Last X records you bought, 4th quarter 2003

Ry Cooder and the other guy with the Spanish name: Mambo Sinuendo
Various Artists: Nu Afrobeat Experience

I haven't seen any mention of the second one, on ILM, but it seems pretty good at first listen. It came out last year, sort of another tribute to Fela, but not as overly as Red Hot + Riot. Overall this seems closer to the original Afrobeat sound (and the vocalists sound primarily African to me), though there is some borrowing from house, for example. (The houseified tracks work for me, but I'm not sure what people who are house fans would think.) Includes a Tony Allen track.

chas smith - aluminum overcast
bach - secret of the semitones - andrew lawrence-king, baroque harp
bubba sparxxx - deliverance
wanna buy a craprak?
pluramon - dreams top rock (impeccably simulated, but why? strong reservations)
deadbeat vs. stephen beaupre - it's a crackhaus thing ($3)
aelters - ardchilds' com.undo
yoshihide / takemura - turntables and computers
linda perhacs - parallelograms
mary margaret o'hara - apartment hunting
harold budd - la bella vista
bartok plays bartok - microkosmos
beethoven - diabelli variations - pollini

Marcel Khalife: Caress
Various: From the Libyan Folklor [sic]Music

Very interesting new instrumental album from Marcel Khalife. He's mixing jazz elements with Arab music, not an original idea I realize, but I like what he's doing here more than I like just about any other combination of Arab music with jazz that I've heard. I'm glad he is getting away from the big orchestral works which all sounded the same to me, and which I didn't like to begin with. The personnel includes his sons (I assume): Rami and Bachar Khalife, Peter Herbert (who typically plays with jazz musicians) on bass, and a cameo appearance by violinist Omar Guey (soloing). The first three or four tracks flow together quite nicely, but the fifth--what is this--this thing? I heard something very similar in a song on an older Khalife album. It's like an extended Chopinesque version of "Happy Birthday To You!" Unbelievably sacharine. I have no idea what he is trying to do here. Nothing else on the CD is like that one track, although I'm not crazy about his son Rami's piano playing in some cases. A little too influenced by Romantic era classical piano. (Both his sons are trained in European classical music.) Overall, I like it quite a bit. The use of vibraphones (played by Bachar) adds an unexpected color, which works extremely well with Arab rhythms. The second track has an odd disjunctive sort of rhythm that seems to borrow from free jazz. (It's not Arab, I'm sure, and it's not a straightahead jazz rhythm.) Also, the audio quality is very high. I hope this Khalife CD gets some press. (I hope the label is sending out review copies, and not just to "world music" magazines, but to other places where it might have a chance of being covered.)

I've only heard part of Disc 1 of the 3-CD set of folkloric music from Libya. I guess it's not too different from other Islamic mystical trance-oriented type stuff I have heard from North Africa, though I like it a little better than I usually like such recordings. The melody is very Arab sounding, to me, while the rhythms seem more African. I think this would be great live. The sound quality is not very good, but there is an echoey female announcer at the beginning of a couple tracks, and the lo-fi sound gives that a psychedelic sort of quality. (It's very brief though.)

Now all I've got to do is resist the urge to order anything else for another 13 hours and 16 minutes....

"Remasters" - Led Zep (£3)
"The singles" - The Bluetones (£2)
"Roxy Music" - Roxy Music (£2) - all WH Smiths on Boxing Day
"Asleep in the back" - Elbow
"The singles" - The Smiths - both £5 from MVC.

I'm pissed off as hell about "The singles" because quite frankly, it isn't. If I wanted to compile the versions of the singles on the original albums, I would have done it myself thank you and not paid Warners a fiver for the pleasure. No, I want the proper "Boy with the thorn in his side" thank you, and I suppose I'll have to go and get "The world won't listen" to get it. Sigh.

Goldfrapp - Black cherry
St Germain - Tourist
Teenage Fanclub - Best of
Blur - Think tank
Nina Simone - Misunderstood
O Brother where art thou OST
Pink Floyd - Wish you were here
Ultravox - Vienna
3 CD box of classic disco
Cliff Richard, yes Cliff Richard- 1980's
Big beach boutique II
Dolly Parton - Little sparrow
Pet Shop Boys - Disco 3
Audio Bullys - Ego war
Best of Tony Christie
ELO - Gold collection (harvest era comp)
Prefab Sprout - Swoon
DJ Shadow - Private press

from eBay
Sandy Denny - Listen listen
John Lennon - Mind games
Marianne Faithfull - Kissing time

and 25 lp's and singles from Scope for £3 including an original pressing of Disraeli gears and Lawnchairs by Our daughters wedding. Makes up for getting sod all music for Christmas.

How are the Kites & Wolf Eyes things?

uhm

-- Jens (wimpshak...), November 26th, 2003.

wow.