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2009 Happiness
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Posted by alisonn (My Page) on Tue, Jan 19, 10 at 11:19
| What music made you happy in 2009?
I was particularly enjoying The Low Anthem--Oh My God, Charlie Darwin is still in heavy rotation. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: 2009 Happiness
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| Hi alisonn! Here for your annual visit? Some new stuff that made me happy in 2009: Bannakumbi (more than any other new music). Off the top of my head, I'm having trouble remembering in detail what I listened to last year. Right now, I'm trying to figure out if this is brilliant or crap or both or neither (and it's all in English!): |
Here is a link that might be useful: Marina and the Diamonds
RE: 2009 Happiness
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| I checked out Bannakumbi--very modern--I would listen more. Reminded me of a new discovery in 2009 (not a new record)--Bemba Colora by Jack Costanzo. I listened to other cuts from the album (I believe it's called Scorching The Skins), but this was the stand-out track--probably because I like the vocal so much. Are Marina and The Diamonds still with you or did it grow old quick? It sounds promising at first listen. |
RE: 2009 Happiness
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| I've already listened to that Marina and the Diamonds album over a hundred times, I'm sure, and I continue to listen to it regularly (though no longer a few times a day). I love it, warts and all. There's plenty to criticize about it, but I also think some of the criticisms that have been made have been unfair. I do think she would be better off staying away from "social commentary," but the musical side of her songwriting (which is what I care about the most anyway) is very strong and I like the heavily layered production. The 80s-style production stuff which I often find off-putting is actually enjoyable to me on this. But there's a lot of strange detail packed in, little sounds you don't necessarily notice unless you're paying attention. Plus, while her lyrics can be awful, they also can be much better than she's being given credit for. That Jack Costanzo stuff is pretty close to a lot of what I listen to, but maybe a little more retro. I guess you realize there is a ton more from where that came from. |
Latin music
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| As far as Latin music goes, there are a lot of salsa and Latin jazz bands who keep covering the classics. I would rather go back to the originals in most cases, especially since there's a lot of that material I haven't gotten to. I also prefer the styles that developed from the 60s on, prefer "salsa" to mambo for the most part (ignoring for the moment the fact that mambo is sometimes categorized as salsa, and ignoring all the arguments against the salsa label). I think it's bad for salsa that there is so much emphasis right now on re-hashing the classics. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't enjoy what you enjoy! It's like when I find something in a genre I don't normally listen to; there are always genre "experts" who will say "well, blah blah blah is better" or "his earlier albums were better," etc. One of the old classics I've only recently come to appreciate--not, not just to appreciate, but to really enjoy. What a voice! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Benny More
Some examples of his more upbeat songs
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| Benny More doing mambo and other more upbeat tunes. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Benny More
RE: 2009 Happiness
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| Boy--Benny sounds a lot like Desi Arnaz, doesn't he? |
RE: 2009 Happiness
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| Same era, I guess (maybe earlier). It's been a while since I've heard Desi Arnaz. Like, Arnaz used to sing that Babalu song, but Benny More actually was an initiate into one of the Afro-diasporan religions, where I don't think Arnaz would have been, etc. Benny More is considered more authentic and closer to the source than Desi Arnaz. Benny More is easily in the consensus top five of Cuban vocalists, I would think. I don't mean to sound too snotty about it, I really don't know Cuban music of this period in depth, so I am not really a snob about it (but if I did know it, I would probably poo-poo Desi Arnaz!). If you ever get really curious, Ned Sublette's Cuba & Its Music is a fascinating read, with lots of historical background (not just musical). |
More
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| Probably the biggest reason he is not as well known is simply that he stayed in Cuba after the revolution. (Other factors: his being afrocubano, rather than a lighter skinned Cuban; and the fact that he died young.) |
Here is a link that might be useful: Looks like a good article
RE: 2009 Happiness
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| I considered that it might make you crabby if I compared this guy with Desi, but I closed my eyes and I heard Desi's tenor, undoubtedly. Is this guy technically a better singer than Desi? Yeah, probably. Lerue--Are you into Ry-Co Jazz? I have the album 'Rhumba 'Round Africa' and I like it a lot. I'm guessing that any of my new discoveries (over the last year or two) are probably old hat to you, but I thought I'd mention the stuff I like on the off chance that you could have missed it (or want the opportunity to wax enthusiastic about it). |
RE: 2009 Happiness
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| I'm actually unfamiliar with Ry-Co Jazz. Is that a genre, band, or. . . ? |
Laura Marling
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| alisonn, are you familiar with Laura Marling? I think her new album is really good, even though it's probably not something I'm realistically going to want to listen to much. Too far removed from what I'm looking for. But I think you might like her. I put this on the other thread I think, but in case you missed it. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Devil's Spoke
Ry-Co Jazz
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| Listening to one of their songs now. I'm generally less interested in African takes on this music than I am on the stuff from Puerto Rico, Colombia, etc. But this one sounds pretty good. A lot of African music along these lines is too close to Cuban music for my taste (and in particular they really love charanga over there, which I can only take so much of). (I really tend to prefer what Puerto Rico did with salsa.) So, I'm fussy, but you already knew that. In terms of collecting things, I haven't even scratched the surface of the core Latin music I'm interested in, not that that stops me from listening to related things. |
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