OK. You've played the song for the 4th straight time & your room mate, sibling, partner , significant other or a total stranger stops you & says - WTF does that mean. I can't make out a single word. You look quizical as if to say - words why are they important? The subject is earworms you have no or little idea what they mean & don't really care, ya keep cueing them up.First is the song that brought this subject up. My current obsession.
Noir Desir - Le Vent Nous Portera
I can't remember how I came upon this but it's irrestible to me especially the mournful horn near the end.
I can't remember how I came upon this but it's irrestible to me especially the mournful horn near the end.
El Watusi is most likely my first WTF earworm. Used my paper route money to buy the 45 & played it at garage parties. Got away with it 'cause it had a beat & you could dance to. Ya know Dick Clark rules.
Next up a 45 I bought when my room mates were all listening to 'country rock' or pretending they had been to Woodstock. Had to play it when no one else was home after awhile. Such an earworm Michael Jackson lifted part of it for Wanna Be Starting Somethin'
Ene Bada is a Basque band that's played at the local festival a few times. Mrs. Fintan had to request I play it only in my vehicle.
Speaks for itself. Ry Cooder & Dick Clark rules.
Zexie Manatsa -This whole Album is one big earworm & it came to me by way of my daughter's boyfriend. His stock with me rose immediately.
13 comments:
Hello to all. As this my first ever Spill post it's to be expected I 've buggered it. The Soul Makossa link is wrong & takes you to Zexie & the Green Arrows. Not really a bad thing but not Manu Dibango. I'll try to post link here. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3815118/Manu%20Dibango%20-%20Soul%20Makossa.mp3 Don't know if that will work or not. Thanks to the Tincaman for your generous help.
Hey Fintan, first post? Looking forward to listening to these. Living as I do in a non English speaking country, I get to hear a lot of stuff in languages I don't understand (ie: not English or Spanish) and have plenty of Spanish friends who love Leonard Cohen, Dylan, the Stones, the Beatles or whoever without understanding a word. Voice as an instrument, perhaps.
welcome to the Spill!
Welcome Fintan! I can't stop listening to Boy Hits Car which I've mentioned ad nauseam elsewhere, especially 'Going to India'. Even I don't know what it's about, but who cares?
Whelks Fintan!
I've spent the last couple days listening to some new albums (Tindersticks, Magnetic Fields, Hot Chip, Massive Attack, Los Campesinos) and there's some good stuff there, but everything is so earnest and literary these days. Los Camps specially just get started on a bit sharp course and you start thinking, yeah a good bit of sneer here, and then they veer off into 'something important.'
So I'm all for more WTF songs. I like my music musical, not just banging around, but I don't like it so pretty it belongs in a frame behind the couch either. And a tale well told or an observation well made is great; I'm all for it. But stop trying to turn every song into a %^$%^ novel. 'Cause whats happening lately, as an overall trend, is people are relying on words - or trying to impress each other more likely - and forgetting that the music itself also has to communicate. Its almost like the music is an afterthought. With a WTF song, you need to do it all with the music (including the voice as instrument).
There, that's my babble for the week.
When I think about it, I'm actually hard pressed to think of any song I own with lyrics I can fully understand.
Not that I own very many songs with lyrics.
The Ray Baretto is a fine track, reminds me of a downtempo
Tighten Up.
The Noir Desir album that's from is magnificent. Subsequent events cast a pall over all their work but if you can divorce the actions of the man from the music, they're a superb band.
Tincanman - And a bodacious babble it was.
Sharivari - one of the advantages of WTF is you usually have no story to connect to the artist. glad to know there may be one Noir desir album to pursue, thanks
Nilpferd- actully saw Archie Bell & The Drells in a Holiday Inn in the Bahamas once. They had everybody up & kickin' it. May have been the only Holiday Inn on earth that happened in.
Thanks to all.
@ Fintan - I'm one of those, alluded to above, who can't separate Bertrand Cantat's deeds from Noir Desir's music.
Excellent music indeed, pushes the DsD rock buttons, but I can't bring myself to listen any more.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noir_D%C3%A9sir
nice post
and a WTF shit moment reading up on the history that DsD has linked to (I do believe there was a discussion about this on RR in the distant past)
I never used to know that much about music in different languages.. but having my ms's record collection to pilfer for the last 7 years has got me traveling to many different countries.
the songs that are further removed from my safety net are better for me to get my head around - it's when I understand snippets of songs (in French or German say) that I get frustrated and want to know the meaning.
smart post - welcome along.
Loved every one of these. Nice post, Fintan. Thanks.
Shame about Noir Desir, because you're right, that track is irresistable.
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