are curious about his work, but have yet to make any commitments.

KUTI, FELA The Underground Spiritual Game (Quannum Projects) cd 16.98
Fela Kuti is on of those artists that's really difficult to pull off putting together a "best of" collection. Not necessarily because it's just too hard to choose selections for such an anthology, but because his songs are just too damn long to fit much more than four tracks on a disc. That doesn't really make much of a greatest hits album. I'm not sure whether this was Quannum intent on putting this together, but a DJ mix running through some of Fela's greatest tracks works really well as a best of. As a continuous mix The Underground Spiritual Game is able to retain the feeling of Fela's extended song structure, but also give the listener a taste of a variety of Fela tracks. As such this disc makes a fine introduction to Fela for those yet to dive into his extensive oeuvre.
MPEG Stream: "Trouble Sleep"
MPEG Stream: "Unnecessary Begging"

KUTI, FELA Underground System (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98

KUTI, FELA Upside Down / Music of Many Colours (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98

KUTI, FELA V.I.P. / Authority Stealing (Wrasse) cd 15.98

KUTI, FELA Zombie (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98

KUTI, FELA & HIS KOOLA LOBITOS S/t (Klimt) lp 27.00

KUTI, FELA AND HIS AFRICA 70 s/t (Fela Fela Fel) (Kalakuta Sunrise / Knitting Factory) 10" 16.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
4 songs, recorded in LA in 1969; cover is replica of first Nigerian Fela Kuti record, LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES.

KUTI, FELA RANSOM Lagos Baby: 1963-1969 (Light In The Attic) 2cd 28.00

KUTI, FELA RANSOM Lagos Baby: 1963-1969 (Light In The Attic) 2lp+10" 38.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

KUTI, FEMI Fight To Win (MCA ) cd 17.98
New album from the son of Fela Kuti -- the king himself -- and I'm sure it's just as hard not to draw comparisons to his father as it is for him to live in his shadow, but that's the way it is. Femi's got a big studio budget, uses all the appropriate "world beat" signifiers in his arrangements, and the result sounds like a head on collision betwixt Fishbone and Peter Gabriel... Ouch. I'll stick with papa's old tricks.
RealAudio clip: "Walk On the Right Side"

KUVEZIN, ALBERT AND YAT-KHA Re-Covers (Plane / Yat-Kha Recordings) cd 22.00
The best cover versions, we always think, are the ones where the band doing the covering really makes the song being covered their own, do you agree? Then, that makes this one of the best covers albums ever, 'cause regardless of whether Kuvezin and Yat-Kha are doing Led Zeppelin or Kraftwerk, it sounds like the music of the steppes. That's right, Yat-Kha are the band from Tuva in Central Asia whose music is already a hybrid of the rustic folk traditions of their native land and Western rock, on records like Yenisei-Punk and Tuva-Rock. We like 'em very much. I mean, a rock band with a throat-singer is hard to beat!
Vocalist Albert Kuvezin is always a regular member of Yat-Kha (he's the band leader in fact), but he gets special star billing here I guess 'cause the songs they're doing are his selections, reflecting his influences outside of Tuvan folk music. You can tell that the counter-cultural Kuvezin is no garage-band or electro-clash obsessed youngster, but the tracks he's picked are, taste-wise, pretty right-on. A good balance of the hip, classic, and obscure. The aforementioned Zeppelin and Kraftwerk songs are also joined by the works of Hank Williams, Iron Butterfly (it says "via Slayer" but we don't hear any of the latter), Joy Division, Captain Beefheart (whose voice Kuvezin must love!), Motorhead (another vocalist Kuvezin clearly appreciates), the Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, and others, including some less familiar names like Russian cult figure Vladmir Vysotskiy and Tuvan symphonic composer Alexei Baktrevitch Tchyrgal. There's notes on each track (about why they were chosen, what they mean to Albert and Yat-Kha) and even a map pinpointing the geographical origins of the original artists. There's of course a novelty aspect to this in part, we can't deny (just as we can't deny that it's just plain cool to hear "Orgasmatron" performed acoustically with a singer who makes Lemmy's gargle sound like the voice of a song-bird) but it's not as if Kuvezin and Yat-Kha aren't serious, and like we said, they really make these songs their own -- you might not always immediately figure out what you're hearing, and even when you do, if you didn't know better you might be able to believe that "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" was originally a Tuvan tune, for example, meant for Kuvezin's rumbling voice and the high lonesome Country Eastern sounds of Yat-Kha's traditional instrumentation.
MPEG Stream: "In A Gadda Da Vida"
MPEG Stream: "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

L'ORCHESTRE KANAGA DE MOPTI s/t (Kindred Spirits) lp 19.98

L'ORCHESTRE NATIONAL A DE LA REPUBLIQUE DU MALI s/t (Mississippi) lp 14.98
**MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT**
One of two new Mississippi Records releases this week, this one from L'Orchestre National De La Republique Du Mali, one of several groups (this one designated 'A' as they were the first) organized as the National Orchestra for Mali, on the heels of Mali's independence, featuring the best musicians in the country, each sworn to "serve their country by contributing with all their genius to the protection and revalorization of Malian musical art". As not all the musicians could perform in the same band, thus were born the different National Orchestras, those designated 'B' and 'C'.
This version of Mali's National Orchestra was led by legendary Malian musician Keletigui Diabate, and the record is so fantastic, lush and melodic, with warm lustrous guitars, gorgeous vocals harmonies, and while most of the record is festive and celebratory, there are a few tracks that are a bit darker, more minor key, and those are the ones that definitely stand out, "Janfa" is the tale of a lost love, and sounds like it, intense and dramatic and melancholy, with some incredible and complexly melodic guitar playing, while "Duga" is an extended almost Ethiopian style groove, with tendril like guitars, incredible sung/spoken vocals, emotional and moving, the whole thing strangely and subtly psychedelic, those tracks perfectly balancing the rest of the records ebullience. So good.
Pressed on super thick vinyl, and housed in a heavy full color sleeve, the back featuring the liner notes from the original release.

LA DRIVERS UNION POR POR GROUP, THE Por Por: Honk Horn Music Of Ghana (Smithsonian Folkways) cd 16.98
Ghana must be a really loud place. Even just based on the amount of honking that that goes on there. Vehicles honk often and repeatedly, to shoo pedestrians or cyclists out of the way, to signify annoyance with slow traffic or blocked roadways, to signify a desire to change lanes or pass, to get the attention of other drivers or just because they're so thrilled to be driving. Taxis honk rhythmically to attract fares, buses also honk rhythmically while their drivers sing out the various destinations. But there's more than just honking, sound systems blast music, stalls selling their wares broadcast songs and sounds, prayers are broadcast through large speakers affixed to the outsides of mosques...
Sonic chaos certainly. But at the same time, all of these sounds merge into a strange sort of music, the sounds of a city going through the motions of daily life. Chaotic certainly, but also vibrant. Unique. And so alive. A joyful celebration of everyday activities.
At the root of all of this sound is Por Por, the honk horn music of Ghana. Por Por, pronounced 'paaw paaw', an onomatopoeic description of the local drivers' honking squeeze-bulb horn music, was initially just that, the sounds of a city in motion, but eventually, the drivers who helped keep the city moving, took the sounds of their work day and turned it into music. Horns honking, found percussion, wrenches on tires, pipes on concrete, drums, pumping up tires, singing and shouting, those sounds became ritualized, and became their own music, with particular sounds and rhythms and arrangements, and a specific purpose. This music while a reflection of the city around it, was rarely performed in public, but instead, was almost exclusively performed at union drivers' funerals, those funerals very reminiscent of the New Orleans jazz funeral, replete with processions, music obviously, and coffins modeled on the various buses and trucks carrying the dead to the afterlife. The story of por por, of Ghana and its independence is a long one, far to intricate and complex to get into here, but La, the province from which these drivers and horn honkers hail, was critical to the resistance to colonial rule, refusing to pay taxes, fighting a proposed ban on por por horns, a strong sense of community, were all critical to the region's struggle for independence.
So in honor of this year's golden anniversary of Ghana's independence, for the first time, the La Drivers Union Por Por Group gathered to record the music that had been such a part of their culture and their life. Recorded outdoors, in backyards, the sound of the city, the traffic, all around, the music of por por spills forth, effusive and celebratory, joyous and spiritual, complex and strange and like nothing we have ever heard before.
A gorgeously ramshackle rhythmic workout, metallic percussion dense and spidery, a lush framework of intricate rhythms, beneath amazing vocal arrangements, but it's the por por that make this music so unique, honking rhythmically, strange melodies, sounding a bit like geese, an orchestra of squeeze-bulb horns, locking into looped rhythmic structures, hypnotic and mesmerizing. Like traditional African music being performed during rush hour in the middle of a busy intersection. Like Konono No1 but with horns instead of amplified thumb pianos. Most of the tracks seem to be more focused on the vocals, or the hypnotic rhythms, with the horns acting more as a melodic counterpoint. But some tracks, like the opening track "Por Por Akwaaba / Welcome" are entirely about the honking horns, sounding a bit like Philip Glass or Steve Reich composing for automobile horns, rhythmic and strangely catchy, and that is when Pop Por completely captivates, when the horns lock into strange cyclical melodies, all tangled up with the vocals, complete transporting us to the dusty streets of Ghana, horns in hand, honking joyously, letting the sound and the rhythms carry us away.
The final track is especially stirring, with the Por Por group heading into the city, and setting up outside the union office, enlisting all of the drivers present, as well as enlisting the help of various passing vehicles, for a call and response salute to their Independence, the por por horns honking rhythmically, regular car horns held down, underpinning the proceedings with long keening drones, folks singing long drawn out tones, almost wailing, a dense swirl of droning honking mesmer. So intense. And moving.
As with all Smithsonian Folkways releases, there is a huge booklet, with tons of amazing photos, extensive liner notes, as well as notes on each track.
MPEG Stream: "Otsokobila"
MPEG Stream: "Trotro Tour Of Ghana"
MPEG Stream: ""Trotro Drivers, We Love You So""

LA IRA DE DIOS Cosmos Kaos Destruccion (World In Sound) cd 23.00
In our recent highlight review of No More Invention by the frantic French acid guitar punk band Gunslingers, we kinda bagged on all other modern day signings by the World In Sound label (as opposed to their rather better selection of reissues, of which we generally enthusiastically approve). Then we realized, that wasn't quite fair, 'cause besides the excellent Gunslingers, WIS has also put out good stuff by at least a couple other contemporary bands, both of 'em from South America, Peru to be precise. There's El Cuy (which we'll review when we can get more in, our supplier was out) and this one, La Ira De Dios.
We've actually stocked several earlier discs by this Peruvian power trio (sans reviews, sorry), so we knew we liked 'em. They rock it and roll it in a fat, fuzzed out "desert rock" style not unlike an Andean version of Kyuss, or Monster Magnet... Each track swirls dizzily with spaced out Hawkwindy electronic FX, while the band keeps on keepin' on, riffin' hard, hair and sweat a-flyin'. With their gravelly Spanish language vocals and command of psychedelic/Satanic drug things we also wouldn't understand, they also of course remind us of AQ faves Los Natas from Argentina. But while Los Natas sometimes get all gentle and proggy, these guys stick with the blown out, balls out rockin'. Pretty badass! The final track, a 13 minute trip called "Jamas Morire", is a category 5 stoner rock storm that definitely demonstrates that this album was not mis-titled.
MPEG Stream: "Velocidad"
MPEG Stream: "El Pacto"

LA NUEVA BANDA DE SANTISTEBAN Sabor A Fresa (Vampi Soul) cd 22.00

LA REVOLUCION DE EMILIANO ZAPATA s/t (Dynamic) cd 21.00
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Here's a nice digipak reissue of something that's reputed to be one of the best ever psych albums from south of the border, right up there with Los Dug Dugs (who'd be our personal pick). And oh yeah, it's from 1971! If you've got the "Love, Peace and Poetry: Mexican Psychedelic Music" comp then you've already heard some La Revolucion De Emiliano Zapata, though their track on that comes from their second album, Hoy, not this their debut.
First off, there's plenty of stinging acid rock guitar awesomeness here, big time FUZZ action. But there's also mellower, more melodic side to them as well. Basically they cover all the bases of badass rockin' and rollin' California sixties psych influenced garage freakdom here. And they sing in English, whereas on Hoy they switched, mainly, to Spanish, which was a radical move as the conservative Mexican government/society of the '70s apparently would tolerate a lot of things sung in English but not in Spanish. Considering that two of the song titles here are "Nasty Sex" and "Shit City" maybe that's understandable...
Hopefully Dynamic will be reissuing Hoy as well someday, it's also a good one!
MPEG Stream: "Si Tu Lo Quieres"
MPEG Stream: "Todavia Nada (Still Don't - Not Yet)"

LA REVOLUCION DE EMILIANO ZAPATA s/t (Therapeutic Records) lp 32.00
And the cool (if not cheap) vinyl reissues of vintage psych stuff roll on: we reviewed this album when there was a cd reish a few years ago, now here's an lp version...
This is a record that's reputed to be one of the best ever psych albums from south of the border, right up there with Los Dug Dugs (who'd be our personal pick). And oh yeah, it's from 1971! If you've got the Love, Peace and Poetry: Mexican Psychedelic Music comp then you've already heard some La Revolucion De Emiliano Zapata, though their track on that comes from their second album, Hoy, not this, their debut.
First off, there's plenty of stinging acid rock guitar awesomeness here, big time FUZZ action. But there's also mellower, more melodic side to them as well. Basically they cover all the bases of badass rockin' and rollin' California sixties psych influenced garage freakdom here. And they sing in English, whereas on Hoy they switched, mainly, to Spanish, which was a radical move as the conservative Mexican government/society of the '70s apparently would tolerate a lot of things sung in English but not in Spanish. Considering that two of the song titles here are "Nasty Sex" and "Shit City" maybe that's understandable...
Comes with poster insert.
MPEG Stream: "Si Tu Lo Quieres"
MPEG Stream: "Todavia Nada (Still Don't - Not Yet)"

LADIES W.C. s/t (Shadoks Music) cd 15.98
THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.
Compact disc reissue of super rare 1970 psych LP from Venezuela! We had a previous edition of this a while back, but now it's been reissued by Shadoks, with better packaging and a more legit "look". It now includes liner notes from two of the band members, reminiscing about their days in the band. And the sound quality is much better than before, not so crackly.
Remember this band's great song "People" from the Love, Peace & Poetry: Latin Amercian Psychedelia compilation? Well, that's the first track on here, followed by more bluesy jungle psych rock made by wandering Yankee hippy Stephen Scott (bass/vocals) and a group of fellow freak musicians he met in Venezuela. Although mostly full of fuzz geeetar, pounding garage-rawk energy, and wild harp blowing, there are also some moments of melancholic folk-rock gentleness -- which contrast nicely with the musique concrete elements that of course include the sound of a flushing toilet as the first thing you hear!
MPEG Stream: "People"
MPEG Stream: "And Everywhere I See The Shadow Of That Life"

LANAYA Soun Soun : La Tradition Mandingue (Terp) cd 17.98
Lanaya are a trio from Mali, all three members of so called griot castes, groups who pass on the traditions and musics of their culture from generation to generation, responsible for protecting the legacy of their people and allowing it to live on forever. That's quite a responsibility for a young African three piece still in their early twenties, but their music is wise beyond their years, most certainly an indication that for this generation at least, the sounds of Mali will live on, a sweetly melodic, liltingly hypnotic take on traditional Malian folk music that is at once musically complex but also soft and simple. The instrumentation consists of the kora, a 21-string luteharp (played by Djibril Diabate, who you might remember from a past aQ list, and whose gorgeous album Hawa, also on Terp, we raved about a few years back), the balafon, a sort of African xylophone a bit like a marimba, and the ngoni, a small sized 7-string African guitar.
The sound Lanaya conjure up with these instruments is truly sublime, a multilayered late evening soundscape of dense and dexterous melodies, dreamy and hypnotic, and so well crafted it's easy to forget how complex they actually are.
The background is a rich tapestry of warm muted percussion and repetive melodic figures, played so fast and so smoothly that they sort of bleed into each other, each note drifting subtly into the notes beside it, the result is a slowly shifting warm and warbly dreamlike smear, while in the foreground, each instrument takes its turn with one extended improvisation after another, sometimes drifting and meditative, but just as often nimble and lively. The perfect blend of tranced out Eastern ragas and soft focus African folk music. Sweetly swoonsome and delicately dreamy. Perfect early morning, twilit evening, rainy day, drifting off music.
So totally lovely.
MPEG Stream: "Jamba"
MPEG Stream: "Kedon"
MPEG Stream: "Djamana Djara"

LAS MALAS AMISTADES Jardin Interior (Psych-o-path) cd 13.98
Wow! To be able to make music that is both charming and soulful is a feat few can meet. This collective from Bogota, Columbia have done just that. Crafting really colorful minimalist pop that totally hits its mark. Eighteen short 4-track recorded songs that all feel like tiny treasures you want to keep in your pocket for good luck. Their ability to keep intact the most satisfying elements of primitive song writing while allowing themselves to explore all kinds of different sounds and styles. Think tropicalia meets The Residents meets Young Marble Giants meets a Smithsonian Folkways record of the future. Excellent!
MPEG Stream: "Malo"
MPEG Stream: "Soy Feliz"

LAS MALAS AMISTADES Jardin Interior (Honest Jon's) 3 x 7" 23.00
This great album now available on vinyl, a triple 7" set to be exact! Here's our review from when we listed the cd version:
Wow! To be able to make music that is both charming and soulful is a feat few can meet. This collective from Bogota, Columbia have done just that. Crafting really colorful minimalist pop that totally hits its mark. Eighteen short 4-track recorded songs that all feel like tiny treasures you want to keep in your pocket for good luck. Their ability to keep intact the most satisfying elements of primitive song writing while allowing themselves to explore all kinds of different sounds and styles. Think tropicalia meets The Residents meets Young Marble Giants meets a Smithsonian Folkways record of the future. Excellent!
MPEG Stream: "Malo"
MPEG Stream: "Soy Feliz"

LAS MALAS AMISTADES Patio Bonito (Honest Jon's) cd 17.98
We listed this last year at an expensive import price ($25) but said it was well worth splurging on, because of its great music and beautiful packaging. Well thankfully Honest Jons has now got a better US distribution deal, and the price has come down a bit, so we're listing it again, in case you didn't actually splurge before, but were tempted.
A couple years ago we were swept off our feet by Jardin Interior, the debut full length by a collective of artists and musicians from Bogota, Columbia known as Las Malas Amistades. We've been hungry for more of their colorful DIY pop, which reminded many of us of some strange blend of Young Marble Giants and a great lost Smithsonian Folkways record. Their follow up does not disappoint one bit. While it's a little less eclectic and quirky than Jardin Interior it's still brimming with a unique charm that is all their own. This time the sounds had us thinking of early Devendra Banhart playing Congregation covers in a friend's bedroom. Channeling the best South American psych-pop of the past with a crafty and playful disposition and a great timeless quality, you could totally imagine this coming out in 1982 as easy as today, the sounds are classic and timeless.
MPEG Stream: "Dime Lo Que Suenas"
MPEG Stream: "Desinfiado"
MPEG Stream: "U"

LASWELL, BILL Imaginary Cuba (BMG) cd 15.98
Oh, come on, Bill. Ry Cooder already did this with the Buena Vista Social Club AND without watering down the beauty of indigenous Cuban musics with tepid 'dub' basslines and generic 'ambience'. This is musical imperialism at its worst.

LATCHO DROM (OST) (Caroline) cd 15.98
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LAU NAU Nukkuu (Locust) cd 14.98
Lau Nau's Nukuu walks an incredibly fine line between the expansive forms and consistent density and texture of drone music, while also hiding within that density many structural shifts more akin to folk music. Watching her music vibrate between these two poles is the main attraction on this record, but remarkably, she finds an incredible amount of detail and freedom to explore between them. The songs often anchor in centrifugal clusters of tone and texture, looping and feasting on themselves, while occasionally a lyrical vocal passage, or a particularly noteworthy electronic or acoustic phrase will emerge to a more singular position in the mix. Other songs however, are less roiling and give the listener the opportunity to bask in the delicacy and winsome precision in Lau's voice, sometimes creaky and childlike, other times whispered and ghostly. Lau's decisions regarding the modalities and textures of her instrumentation, as well as the cadences of her lyrics, sung in Suomi, all reflect Finland's liminal position between the influences of Europe and Asia. That said, given her lo-fi recording approach at times, she can sound eerily similar to some of the '78s we've been graced with in the past year from Dust-to-Digital's Victrola Favorites and Black Mirror collections. The obvious comparisons to Islaja and Kuupuu, her collaborators in Hertta Lussu Assa, yields Lau a more innocent, gentle, and dare we say motherly distinction, as opposed to the bewitching dark humor of the other two. Without indulging her biography too much, it is worth noting Lau gave birth to a son in the interim since her last album. Apparently much of the record was written while her child was sleeping, and so too it is titled, "sleeps." Naturally it follows that there are a few lullabies in the mix, but there is also a keen sense of independence, as though these songs are about digesting much more than motherhood, a feet in itself. Like another Scandinavian luminary on this list, El Perro Del Mar, Lau butts up against an almost hymnal like intimacy at times, though her work is naturally more feral, and less controlled and crystalline. Fans of all things Finnish will obviously be pleased, but those who've enjoyed Natural Snow Buildings, acts from the Dronevolk compilation, and even Valet will also find themselves gently coaxed into a similar but challenging musical terrain. All told, atmospheric and entrancing, subtle and intelligent, composed and vulnerable, Nukuu comes highly recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Lue Kartalta"
MPEG Stream: "Painovoimaa, Valoa"

LAU NAU Nukkuu (Locust) lp 21.00
Lau Nau's Nukuu walks an incredibly fine line between the expansive forms and consistent density and texture of drone music, while also hiding within that density many structural shifts more akin to folk music. Watching her music vibrate between these two poles is the main attraction on this record, but remarkably, she finds an incredible amount of detail and freedom to explore between them. The songs often anchor in centrifugal clusters of tone and texture, looping and feasting on themselves, while occasionally a lyrical vocal passage, or a particularly noteworthy electronic or acoustic phrase will emerge to a more singular position in the mix. Other songs however, are less roiling and give the listener the opportunity to bask in the delicacy and winsome precision in Lau's voice, sometimes creaky and childlike, other times whispered and ghostly. Lau's decisions regarding the modalities and textures of her instrumentation, as well as the cadences of her lyrics, sung in Suomi, all reflect Finland's liminal position between the influences of Europe and Asia. That said, given her lo-fi recording approach at times, she can sound eerily similar to some of the '78s we've been graced with in the past year from Dust-to-Digital's Victrola Favorites and Black Mirror collections. The obvious comparisons to Islaja and Kuupuu, her collaborators in Hertta Lussu Assa, yields Lau a more innocent, gentle, and dare we say motherly distinction, as opposed to the bewitching dark humor of the other two. Without indulging her biography too much, it is worth noting Lau gave birth to a son in the interim since her last album. Apparently much of the record was written while her child was sleeping, and so too it is titled, "sleeps." Naturally it follows that there are a few lullabies in the mix, but there is also a keen sense of independence, as though these songs are about digesting much more than motherhood, a feet in itself. Like another Scandinavian luminary on this list, El Perro Del Mar, Lau butts up against an almost hymnal like intimacy at times, though her work is naturally more feral, and less controlled and crystalline. Fans of all things Finnish will obviously be pleased, but those who've enjoyed Natural Snow Buildings, acts from the Dronevolk compilation, and even Valet will also find themselves gently coaxed into a similar but challenging musical terrain. All told, atmospheric and entrancing, subtle and intelligent, composed and vulnerable, Nukuu comes highly recommended.
MPEG Stream: "Lue Kartalta"
MPEG Stream: "Painovoimaa, Valoa"