Got to spend some time with the guys from Ashtray Electric in my garage a few weeks back. Rudi and I had been chatting for a while about a possible collaboration, so the launch of the new album was a good excuse to mess around a bit.
The art direction of the album is quite abstract and has quite an – for the lack of a more articulate catch-all – ‘anonymous’ feel to it. The shoot allowed us to explore a more impressionistic canvass. How fucking cool and pretentious does that sound!? Anyway, we settled on a few key images which should appease most of the press-hounds.
Just for good measure there’s a psychedelic freak-out which they can stick up inside the toilets at gigs. It should have the kids reconsidering their choice of hallucinogenics.
Here’s why I think this video may officially be the bees knees: –
- The hockey-player looks like porn-legend Ron Jeremy and he plays tennis with a soccer ball.
- The swimmer looks like Wayne Ferreira who hijacked Ninja’s Speedo.
- I’m pretty sure at 0:57 that’s a Nissan 1400 bakkie nearly running the band over.
- The lead-singer has a non-ironic moustache.
- The keyboard player has glowing red eyes.
- Smoke, fire, machetes & axes… it’s like an IFP rally in there.
- It all descends into madness last saw in that classic scene between the news teams in Anchorman.
- Fencing mask off, gum-guard out female athletes kissing.
To be perfectly honest, the only reason I can find not to like this band is that they’re from Australia, but so is Olivia Newton-John, Tame Impala, The Avalanches and Nick Cave originally, and they’re all pretty awesome.
Filed under: General, Music | Tags: Lykke Li, Robyn, The Tallest Man on Earth
My favorite singers of last year were über pop-chanteuse Robyn and Kristian Matsson aka The Tallest Man on Earth. The latter’s amazing songwriting prowess and Dylan-channeling vocals were always gonna hit the spot for me. The former reduced me to a dirty ol’ geezer with her air-punching dance moves and general quirky Swedishness. Here’s a link to the video if you’ve had your head buried in the sand for the last year.
Anyway, there’s a new kid on the block. Her name is Lykke Li and I’ve had her sophomore album Wounded Rhymes on heavy rotation for the last week or two. It’s a great pop album and she has enough of that quirky/sassy Swedishness to ensure it resonates well beyond its borders of origin. Watch the superb video for “Get Some” below.
Doom. Gloom. Existentialism. Angst. Joy Division. And erm… Playmobil. Clearly it’s unlikely to get any better than this.
Fourteen years ago World Circuit boss Nick Gold had the rather splendid idea of arranging a collaboration between some Malian and Cuban musicians. The studio sessions were booked in Havana, but due to the Malian musicians’ passports being stuck in a state of postal limbo, the planned collaboration never took place. Enter Ry Cooder to round up some not half-bad veterans of the Cuban music scene and record an obscure little album called Buena Vista Social Club. The rest his history of course. The album sold about a gazillion copies and led to a veritable army of Oprah-watching wine lovers reclining in their faux-Barcelona chairs discussing the merits of world music. The fact that the CD was probably bookended by Kenny G and the Gypsy Kings in their high-gloss tower CD stands perhaps cheapens the fairytale mythology of the project somewhat but hey, it makes for a fabulous story nonetheless.
Yesterday finally saw the release of the sessions planned fourteen years ago. Afrocubism features the all-star roster one would expect including Eliades Ochoa, Bassekou Kouyate, Super Rail Band guitarist Djelimady Tounkara and kora master Toumani Diabaté. I probably don’t need to elaborate on the project too much since, in the ideal world, your Kenny G-loving friends will be telling you all about it over canapés at your next dinner party… hey, a man can dream.
Filed under: Music, Things to do | Tags: Fool In a Bubble, Lucky Fonz III, Syd Kitchen
Watched a new documentary film by Joshua Sternlicht called Fool In a Bubble at the Obz Cafe last night. It’s a wonderful film on all-round legendary SA musician Syd Kitchen.
I’m kinda ashamed to say that I’ve never seen Syd live but have heard loads about him. If I had more time I would wax lyrical at length, sufficed to say that my mind was suitably blown. Absolutely incredible, simple as that.
The real reason for this post is to flag that Syd is touring Cape Town this week with Dutch troubadour Lucky Fonz III. On this side of town they’re playing The Mercury, Purple Turtle and The Speedway Cafe. I suspect you don’t want to miss out on this.
Click here to see details on the tour.
Filed under: General, Music | Tags: All Summer, Bethany Cosentino, Converse, Kid Cudi
I haven’t seen many swallows around… in fact I haven’t seen any swallows around. So it might be premature to start talking about spring and summer, but I’m pretty sure there’s something seriously wrong in this world if this song isn’t soundtracking peoples’ summer up North.
Summer, Converse, Vampire Weekend, faded Super 8 film and papier-mâché masks are high on the list of things I like a whole lot. And right now I can add Kid Cudi and Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast to that list.
This video has them all, and then some. Most weekend days start with a couple of spins of the video with a girl on each leg bopping up & down.
Since moving down from Jozi about two years ago my wife and I have often remarked that Cape Town is a small place. More often than not when you’re out you’ll run into someone you know.
Louis came for a close-up portrait this afternoon and after a bit of head-scratching and orientation the penny dropped that he and Rian have just moved in across the street. So I guess that kinda makes us neighbors. It felt kind of surreal as I bade him farewell and he drove about 30m across the street.
Anyway, this completes the collection of portraits of the members of Taxi Violence. Apart from almost certainly having one of the best band names ever, they’re a great band that you definitely should check out.
I guess the Stones said it best – “I know it’s only Rock ‘n Roll, but I like it…”
More info on the band here. Buy the music here.
The new Seu Jorge album is out now with his new band Almaz. Jorge is probably better than most at interpreting the music of others. We last – and most famously – saw him and heard his Portuguese interpretations of the songs of David Bowie for The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou soundtrack.
I’m really loving the new album and the covers especially never fail to bring a smile to my face. His rendition of Kraftwerk’s “The Model” is a deadpan dub trip that sounds like it’s playing inside an empty cavernous club while you’re swaying around drunk wondering if everyone still has to show up or if they’ve all left… Among some Brazilian classics he also does Roy Ayers‘ “Everybody Loves The Sunshine” and Michael Jackson‘s “Rock With You”.
Listen to the full album on KCRW untill August 17th.
In this lame-ass era of carbon-copy “pop-stars” genuine eccentrics are far and few between. Karin Dreijer Andersson of Fever Ray and enigmatic duo The Knife is such a person. She also doesn’t pass when the opportunity to freak out some regular folk presents itself.
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