Reviews by kuvien

This slobs donks.

Wtf, guys? Dio sucks.

Okay, let's get the genre definition out of the way: afoxé is "an Afro-Brazilian genre of music [and] it is a non-religious version of candomblé music." All right. What's candomblé then? It "plays an essential part in rituals of the Afro-Brazilian religion by the same name." So, basically afoxé is its secular counterpart. Got it. So what are we hearing here? Passionate acoustic guitar playing, both delicate and furious, but always warm. We've also got call-and-response vocals, a clear hallmark of the genre's religious roots. There are even psychedelic moments woven in, not only in the warbly music but in the mantra-like vocals sparsely used. But mostly this is a playful folk album.

Another day, another payment of the Idiot Tax to the 1001 Albums guy.

Too bad they didn't go extinct.

When my friend told me he was going to play this whole album and others like it at his wedding reception, I thought it was an odd choice. I mean, this is an excellent record, but are the casual-listening randos going to appreciate it in a party setting? I guess my friend was going for some inoffensive background music, but I’m offended that such a great musical document as this would be relegated to such banal use. There’s plenty of garbage albums out there that can be used as sonic wallpaper. This is not one of them.

Mande music in a big band setting, the 21-string kora the lead instrument in this joyful yet meditative exploration of Malian musical traditions. This collective played together at a nightclub for quite a while before taking their experience and their numbers into the studio to immortalize forever the magic they wove in the wee, small hours. Diabaté, naturally, takes the lead on vocals, too, but he's got some scorching backing singers bringing that call-and-response passion. The effortless mastery on display here is stunning.

What's killer about this recording is, unlike other Diabaté albums I've heard and loved, all the music herein is performed just by Diabaté. It's just him. All that richness and complexity, all that evocative restful energy--just one guy and his kora. And apparently it was all recorded in one take in just two hours. Magic!

Theater kids who wear eyeliner will love this!

Aliens, refugees from nuclear war on their own planet, land on Earth and, like all immigrants, bring their degenerate music with them, which they teach to us. When they see that Earthlings do it better than they do, they return to their irradiated, barren world, willing to take their chances there than among a species who can make music like this.

Pretty obscure release that sounds a lot like other spaced-out, floating prog electronic stuff out there. A nice addition to the rotation, something to put on when alone, lying back, and doing nothing. The ethereal female vocals are a nice touch. Let this one transport you.

This is incredibly bad. All the worst of 70s schmaltz.

The audio clips from films are cringe.

Someone needs to neck herself, in the grand tradition of the country she loves.

Due to the influence of the more experimental music I've been listening to lately, this is something I can get behind. I mean, after just listening to some mediocre German indietronica crap, this is amazing by comparison. At least something is happening here.

So what is happening here? Layers. A slow and careful crafting of ambient sonic layers that requires active engagement from the listener. The fact that the album is divided into only two sides is not a mistake or due to laziness on the part of the creators. No, they want engagement, not instant sound byte satisfaction for people who can't listen to more than three minutes of music at a time.

The sparse piano work of Side A is joined by haunting, echoing vocals on Side B, and this is underpinned by a sense of rhythm that is lacking on Side A. All in all, this album feels like they've come together to build a beacon, and once they get it up and running, they start broadcasting their signal.

I don't speak Polish, but Polish speaks to me. Although I don't understand the lyrics, I understand the drama and passion, the epic feel of this sung poetry. And the way she pauses or turns a phrase from a whisper to some belted-out anthem, and vice versa, is a clear display of her choosing avant-garde writers to highlight in her songs.

Basically this is Taylor Swift in her alt-pop phase, the male version.

This album is so good that I, a non-hip hop lover, can introduce this album to someone who is a huge hip hop fan and watch it instantly become his favorite hip hop album. Enter into a dystopian future Earth so corrupt that aliens won't even invade, simply because there's nothing left to salvage.

"Man-child, you fucked me so good I almost said 'I love you'." --Lana Del Rey, c. 2017-2019

Very short, lo-fi, and tribal with droning, chanting vocals.