The Tuesday Morning Purchase: December 4, 2007 - N.W.A, Gamelan Tunas Mekar, Jandek
Published December 04, 2007
It's the season. I know this not because of the music being played at the mall or the nonstop ads on the television (including a really cool claymation thing on the Food Network) but because of a much more reliable marker: I had to run my snowblower tonight. You know what's amazing about snowblowers? If you start one up, the wind picks up. This is a totally amazing and little known (to the general non-snowblower-using public) fact.
The 'new' music available at the moment seems to consist of box sets, greatest hits repackagings, and the like. All of that aside, I still found a handful of interesting, if not exactly cheery, chunks of music.
Straight Outta Compton [20th Anniversary Edition] - N.W.A. (Priority)/Gangsta Rap
Folks who hate rap music have been saying for years that it was a passing fad. Well, it's been twenty years since this record came out. This is the snarling collection that put Easy E, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre on the map. This might make a really great gift because, let's face it, nothing says "Merry Christmas" like some gangsta rap. OK, maybe not.
Kembali Ke Bali - Gamelan Tunas Mekar (Gamelan Tunas Mekar)/World
I've love gamelan music. There's just something about all of those interlocking instruments. And where should a person go to hear some great and authentic gamelan music? Why Denver, of course! Gamelan Tunas Mekar is a community orchestra based in Denver. They may be a long way from Indonesia and Bali, but the music is the real thing.
*** (Actually, maybe not. You'll probably hate it) ***
Glasgow Monday [DVD] - Jandek (Corwood)/Rock
Blame this one of Irwin Chusid and his book Songs in the Key of Z. His chapter on Jandek drove me to see out Jandek's CD's (much to the displeasure of TheWife™). I've been hooked ever since. Don't let the fact that the man can't either sing or play very well worry you. I'm not going to spin up any fancy descriptions in the attempt to get you to check out Jandek. Like the title says, you'll probably hate it.
If you're interested in watching a DVD of some very odd music, well...step right up.
Mark Saleski is a writer and music obsessive based out of the Monadnock region of New Hampshire. On his best day, he hopes to channel the ghosts of Lester Bangs and Jack Kerouac. He spends the hours of 9:32PM to 1:37AM carving out music reviews and essays for Jazz.com, Blogcritics.org and other publications.
- The Tuesday Morning Purchase: December 4, 2007 - N.W.A, Gamelan Tunas Mekar, Jandek
- Published: December 04, 2007
- Type: Review
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Review, Music: Rock, Music: Rap, Music: International/World
- Part of a feature: Tuesday Morning Purchase
- Writer: Mark Saleski
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- Mark Saleski's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
hey, what can i say? sometimes, things just move you in odd ways.
hey mark, mike, others,
if you like jandek, i highly suggest a finnish artist named islaja. very similar in the random pluckiness, possessed vocals area...
her stuff is a little more filled out (in an instrumental way) and her lyrics are just as cryptic (being that they are in finnish)... she's a rare find.
there's lots of stuff on the fonal label (chemical friends, es, kuupuu, etc.) that you may find interesting in that wandering-around-in-the-woods, spooked-out-on-owl-poop kinda way.
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If you'd asked me to guess an artist you liked, I think Jandek would have been my last guess - if it even occurred to me to guess it.