Dabke/Japandroids
That Old Testosterone High
Dabke: Sounds of the Syrian Houran (Sham Palace)
From seven weddings and such in southern Syria, 42 board-tape-to-vinyl-only minutes collected by Sublime Frequencies' Mark Gergis and released in an edition of 1000. Why you should want such a fetish object is simple‑-access to the most intense music you'll hear all year, including anything by Gergis's related discovery Omar Souleyman. It's very male and replete with strange noises: grunts and yelps, chipmunk squeals, and the buzzy overtones of a bamboo flute called the mejwiz‑-sometimes live, sometimes sampled, sometimes, Gergis says, both. Yes the music drones‑-it's supposed to. No you won't understand a word they're singing--insofar as they're singing any. A little one-dimensional sure‑-assuming you're not from southern Syria yourself. A MINUS
Japandroids: Celebration Rock (Polyvinyl)
Kind of heartwarming that it's still possible for a young band to rock out with palpable joy about the pleasures, terrors, and life lessons of the road‑-the songs of experience thing, as if the road is reality in a way their jobs in Vancouver weren't. Helps that they're a duo‑-decreases the mathematical likelihood of a member nutting out, increases each member's share of the measly take. Also helps that they're not actually young‑-around 30 is my guess. Rendering this an escape into youth rather than from it by guys old enough to realize that if they hope to make a success of their hustle they need to turn into something like professionals--tunesmiths, even. A MINUS
ris, agreed. I'd thought the Robertson quotation spoke for itself, but you proved me wrong, well said.
Jason, thanks for the Ann Powers article.
Trying to respond to gdash's Robbie Robertson reference, but it keeps getting blocked. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong.
Anyway, what I was trying to say is that bemoaning life on the road as a "goddam impossible way of life" sounds especially rich from a guy who: a) had earlier chortled about getting "more pussy than Sinatra", and b) had the perspicacity to write a song about a different kind of life on the road - Acadian Driftwood.
Imagine if you repressed something for several years. Now imagine you let the genie out of the bottle. Your writing would probably come off that way too. I don't care if it was a little on the grandiloquent side, I was still impressed.
Coming out as a publicity stunt. Yes, that kind of thing would really endear him to the hip hop community, wouldn't it?
Mostly, I sympathize. He wrote the album and knew someone was to call him out on those tricky little pronouns at some point. He's had some time to think about it and I think his solution was brilliant. I'll be in that line buying his record when it comes out. Hey, publicity's getting me to do support someone's difficult decision. OH, THE HORROR.
You cats don't dig it: I admire the publicity stunt. Truly. And the man as well as the music. Wily marketing move. Gotten nothing but positive press. Harvard MBAs should take notes. Well played, Frank, well played. Suggested topper: when you visit Oprah, jump on the couch to announce you're eloping with -- well, you-know-who's very soon ex-to-be.
I gotta double check with my brother-the-child-psychologist (seems appropriate in this case)--but I'm pretty sure that Che's silly attack on F.O. is what they call a "reaction formation."
Frank Ocean has a new album.
Frank Ocean pulls a publicity stunt.
All you Xgauers gather at the river to sing "Alleluia" and even to proclaim his cloying confession to be "an extraordinary piece of writing." Well, let's hope whoever wrote it for him was paid well. Have faith, my brothers, I'm sure Frankie O will be coming soon (poor choice of words, Che) to Oprah's Next Chapter.
about the blogger
Starting in 1967, Robert Christgau has covered popular music for The Village Voice, Esquire, Blender, Playboy, Rolling Stone, and many other publications. He teaches in New York University's Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, maintains a comprehensive website at robertchristgau.com, and has published five books based on his journalism. He has written for MSN Music since 2006.
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