world music

Best of 2009 selected by yours truly. Including Real Estate, In the Country, Bill Callahan, Ducktails, Steve Lehman, Celer, Ahleuchatistas, King Midas Sound, Om, Black Cobra, Vijay Iyer Trio etc.

Making a best of list has been considerably harder for 2009. Here are our mentions in random order. Fedayi Pacha, Bibio, Wye Oak, Liechtenstein, BLK JKS, Crystal Antlers, Proudpilot, Yagya, The XX, OPN..

Continuing to re-up previous material from undomondo history, here are tracks from the Sami folk band Adjagas, last years phenomenal math-prog outfit Battles, German electronic pop artist Marbert Rocel, a cheerful Arabic song by Pink Martini and more

His Nonplace partner in crime, multi-instrumentalist Hayden Chisholm – who’s been here before with his Root 70 project- has added new blood to Root 70, christened it as The Embassadors and set out to “Heal the Music“.

Just taking a break from stoner rock for a bit to announce the Yemenese oud master Abdulatif Yagoub is in town for a gig tonight. I’ve written about them a few times and I’ve also helped secure a show here, Yagoub is a true artist and it’d be a pleasure to watch him perform with Smadj & Mehdi from Duoud

I thought I was cool

Yusef Lateef – Nubian Lady (Loudersoft) jazzy & laidback
Andrew Liles – Where? (Motel de Moka) drone/noise/ambient
Todd Terje – Kul I Pul (1.618) nudisco
Final Fantasy & Cadence Weapon – Paris 1919 (The Torture Garden) 5 More songs from this session here. avantpop/indie
Eagle*Seagull – The boy with a serpent in his heart (Music for kids who can’t read good) indiepop with violins & piano
A Hawk and a Hacksaw & The Hun Hangár Ensemble – Ihabibi (Eardrums shall fail) Absolutely terrific Balkan stuff, great cover of Iahabibi
Os Mutantes – Jardim Eletrico (Swan Fungus)
From his 1971 retrospective.
Descartes A Kant – Pedigree (Sonorama) Highly electric & noisy jazzcore with fem vocals.
Erase Errata – Rider (Timedoor) Erase Errata concert review & 2 songs, another electric fem punk grp.
Banana Brothers – Mercy Mercy Mercy (Waxidermy) Obscure 70s funk oddity.
Augustus Pablo – Thunder Clap (Covert Curiosity) King of dub with a song from Original Rockers.
Jimi Tenor & Rhythm Taxi – Moon Goddess (Fat Planet) The Finnish King of weirdness is back with some live fruitcake jazz.
Pit er Pat – Solstice (Hear Ya) Mature Indie . more here.
Ornette Coleman – Clergymans Dream (Words and Music) 19 min. live freejazz piece from the recent Pulitzer winner the legendary Ornette Coleman.

We have some moog covers by Jean-Jacques Perrey and later on The Moog Cookbook, cheerful Brasilian vibes from Nublu’s Forro in the Dark (which I’ll be featuring very soon), an interesting break where I played my favourite song from Terre Thaemlitz’ Lovebomb, which features the African National Congress’ declaration of war against the Apartheid regime played on top of The Plants’ textures and Krepulec’s martial piece.