Rough Guide to the Best Music You’ve Never Heard
Reviewed by Sadie O., 10/26/11
Interesting music from all over. Hey, that sounds like my show description! I guess World Music Network had a bunch of stuff that they couldn’t build a theme around, so here it is. A couple of songs have appeared on their other comps, but not many. Definitely all excellent, eclectic, representing their styles with grace.
1. 4:54 ****starts with raucous party noises, then midtempo modern Bhangra, with really great funky bass. The electric guitar and electronics are a bit startling, but it’s still Bhangra, dammit!
2. 5:31 ****drones intro, gradually fading up, lovely low harmonies in the throat singing. Slow guitars and jaw harp and singing starts around 2:10 minutes along. Pretty and bluesy, with lots of quark, strangeness and charm.
3. 5:53 ***very pretty guitars and percussion, sweet, laid-back Soukous from the Congo.
4. 5:07 ***upbeat Malian romp with a variety of stringed instruments, complex percussion and distinctive vocals.
5. 5:08 ***long electric guitar intro, then rolling desert blues from Niger. We have Tinariwen’s version of this song elsewhere. Both versions are excellent…
6. 6:10 ***bongos intro, then midtempo Latin funk instrumental , a bit lazy and pretty, probably mostly Cuban-derived, with a bit of scratch ‘n’ sniff. Ends early with random noises and speaking.
7. 4:19 ***puro Son, midtempo with lots of energy, female vocals – but this is the Japanese Salsa Diva. Sure sounds Cuban to me!
8. 6:06 ***downtempo (but with lots of percussion) Afro-Columbian Salsa, very sweet and pretty.
9. 3:44 ***very pretty South African groove (township jive? I’m not sure) with female vocals and ping-y keyboards, lots of energy.
10. 3:13 ****female ululations intro, then rolling midtempo Somalian pop, female vocals that remind me of Ethiopian vocal styles (although I admit I haven’t heard much Somalian pop…) Bit of Hip Hop-ish vocal in English.
11. 2:49 ***upstempo, upbeat gypsy guitar and chorus, very simple instrumentation. Cool project – aimed at preserving Roma culture.
12. 4:06 ***Russian Gypsy - so very pretty acoustic guitar instrumental duet, a bit downtempo, very mellow, with a hint, perhaps, of Stairway to Heaven. Builds speed and complexity into quite the tour de force.
13. 2:49 ****complex acoustic guitar and accordion French oom-pah/jazz. Paris Café meets Django meets Silly Symphonies.
14. 4:13 ***now it’s getting really complicated – uptempo Arab-Andalusian jazz, sung in French and Arabic. Hip-wiggling groove, complex instrumentation, pretty vocals.
15. 3:26 ***Jordanian, very downtempo and downbeat violins and guitar, minimal drums. Lovely, traditional Arabic female vocals (joined by male for last verse). Somehow this feels like a carol. Startlingly gorgeous.
16. 2:46 ***very joyful sounding somewhat uptempo Calypso instrumental with ukuleles rather than steel drums, nice guitar.
17. 2:50 ***a bit uptempo but relaxed Cuban Son with fine lead vocals, guitar, and lots of percussion. Very traditional, deliberately so.
18. 5:54 ***Puerto Rican Salsa picante. Midtempo, complex, classic in sound, nice call and response vocals, percussion. Horns wild out in last minute.
19. 4:24 ***uptempo and upbeat Merengue with lots of changes and instruments. I can’t find any information about the artists, sadly.
20. 4:27 ***very pretty, slow, wistful sounding Senegalese guitar and solo voice, joined by violin, but no drums. Fine vocals, bluesy.
21. 5:05 ***groovy uptempo Guinean groove with kora and lots of percussion, female chorus and male vocals. Pretty and upbeat.
22. 3:31 **pretty high female solo voice, elaborate trills, then full folk band and chorus. Scottish, but doesn’t sound much like the “Celtic Folk” we’re used to, apart from the instrumental break in the middle. Nice, a bit trance-y.
23. 2:47 ***solo trilling flute, then acapella female close harmonies, from Bulgaria. As it happens, I really love these harmonies.
24. 3:32 ***bit of hand drum intro, then fine Spanish flamenco acoustic guitar. Virtuoso and fast, but more relaxed Sevilliana than fiery and impassioned. That’s fine – this guy can PLAY.
25. 4:34 ***North African desert blues from Niger – the last master of a harp-like instrument called a biram. Just biram, solo voice and single hand drum. Has a bit of a Gnawa feel.
26. 5:35 ***full band and mixed chorus, Senegal blues, relaxed and lovely (although the sax veers towards smooth jazz a bit much for my taste) – sounds like the sort of thing Peter Gabriel would be involved in.
27. 3:47 ***very pretty, very relaxed, rather trance-y tabla and Calcutta slide guitar, with a bit of drone. Interesting to hear guitar played like a sitar. Amazing little flourishes.
28. 3:17 ***very rootsy Indian singing, stringed instruments, and amazing hand drum that often sounds like talking drum. Baul music from Bengal, clearly ecstatic devotional, apparently Hindu-Sufi mix (who knew?)
29. 5:42 ***harmonium drone, flute, Sufi devotional singing from Afghanistan. Eventually a pretty beat (sounds very similar to Indian Qawwali), several voices and chorus. Trance-y (because that’s the point.)
30. 2:30 **strange jazz horn chords, then pretty solo female chant. Brazilian avant-jazz, I think. I wish it had a beat. Unusual!