Fantastic Five.
Leave a Comment
A lot of my music has been spoonfed to me over the last couple of weeks. I still haven’t decided how I feel about that, but it’s been interesting for my sonic palette to have to resign to whatever it’s being submitted to. Luckily, it’s mostly been pleasant. Lots of Roots, Erykah Badu and even some Flight of the Conchords who I would have never, ever, never listened to otherwise. “Business Time” is a pretty funny song.
The best part for me is working down downstairs with the vinyl where I can choose what I listen to so long as it’s from the little binder of approved cds. The other day I found the perfect science, a five cd run where I wouldn’t have to keep calling up to the main floor to have them change the cd.
Watermelon Man – Herbie Hancock [imeem]
Land of the Free, Pt. I
Leave a Comment
Perhaps one of the very best things about living in a place like Berkeley is all of the free stuff you find literally everywhere. When I first moved here a couple years ago, I went for a walk in my neighborhood to familiarize myself with my area and happened upon a “Wish Box”; some kind of community donation box with all kinds of random things you need and don’t need. There’s a thrift store down the block that has a free day every month where they just give everything away. Aside from those organized efforts, there are the frequent boxes of free things on the side of the street and outside of stores including outside of my newest job – Rasputin Music.
Last week, I lucked out so intensely that I will have to post my findings in parts. In short: hallelujah.
Close Calls.
Leave a Comment
Walking up to the cash register to leave the record store is usually a painful process where I have to try to forget all the great music I had to put back. I haven’t been able to get three albums off of my mind since yesterday.
I got to hear a track from this by Akira S & As Garotas Que Erraram [which my friend told me translates to Akira S and The GIrls Who Made Mistakes -- awesome] and I was really intrigued. It sounded like a Brazillian Joy Division. Kind of a dark wave band with cold-as-steel synths and droning vocals. Of course, I only heard one song but I was definitely impressed and want to hear more.
I had the hardest time putting this album back. The smaller print beneath the big title reads: “A Celebration of rare and unreleased Afro-Beat quarried from across the continent.” I got the chance to listen to the song on there called “Yuda” and it stopped me in my tracks. I’m sure to most it sounds like your average polyrhythmic occasion but my brain catches on cymbal-centric percussion. Definitely a gem/jam.
It’s A Vanity – Gabo Brown & Orchestre Poly-Rythmo [SAMPLE]
First stumbled upon this gem/jam on Analog Africa and my mouth started watering. After some asking around, some rotten liar told me alllllll about this album and then told me I wouldn’t be able to find it very easily. Why the lies?! I had resigned to this false truth and then while flipping through the Africa section this album appeared. I bet most of my fellow shoppers must have thought I was schizophrenic because I started cursing the liar under my breath; I had hung my heart on this album as a lost cause and then it showed up waaaay out of my budget. Expensive find but it’s the jam. So, I urge you: find it, buy it and be redeemed.
Blessed By the Free Music Gods.
Leave a Comment
Quickly and unrelated to much else: I really, really like the international news broadcasts that come on the public access channels in my area [5 Day News and India's CNN are great]. A few years ago I found DW-TV, a German program and earlier today they played some European R&B that was kind of good. Too bad it was just background music to a feature about interior design.
Today I happened upon a few free records and a bunch cassette tape singles outside of my local Rasputin. Two of the records have blank labels on them. Who knows what could be on them? One of them is a Romey Rome, 8 Ball and MJG single and the other one has “UNKNOWN BUT SICK!!” written onto one of the blank labels. I couldn’t pass them up.
The list of cassette singles is as follows:
“Make Your Move For Love” – The Rainbow Girls
Mary Jane’s Last Dance” - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
“Love Like This” – Grover Washington, Jr.
“Skin I’m In” – Cameo
“Scream/Childhood” – Michael Jackson
“Strawberry 23″ – Tevin Campbell
“Slyde” – Cameo
“Everytime My Heart Beats” – Riff
“What You Don’t Know” – Expose
“Too Much Information” – Duran Duran
“Go For Yours” – Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam Full Force
“Wonderwall” – Oasis
Compilations:
Sweet Sound ‘88
Amazing Greats
Misc:
Scary Sound Effects – Kid Rhino
Record Store Day.
Leave a Comment
[click here to view participating venues]
Yesterday I visited my local Amoeba to celebrate one of the most neglected holidays of the year: record store day. On this day DJs play music while you buy music and get music-related free things in the music store. It all sounds kind of glorious in theory and for the most part it was, but it also just seemed like they were trying to create the type of environment most people want in a record store anyway. I got there mid-way through the festivities and walked in on Pam The Funkstress [myspace] of The Coup [myspace/official site] /B.A.S.S. [myspace].
She played a cool set with a lot of mostly predictable but impressively-mixed “slappers.” It was my first time seeing a black female DJ on turntables with skill, technique and a smile. Her set was being played througout the entire store but she was set up in the world music room right by my usual dancehall/reggae stop. No one was really paying attention to her, so I stayed in there for support and so I could swipe some information from her for later.
When I left, I hit up the cheap/free records on the corner and got a few good ones. Here’s a cornucopia of the last few records I’ve scored:
Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?
1 Comment
I went to Amoeba today to trade in some old CDs for something new. As usual I got ripped off but decided to use my measly twenty dollars wisely and journeyed into the dollar vinyl stacks. Some I got for the music, some I got for the album art.
God Bless Free Fridays!
Leave a Comment
Unfortunately, I have no live-action documentation to please your eyes with because I left the digital camera at home sitting on top of my dresser. I was down earlier today and decided to go dig through the thousands of clearance albums at Amoeba. Free therapy, I like to think. On my way home, I heard drums, then piano and then a voice that I recognized. I turned the corner and stepped onto the UC Berkeley campus to see: The Fiery Furnaces!
They had a simple black platform set up as a stage and were performing live [and free!] in front of the Zellerbach Auditorium. For those of you who think this band is just a trainwreck, I won’t disagree with you. These kids are my favorite trainwreck, though. Their last album, Bitter Tea, was a car crash, but I still listened to it. And even have a few favorite songs off of it. They crank out these weird, disjointed, sometime wholly disorganized tunes with such grace and intention. I think they know they sound bizarre and they love it.
It was only a bit of a sight to see. There were students gathered around the makeshift stage where brother-and-sister duo, Matthew and Eleanor, were joined by a drummer and bassist. They played songs from their latest release, Widow City, as well as some off their past albums.
I particularly liked their rendition of “Black-Hearted Boy” which was listenable on the album but very likeable live. I noticed that most of their music sounds much, much better when it’s played live. “Single Again” was a fun, lively song that got a lot of the crowd excited. The only song off the new album that I recognized was “Duplexes of the Dead.”
Here are a couple tracks off of their last release Bitter Tea:
I’m In No Mood – Fiery Furnaces
Black-Hearted Boy – Fiery Furnaces
