…Isn’t this where we came in? Perhaps, but this is much better. This is a banger from Djibouti, which means all the jokes can be made. We got some afrofunk, we got some jazz, add a sprinkle of dub and a splash of middle-eastern flair— this album’s a blast. It might be a debut, but there’s no denying it’s masterful, and perhaps even the best album to ever come out of the country. Something about it sounds irreplacably alive— which is perhaps due to the lack of partying going on and not spotting a street musician for months, but regardless.
“Up for the task and eager to deliver, the musicians promptly tore down the “no smoking or chewing khat” sign in RTD’s recording studio and began a heated, three-day, khat-fueled devilish feast of music amid a smokey haze, unleashing the very reason the band was founded”
And however long the decades long wait for an album to represent Djibouti was, it was worth it.
One of my favourite releases of 2020 so far. Should be played loud.
Hear the shellac? On Spotify you say? Yes, with the crackle. We’re in quite the time. Shoutout to the introduction of BEA’s 40s charts. Valdes has whipped up a few pivotal albums to the Cubana sound, and albeit he got slightly cornier as we went along, I think we’ve got just the right balance between corn, cheese and (ultimately) fun with Bim Bam Boom, the title track of which sounds exactly like you’d expect it. Released 71 years ago, the rhythms hold up today. Go dance.
I’ll admit, most of the albums I’ve heard from Nepal are grindcore. They’re very frustrated people. Possibly due to the lack of paved roadways and food that isn't sundried meat. But they make good grindcore. Chepang’s Chatta isn’t a long record— and by ‘not a long record’, I mean it could fit on the storage facilities of a 2002 flip-phone. Now, I don’t usually care for grindcore, it’s noisy cramped music that feels like it’s over before you hit play, but Chepang have something that clicks with me. There’s this obvious organization and composition to the tracks that come across rather technical, and the underlying jazz sensibility makes it a standout. It’s a very full, complete statement, and every shred of energy the band put into the record is spat right back into your face.
Flugelhorn free jazz you say?
Partially, you say back— partially. There’s also some trumpet.
I see, they reply.
Steve Lacy shows up too.
Last year’s reissue of Austrian Franz Koglmann’s record Flaps finally made it available for those who have somewhere less than $200 to drop on a rare avant-garde record from the early 70s. Despite the rareness, flugelhornness and free-jazzness, it’s actually quite an accessible record, and a decent gateway into the genre if you’re struggling to get your foot in the door. There’s also some beeps and boops here and there which give it a very central-Europe-in-the-70s flavour. _________________ Doubles & Conch
Uh - I unfortunately probably have nothing to offer you haven't already jammed on, but I did bookmark this list so I could embark on such a listening project:
Uh - I unfortunately probably have nothing to offer you haven't already jammed on, but I did bookmark this list so I could embark on such a listening project:
By all means, 99% of the albums I listen to here will be readily available, so feel free to undertake anything posted. The project should be about ~200 albums, and I'm going to do my best to make sure at least most of them are decent picks. _________________ Doubles & Conch
RoundTheBendI miss the comfort in being sadProfile Ground Control
For sure - I meant to say to combine with yours. You have quite a few lists that are fantastic in this regard I do intend on getting to. It seems sad that as much music as I listen to, it feels like years later I still haven't completed some of my listening goals.
I struggled a bit to find a Belize record come the first time, but I suppose it’s because this 2019 release wasn’t around and I had never heard of The Garifuna Collective. Recorded and mixed in Belize itself, Aban is a solid afro-caribbean record with some traditional island rhythms spiced up a smidge. It’s a feel good island record, but definitely not of the kind to be disregarded as “island music”. Garifuna’s a 300-year-old slowly dying culture with its own language, and there’s a bit of grit here that peeks from beneath the fun.
I’m always looking for something that sounds unlike anything I’ve heard before, and this fits the bill. I’m digging it too. Gasper Nali’s short album utilizes a massive babatoni (pictured on cover, bottle included) almost as a piano in a sense. It covers the entire sound spectrum of the record to the point there’s this wall created that typically takes two or three instruments to fill. Vocals weren’t always on-point, but the instrumental work and how the record was recorded makes for a genuinely decent handful of tracks. Hoping people give this one a spin, it’s on Bandcamp.
Haunting recording, almost like a natural take on what Caretaker goes for. I’m not sure if it was accidental or not, but the way the record’s presented creates an entirely different atmosphere than what it sound like sung live. I wanted to go Maori for NZ and managed to dig a couple records up, but I just happened to get around to this one first. Looking forward to the rest.
There’s a sliver of pavement in Amsterdam, on the east side near a wider canal, it’s only about 1x1m, but there’s a blue triangle roughly the size of a grape near one of the edges, and there’s no indication otherwise, but between the hours of 10pm and 6am if you press on it it'll open to reveal a staircase descending towards an underground club, and it’s usually packed. This is the music playing there.
Rapidfire Nyege Nyege BENDING BASS hit hit hit BAM ding fwoop FAST FAST FAST dd-d-d-d—d-d-d—d-BOOM juggle a thousand FLAMING TORPEDOES OF TEMPO ka-pow! _________________ Doubles & Conch
Really cool stuff, Hayden!!! Will be checking some of these out for sure! :D
I'm going to make sure at least most are available somewhere online for free. If you need any links, just let me know.
Luckily, since doing this last time, some countries that didn't have any available records now have some albums available, so I'll be able to add a few new places to the list (at least 5). Being said, if anyone can whip up a recommendation from San Marino, I'd appreciate it. _________________ Doubles & Conch
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