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Here’s what’s been shaking my eardrums lately:
Himalayan Bear – A Very Old Song
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Listening to Ryan Beattis’ vocal acrobatics makes me think of what it would have been like to watch the great impressionists paint. Here’s this guy with a wild glint in his eye and his arms are moving all over the canvas covering it with oil in seemingly random patterns. His movements, while evidently virtuosic, seem separate from any larger purpose. Separate, that is, until the painting is complete and you pull back and see suddenly: a pond, raindrops, sunflowers, charming French countrysides, a bowl of fruit, all the variety of life in swirls of color and shadow.
Super Mama Djombo – Gardessi
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These badass cats are from Guinea-Bissau and sing songs about their independence movement and the hero thereof, one Amílcar Cabral. If revolutionaries are like hipster bands, Cabral would be like the Wolf Parade to Ché Guevara’s Arcade Fire. He has all the cred of your Ché (idealogical Marxist, guerrilla fighter, heart of gold, assassinated by colonialist oppressor) but not all the distasteful fame. He was clearly influenced by his better-known predecessor, but a good argument could be made that a formula that was begun by Guevara was perfected by Cabral.
The Dodos – Red and Purple
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Actually, Amilcar Cabral is more like the Dodos to Che Guevara’s Animal Collective. A much apter metaphor.
Himalayan Bear MySpace
Super Mama Djombo on CD Baby
The Dodos on MySpace