The Lovetones

About a month ago, my wife and I spent 10 days in Chongqing, China.  I plan to post something about that before too long.  Anyway, we stayed in the Yangtze River Hostel there, all in all a good experience, and I can recommend it to any travelers who would like a cheap place to stay while visiting the city.  The website of the hostel is http://www.chongqinghostels.com/en/index.asp.

Most of the time music was playing in the restaurant/bar/lobby/lounge of the hostel.  Most of it was pleasant enough and surprisingly none of it grated on my ears, but one album attracted my attention, and I had to ask who the group was since I wasn't familiar with the music.  Turns out it was the Lovetones.  I hadn't heard of them before, but very simply they play the kind of music I like.  It seems that their style of music is mostly described as psychedelic rock.  If you're interested, they have an entry on Wikipedia here, a Myspace page here, and a Facebook page here (though I'm not sure whether this is something made by a fan or the band).  They can also be found on Last.fm here.  They also have their own website, http://www.thelovetones.com/, but it isn't active at this time.  The best place to learn about their music may be here, on Soundcloud, where you can listen to all the songs on their latest release, a collected works album.  Some of my favorites are "Wintertime in Hollywood," "A New Low," "(I Gotta) Feel," and "Give It All I Can."  Another song worth listening to can be found here, on YouTube.  Provenance - Collected Works became my first ever purchase on the iTunes store.

RIP Gerry Rafferty

article about the death of Gerry Rafferty (includes link to obituary)

For me the music of Gerry Rafferty will forever be inextricably linked to my teenage years. I'll always remember the pure joy I experienced listening to 'Baker Street' on my AM radio in the late 70s and early 80s.


























And from my early years at university, I remember very well my friend Tim's City to City album, which if I'm not mistaken he 'borrowed' from his dad. That's still one of my favorite albums and one of few I own that doesn't have any throwaway songs on it. And the cover art--gotta love it.

One of my favorite songs from that album:


























And a great song from his following album, Night Owl:






Here's part one of a three-part interview that was on Radio Scotland in 2003:





Part II and Part III

And I almost forgot--almost 2 hours of Gerry Rafferty on the Internet Archive--from the radio show 'Crap from the Past'. Right here.

Lithuanian Pop

...is usually nothing to write home about (at best). But I have to agree with my friend Damon that this is the best Lithuanian pop song I've heard in quite a while.



By the way, he's not singing about the airport (the video was filmed at Vilnius International Airport). The song's about a woman who doesn't get wet despite the rain (which is an almost constant phenomenon here, except in the winter when the rain becomes snow).

Musical instruments

If I had a workshop, I would have to try to make some of the musical instruments this guy has made. Check out his site: http://dennishavlena.com/. Lots of links to other instrument makers and musicians as well.

And a word for the day: limnology--'The scientific study of the life and phenomena of fresh water, especially lakes and ponds'.

For Lovers of World Music

A few days ago I was looking for some information about The Gambia (a possible destination next summer) and ran across two really interesting sites. If you love music, in particular African music or world music, you'll have a lot of fun visiting these two websites.

http://www.the-real-africa.com/
There it's possible to find African music videos by artist and by country. Here are a few that I enjoyed:
http://www.sirelazik.net/video/malouma01.html
http://www.musicvideos.the-real-africa.com/senegal/youssou_n_dour_birima_clip.html
http://www.musicvideos.the-real-africa.com/mali/tinariwen_chet_boghassa.html
http://www.musicvideos.the-real-africa.com/mali/toumani_diabate_the_mande_variations.html
http://www.musicvideos.the-real-africa.com/mali/ali_farka_toure_savane_2.html

The other website is Benn loxo du taccu. As it says on the front page: 'That's Wolof for "one hand can't clap" and this is Matt Yanchyshyn's world music for the masses.' Very simply, it's a journal of this guy's travels and the music he encounters along the way. It's interesting and the music is really unbelievable. There are dozens of great tunes there that you can download. So, what are you waiting for? I won't keep you any longer...

Gerry Rafferty

For the edification of my friend Philip, who, even though he is from Scotland, admitted he wasn't familiar with the music of Gerry Rafferty.

Home and Dry

Get It Right Next Time

Right Down the Line

Baker Street

Enjoy!

The Rio Bravo

I just noticed that The Rio Bravo has several songs available for download on their website (http://www.theriobravo.com/). I haven't listened to all the songs all the way through, but Mordecai is interesting, and I'd say that the others are worth a listen. Some parts of Life in the West remind me of an ELO song, strangely enough. Must be the same chord progressions.

Adomas on TV

Yesterday the ensemble that my son Adomas (Adam) is in played in the concert at the President's Office to celebrate the beginning of the school year and Freedom Day (the day the Soviet Army pulled out of Lithuania). The concert was broadcast on Lithuanian National Television. Despite a bit of a problem when they started playing (the keyboard hadn't been turned on) and one a little later (the keyboard player's chair [and keyboard player] fell off the stand it was on), I think they did well. Here's the link to the footage of the concert: http://www.lrt.lt/archyvas/?channel=234940&section=1&filter=&record=4825359_1220284800. They go on stage at the 41:10 mark, just about exactly halfway through the concert. My boy's the sharp looking, focused one playing the bongos. Yeah, I guess you could say I'm proud.

Shonen Knife

The first time I heard Shonen Knife (http://www.shonenknife.net/english/) was maybe '92 or so on KLZR in Lawrence, Kansas. At that time it was a pretty cool radio station playing mostly alternative music. The song I heard was My Favorite Town Osaka.

As soon as I found out the name of the band, I went and bought Let's Knife, which includes this song: Riding on the Rocket.

Shonen Knife always puts a smile on my face and a Hello Kitty in my heart.

From their album Rock Animals:
Brown Mushrooms
Tomato Head

From their album Brand New Knife:
Wind Your Spring

From various other albums:
It's a New Find
Mass Communication Breakdown

Still with me? In that case, you might be interested in these cuts from their very first album, Minna Tanoshiku, which was released on cassette in Japan in 1982.
Miracles, which can be compared to Miracles from the album Burning Farm.
Parallel Woman
Burning Farm, which you can compare with Burning Farm from 1992's Let's Knife. If you like any of those songs, you can read more about the album here. You can also download that very rare album there. When I tried, the bandongo.com link didn't work but the zshare.net link did. I didn't try downloading from the megaupload.com link, but it looks as if the file's still there.

Philip, enjoy!

Australian Music

It must have been about 1983 when my Australian pen pal Marcelle (I wonder what happened to her?) sent me Australian Crawl's Semantics EP. My cassette long ago gave up the ghost, but Australian Crawl is still alive and well on YouTube. Reckless (Don't Be So). It still sounds great.

Burke and Wills and camels,
Initials in the trees

I'd always wondered what that meant. Found out yesterday:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burke_and_Wills_expedition
http://www.burkeandwills.net.au/

And another great Australian band: Midnight Oil Beds Are Burning

Some other music from the land down under: Powderfinger (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Powderfinger and http://www.powderfinger.com/)
On My Mind
D.A.F.
By the way, Tim, Benmont Tench played piano and keyboards on the group's most recent album, Dream Days at the Hotel Existence.

Nordic Music II

Some more music from Scandinavia.

This first video is FC Kahuna (from the UK) but the vocalist is Hafdis Huld, who is from Iceland.

The other videos are of songs that come from Hafdis Huld's 2006 album, Dirty Paper Cup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N_JCpentwc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUd1XqwyI5o
The dancer in this video, who is an Icelandic actor, looks exactly like one of my former co-workers. The resemblance is really uncanny.

New Gravel Album

I've been waiting for the new Gravel album for some time now. (My previous posts about this group: 15 March and 31 March.) And then yesterday I saw an ad saying something about getting the album free from Delfi, a Lithuanian news website. I clicked on the ad and was taken to an article whose headline I had seen before but ignored. One reason I ignored it was that it appeared on April 1, and the news media here always feature some stories that shouldn't be taken seriously on that day. The other reason was that I didn't understand the Lithuanian word for download (atsisiųsti), which I don't remember having heard used before. I think most people just use a Lithuanianized version of download (daunlodinti--my spelling). For example, I quizzed my wife and she didn't know the word. But anyway, in my effort not to be fooled, I passed over this story. Regardless of whether the head of the band was serious or not, it is possible to download their new album free. Here's the link: http://whatson.delfi.lt/archive/article.php?id=16525959.

My recommendation: definitely download the album. It's worth it. If you're skeptical, first download Foreign Policy and Little Things (tracks 2 and 4)--in fact download tracks 2-4--and listen to those songs first. I think you'll end up downloading the entire album.

And here's my translation of the main part of that article:

Gravel Decides to Stop Performing and Give New Album to DELFI Readers (Download!)

Gravel is giving away its new album, Dirty Beauty, to internet users. That's not an April Fool's trick. According to Tomas Sinickis [also spelled Tomasz Sinicki since he's an ethnic Pole], the leader of the group, the decision to do this was made for the good of Lithuania. "If you try to spread certain ideas and you want to say that you're doing something for the good of Lithuania, then you shouldn't ask 30 litas [the cost of a CD] for those ideas", Sinickis, who is giving away his album on DELFI, said. The leader of Gravel said that the group's second album, Dirty Beauty, will be the group's last album. (The first--Pockets Full of Fun--was released in 2006.)

"When losers like us leave the stage, that can only be for the good of Lithuania. I don't think it's bad. We can see that it would be better for us to stop polluting the airwaves", Sinickis said.

When asked about his future plans, Sinickis said that he intends to become a politician and serve the people of Lithuania.

Names of songs in Lithuanian:
1. Where Mothers Are Looking, Where Fathers Are Looking [Sorry, maybe I'm missing something here. I can't really understand the lyrics of the song either.]
10. Oh, My Love

Nordic Music

Once upon a time, before the advent of MTV Baltic, Nordic MTV was broadcast in Lithuania. Now, those who wish may debate which is more entertaining or which plays the best music. I wish I could watch both (in measured quantities obviously). Sure, when programs in the Swedish language came on (those not showing videos), it was time to switch channels, but I did enjoy the educational part of watching Nordic MTV--learning about music from up in that neck of the woods. As an American, my knowledge about the Scandinavian music scene was pretty much limited to Björk, A-ha, and Abba.

My main discovery from Nordic MTV was Kent. They're good. No, they're great. Listen.
The song that first got me hooked:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45JojenhNao
Here are the lyrics: http://kent.awardspace.com/musik_non_stop_text.php. There's a link to the English translation as well.
Here's another song that I liked/like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uYa8gWs2rE
Lyrics: http://kent.awardspace.com/vinternoll2_text.php.
The lyrics are great.
Du är min hjälte för du vågar vara rak
Du är min hjälte för du är precis så svag som jag
Indeed.
It's a great way to learn some Swedish.
Here's another song that I like, Pärlor, though there doesn't seem to be a proper video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtbkz8jKKew
The lyrics are here: http://kent.awardspace.com/parlor_text.php
Their MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/kentsweden.

Cats on Fire: a Finnish band. I don't really know much about them, but many moons ago I found their Higher Grounds mp3 on the web and downloaded it on the recommendation of some woman that has a site on which she reviews Nordic music. I'm sad to say that I lost the link to that site last fall when my computer shot craps (or crapped out?). Anyway, as I was saying, I downloaded the song and listened to it over and over. The song can be downloaded from this site: http://www.netikka.net/catsonfire/. It's also possible to listen to the song and watch a video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvuiCCuYRNI. Their MySpace page is here: http://www.myspace.com/catsonfiremusic.

And a final video. I'm not really a fan of Röyksopp, a Norwegian band, but I like this video and this version of this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBvaHZIrt0o

Anyone have any links to other good Scandinavian music?

Gravel

Since I'm on the topic of Lithuanian music, I shouldn't forget Gravel, a group I respect.
Some songs I like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA-ApxPNGCo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P-coWumeJg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32irQf9VDQU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwBmFtMwFMA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Evoa4a6lDM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNESR0rUb9c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iriAdVLANDA

Here's their MySpace site: http://www.myspace.com/gravellt
I really like "For the First Time".

Jurga

I mentioned this video in my last post. Jurga.
I really like the song and the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSqS27hwwCc

Alina Orlova

A strange thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago. As I was channel surfing on a Friday (or Saturday?) night, I came across a concert of a Lithuanian performer, and I was transfixed. Now, in general I'd say that the vast majority of Lithuanian music is, to be extremely kind, non-inspiring. There's a fair amount that is unlistenable. Oh, earlier there was Hyperbolė, Bix, and Antis. As for now I can listen to a few groups, but in general their music doesn't do a lot for me; it's just not the kind of music I normally listen to. I do like quite of lot of what Mamontovas does; well, he can be with justification called a genius. And of course, occasionally a singer or a group performs something that I like (for example, Jurga Šeiduikytė's song 5th Season--the video is great), but that's really a rarity. But, anyway, this performer, Alina Orlova, is different. Here's a clip from that concert: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLLL82tW-wY. The name of the song is Vasaris (February). "February won't last forever." (By the way, my son has also performed in that church with the ensemble he's in.) There's something about her voice and the honesty with which she sings. Her voice really reached out and grabbed me. Anyway, as I was saying, I was transfixed and stopped surfing to listen to her concert. Amazing. I bought her album last weekend. Well, I have to admit that I was more impressed with her live performance, but there's plenty to like on the album and I've only begun listening to it. So far, my favorite songs are Lijo, Mėnulis, Vasaris, and Ramuma. You can listen to some of her songs here: http://www.myspace.com/alinaorlova. (By the way, her list of Myspace friends includes "Valdas", who just happens to be the president of Lithuania. Who'd a thunk that the president of Lithuania would have his own Myspace page? Cool.)

Here are the lyrics for Lijo, which means "It Rained": http://lyrics.linksmai.lt/index.php?id=lyric&itemid=17913
My translation:
Horses graze in your eyes,
But the sky in them is always dreary.
You know words, they always run from you.
Everything is similar to Lego.

Because the day that you were born,
It rained and rained and rained. (x2)

Lego from spiders,
On the walls of the toilet.
From blind dogs,
And the trunks of pine trees.
You know words,
They torture you.
Let's go get drunk,
On Cosmonaut wine. (At least that what it sounds like to me. Whoever put the lyrics on the site above disagrees with me, but I think he or she is wrong--as I may also be.)

Then the refrain again.

Here are the lyrics for Menulyje, which means "On the Moon".
http://www.allthelyrics.com/song/924280/
My translation:
There are no schools on the moon.
And no wars take place on the moon.
And on the moon there are many cafeterias,
That serve free buns.
Deer live on the moon.
They aren't hit by cars.
When they gaze so gently,
Not even children have sore throats.

Your feet don't get wet on the moon.
And parents don't die on the moon.
Everyone is his own Noah there.
Umbrellas aren't needed at all there.
There are dragons on the moon.
We can pet them.
But why, why brother,
Is that moon so far away?
So far away...

I think it's beautiful. Whatever one might think about her voice or her music in general, her lyrics are poetic.

It's worth buying her album just to support real talent in Lithuania.

More Canadian Music

I can't get enough of these guys: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1SSaHUuIC8 (More New Pornographers)

And a word for the day: parterre--
An ornamental flower garden having the beds and paths arranged to form a pattern.

Canadian Music

I ran across these on YouTube today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bt8vvjwgh4
How many music videos have you seen with people skipping rope?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtZDxzlGbN4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHWWWa8EvzI

And another one I stumbled upon quite some time ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZwm_OKh6bw

God bless Canada and Canadians!

Music

Today--a few songs to listen to.

http://www.myspace.com/theriobravo
I can't remember how I came across this, but I've enjoyed listening to the songs on this site, particularly Shiny Shoes. "Don't let the art of dying get you down, because death is here to stay."

http://www.marseillefigs.org/
Another site I just stumbled upon some time ago. There are several songs you can download there. My favorite: Low Low Thing.

http://www.live365.com/stations/henrys/
This is what I'm listening to as I write this. If you're not familiar with soukous (a type of music from Africa) and other types of African music, I recommend this as a nice introduction. Right now Ndima by Bell'a Njoh is playing. How could one listen to this and not like it? Music that makes you want to move and celebrate.

http://www.myspace.com/denguefevermusic
Another band I like to listen to from time to time.