Interactive Musical Map of Colombia

Soundway Records has released a compilation of the music of Colombia named The Original Sound of Cumbia. To promote the release, they've created an interactive "Musical Map of Colombia."

Link  - Via BoingBoing

Work song created by four postal workers in Ghana.

This particular piece is a field recording that was recorded by James Koetting in 1975. The music was created by the postal workers canceling stamps in the University of Ghana post office in Ghana. The whistled part is from the hymn "Bompata," by the Ghanaian composer W.J. Akyeampong (b. 1900). This type of music is created daily as a normal part of life for the Africans in Ghana.

The music is not intended for performance. In fact, the creators do not even consider what they are doing as music. They basically created it for themselves as a work song. The music probably helps the postal workers to pass the time at work and to help them somewhat enjoy the monotony of what they are doing. The music helps the workers to control the mood of the workplace.

Listen to this beautiful little work song

Link - Via Beware of the Blog and Metafilter

50 Years of Making Fuzz

Fifty years ago, a faulty connection in a mixing board gave birth to fuzz, which is a term of art. Although it came to define the sound of rock guitar, fuzz appeared first in neither guitar nor rock, but in the bass solo of country singer Marty Robbins on 'Don't Worry.' The band and producers debated whether to keep the weird sound or record another take. It stayed, and the song entered the Top 40 in February of 1961 and remained for 12 weeks.

More here - Via Tomorrow Museum

Gillian Hills is the Beat Girl

French ye-ye chanteuse Gillian Hills plays Jennifer, a teenage drawing student who sneaks out of her home every night decked out in makeup, tights and a loose button-down to hang out with her hooligan friends at The Off Beat, a coffee bar/dance club in London’s Soho district.

 An anonymous reader sent me this link in the comments but I think it merits its own post. There are a couple of video clips with a great John Barry soundtrack.

WFMU's Beware of the Blog

Canada's Top 100 Singles

New Brunswick-based music writer, arts commentator and TV producer Bob Mersereau assembled the list with the help of journalists, deejays, musicians, managers, agents, instrument makers, roadies, radio and music TV personalities, record company executives, music video producers and music fans. Some of my old favourites are here, others I never cared for. Lots of fodder for heated discussion here.

The Ugly Ducklings came in at #33

See The whole 100-single list. Let me know what you think.

The Day Before You Came

This article analyzes The Day Before You Came, an Abba song I don't remember hearing before. Abba?? Yes. This song has great lyrics that capture the time with references to Marilyn French and Dallas.

It's this ordinariness, this universality that hooks the listener immediately. Agnetha's first-person account of a day at the office, backlit by an almost unacknowledged depression, morphs into an unusually poignant parable of what modern life means. We are whisked through a sludge-grey morning commute, "heaps of papers waiting to be signed", and a rainy lunch at the "usual place" with "the usual bunch", followed by the slog home at 5pm with "Chinese food to go". Finally, at quarter past ten, our world-weary protagonist collapses into bed insisting she has "no sense of living without aim".

Hi-Fi

Hi-Fi from bante on Vimeo.

Music video for the upcoming concert season @ Bellavista Social Pub.
Via

Prelude (Detox)

clusterflock

The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl

The forthcoming exhibition "The Record: Contemporary Art and Vinyl" at the Nasher Museum of Art explores the relationship of sound, artistry and vinyl through the works of 41 artists dating back to 1960.

Years ago vinyl was my thing. I read record reviews religiously and would trot off to Sam the Record Man on Yonge St. to purchase whatever was recommended by Rolling Stone, making a sizable dent in my minimum wage salary. I had a collection that was the envy of many, all organized alphabetically within their various genres. I knew Mr. Nag and I would stay together when we made the decision to get rid of our duplicate albums. Later, when we moved from Toronto to Niagara on the Lake, we got rid of hundreds of albums at our goodbye garage sale. The woman who took them off our hands had to make three runs in her station wagon to get them all home; I wonder if she ever listened to them. I still have a couple of hundred albums gathering dust and warping quietly in some dark corner but alas I no longer have a turntable. Why do I keep them? Nostalgia for the good old days I suppose.
Anyhow, the show at the Nasher Museum of Art is right up my alley and I'd definitely go if it weren't so far away.
Link

Murder In The City

Saw this here and thought I'd pass it along.

Covered In Folk

Covered In Folk: Talking Heads

Anyone who knows The Nag knows that she loves folk music and the Talking Heads. Her shower repertoire segues from Man of Constant Sorrow to Psycho Killer and back again. This blog entry makes her absolutely giddy with pleasure.

Via

R.I.P. Kate McGarrigle

I was so sad to hear of the death of singer songwriter Kate McGarrigle at the age of 63. For more years than I care to admit I've been listening to and loving the wonderful music she made with her sister Anna. I will miss their beautiful harmonies.

R.I.P. Lhasa de Sela

Montreal singer Lhasa de Sela dies of cancer at 37

Lhasa de Sela died during the night of Jan. 1 in her Montreal apartment, according to a press release posted on her web site Sunday evening. The acclaimed singer-songwriter succumbed to breast cancer, which she had been fighting for nearly two years, at the age of 37.

Your Cheatin' Heart

I have not heard a version of this song that I have liked as much as this one. I think Beck is so cool but I"m a little long in the tooth so perhaps my opinion doesn't count.

The Stones as you've never seen them

This is freakin' weird.


Via Funky Junk Trunk

Victoria Spivey - T B Blues (1963)

Victoria Spivey - T B Blues (1963)

Jolie Blond

Nathan Abshire - Jolie Blond
by fredozydeco
Via

To-o-okyo Boogie Oogie

Via PCL LinkDump

I Was A Ye Ye Girl

Thanks to CCBC for the fantastic link.