Balkan Beat Box - Mexico City

Tenochtitlan, Winter 1980. Photograph by Jyothi Subbarao.

Mexico City by Balkan Beat Box.

Serbo-Croatian gypsy and wedding music is one of Mayur's favorites, although he's never had the chance to sample the article in its natural habitat; Kate, on the other hand, was lucky enough to trawl around the former Yugoslavia listening to all kinds of great stuff in all kinds of interesting places.

Balkan Beat Box, on the other hand, evokes places a bit removed from Eastern Europe. Started by Ori Kaplan (fmr Gogol Bordello) and Tamir Muskat (fmr Firewater), BBB is a mishmash of Eastern European, Latin, Israeli, Spanish, North African, industrial, techno and umpteen other styles. However, in the best tradition of its wedding-band antecedents, BBB is a hoot to listen to. Also apparently to party with; we're still regretting missing out on the vodka-soaked after-party of a couple weeks ago.

This song is one of the less cacophonic on their latest album, Nu Med, and in our opinion is that beautiful part of the mishmash where all component elements merge perfectly. Between the Robert Johnson-like guitar hook (we were sure it was a sample for weeks) to the Talib Kweli-like spoken-word refrain, to the Spanish trumpet, it's a mess of elements that really shouldn't work together, and are assembled without a deep soundbed to blend them (it's piece 1 plus piece 2 plus piece 3, etc. with no linking sound effect or unifying instrumental), but somehow, it all comes together, perhaps even as much as the next tune...

Now all mp3!

Dear All,

It occurred to Mayur rather late in the day that MPEG-4 (the standard iTunes format) also happens to be a pain to use for anyone who doesn't have an iPod or use iTunes as his/her music player. So we went back and converted all the music files to mp3. If you were having trouble playing or downloading anything, you may want to go back and get it now!

Super Rail Band - Armee Malienne

Malian currency. Original source CIA Factbook Online.

Armee Malienne by the Super Rail Band.

A classic track from this band's early days in the '70s, from the recently re-released Soundiata LP.

Super Rail Band originated as, of all things, a cost-cutting effort by the Mali Ministry of Information. Following the country's independence in the early 1960s, the Ministry had originally been tasked with sponsoring multiple music programs to support Malian culture. However, after large budget cuts, they were unable to continue any of these programs at their original level. In order to stay within budget, they pulled together some street musicians (including a local griot singer named Salif Keita, who was later to become an African pop megastar) and set them up at the local railway station hotel in Bamako to play gigs. The band became an enduring sensation, and the rest is history.

So perhaps fiscal responsibility has its ancillary advantages...

The Pixies - Ana

Anastasia Gouletas Burk, est. April 5, 2007.

Ana by the Pixies.

A simple, minimalist track that hopefully provides a little acerbic sting after the over-the-topness of "Push Push."

Bang Camaro - Push Push (Lady Lightning)

An awesome band to rock out to...


...or to keep up with on Guitar Hero!



Push Push (Lady Lightning) by Bang Camaro.

If our age has a musical zeitgeist, then Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and their antecedents seems to be what it's about.

This one's for all the kids who are looking forward to getting a big box of simulated instruments under the tree this holiday!

Cab Calloway - 15 Minute Intermission

Cate Blanchett as Bob Dylan, from the film I'm Not There (2007).

15-Minute Intermission by Cab Calloway, from Bob Dylan's "Theme Time Radio Hour" show, 1 January 2007.

Dylan's radio show is about as unconstructed, wacky, and defiant of interpretation as the man himself. The theme for the show we took this from is "time," but in this case we'll claim that it's just about the stated theme of the piece itself: A break between songs. Of course, we're not being entirely sincere. We'd like to think that Dylan would be proud.

Olive Harvest - Simon Shaheen

Olives, market in Sofia, Bulgaria, 1996.

Olive Harvest by Simon Shaheen.

So, this track isn't exactly obscure. Shaheen, a Palestinian born in Galilee, has taught music at the Academy of Music in Jerusalem, the Manhattan School of Music, and Columbia University, and was the recipient of the National Heritage Award in 1994. He also rescues Bang On A Can from ridiculous abstruseness for Mayur every year! But, it is certainly a model of the successful evolution of classical musical modes, as much as the Srinivas piece.

Shaheen plays both oud and violin on this track; as with Paul McCartney on his latest album, the "One mind, many instruments" style makes one have to wonder how he can duplicate this sort of performance live with another musician filling one of those roles.