Grimes - Visions (2012)

Hi there! This is my first post on FC so I should probably introduce myself. I'm Flo - I like daft things and a super-eclectic mix of tunes. So here's my opener:

After a summer of 60s renaissance and what I like to call 'sunday' music (maudlin folk etc.) I very much welcomed the arrival of Montreal's Grimes' third album 'Visions' into my shuffle playlist. An album of eclectic songs that you just want to play them again as soon as you've heard them: the album is full of songs that make you want to dance and its pretty radio friendly. Here are my two favourites:

Oblivion:

Symphonia IX (My Wait is U):

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Gang of Four - To Hell With Poverty (1981)

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Michael Hurley - Tea Song (1965)

last friday people were fighting on the street and my housemates and i were watching from a balcony in my room. small brawls are quite common in our area, but this time dozens of young revolutionaries were pelting rocks, bottles and the occasional fence at a group of muslim brotherhood adherents and vice versa. both groups kept charging at each other, one to hold on to their occupation of tahrir square, the other to break through and take over.

Hardee's - back right - closed up shop for the occasion

over a hundred people were injured and eventually the revolutionaries won the square. since the wise choice was not to go out, we played risk and listened to michael hurley.




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The Blue Rondos - Little Baby (1964)

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Rail Band - Buffet Hotel de la Gare Bamako (1973)

ghostcapital recently re-upped this Rail Band record. it's mindfuckingblowing. the band also happens to have a great story; from GC:

"The Rail Band was founded in 1970, in Mali, with the sponsorship of the railway administration and the Ministry of Information. The National Railway Company secured a permanent venue at the Buffet Bar in the Station Hotel in Bamako. The band was formed with the hope of safeguarding and developing Malian music. The general idea was that weary travelers would tumble into the Buffet Bar where the Rail Band would perform real Manding music. Singing in Bambara, a Manding language spoken not only in Mali, but also in Guinea, the Gambia, and parts of Senegal, the band adopted traditional kora and balafon songs and rhythms mixing in an Islamic-influenced vocal style to what was becoming modern urban pop music. The Rail Band's music was Manding-influenced, latin-tinged, with with lightness and swing, and despite the modern instruments you can clearly hear the strains of the original Manding music." (African Music Encyclopedia)

it's such a brilliant idea to have a government ministry pay local musicians to lay out some of the best Malian music at the station buffet bar for everyone to enjoy. check the corporate record design, inc. the buffet hotel logo top right:

ok. so here goes. imagine being all angry and tired from travelling. to escape from the searing heat you order a beer in the Bamako railway station's buffet bar and you notice there's a band playing. and then this kicks off:


grab whole album here

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Wendell Stuart & The Downbeaters - My World Is Empty Without You (1970s)

soul straight from the bahamas. the whole band seems enslaved by the rhythm, embellishing it with entrancing backing vocals and beautifully contained guitar riffs. subtle bliss.

so awesome

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Little Ann - Deep Shadows (1970)

what makes northern soul vocals so sublime? why do we believe the message?
maybe it's the lack of self-consciousness, there's no space for irony. what's left is confidence in the raw emotions it tries to convey. what could be cheese turns to gold and when little ann sings "deep shadows surround me, nobody knows," we actually believe her.



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