Summer 2008

I was easier to please in 2008, but I think this mix has aged well




















SUMMERTIME 2008

1. Os Mutantes - Panis et Circenses
2. S.E. Rogie - Do Me Justice
3. Lee "Scratch" Perry - Dyon Anaswa
4. Moussa Dombia - Yeye Mousso
5. Animal Collective - From a Beach
6. Desmond Dekker - Isrealites
7. Iggy Pop and the Stooges - Now I Wanna Be Your Dog
8. T-Rex - Rip Off
9. The Beach Boys - Let Him Run Wild
10. The Shangri Las - Out in the Streets
11. Alton Ellis - You Make Me So Very Happy
12. The Silhouettes - Get A Job
13. Jorge Ben - Por Causa de Vocé, Menina
14. Sic Alps - Dr. Bag and the Pomade Nature Giants
15. Veldtundra - Banthas
16. Fantastic Magic - Flower Beds
17. The Beatles - Sun King
18. Phosphorescent - Be Dark Night
19. Novicat se Soeurs Missionaires - Yesu Ka Mkwebaze

The Frogs - Racially Yours

From Hamhock:


For those not yet familiar with the Frogs, this is a good place to begin. The same geniuses that created the cult hit "Grandma Sitting in the Corner with a Penis in Her Hand Going No, No, No" turn their attentions to the history of racial tension in the United States. Highlights include "Darkmeat 4 Sale" ("There's a fork around my neck/Forks are for food/It was only a joke/to lighten the mood"), "Massa" ("Massa Massa/I ain't your friend/I ain't your fool no more"), and "Whitefully Dead" ("Now that the white man's dead and gone/ we can sing a happy song"). This could be pretty offensive...if you are an idiot.


From Wikipedia:

Racially Yours is an album recorded by the band The Frogs. The album was originally presented to Homestead Records in 1991, but they refused to release it because of its controversial subject matter. At this point the album only consisted of the first 12 songs. After much delay, it was released in 2000 on Four Alarm Records with an additional 13 tracks, and a tongue-in-cheek sticker proclaiming it "the most controversial album of all time".


Unlike the sexually-charged and comedic material on It's Only Right and Natural and My Daughter the Broad, Racially Yours focuses on subjects such as American racism, genocide and patriotism. The songs are sung from the point of view of both African Americans and white Americans, and the lyrics are equally serious as they are satirical. In the song "Blackman, Blackman", Dennis quips, "a black man's heaven is a white man's hell". In "The Flag", Jimmy urges, "brother, let's make the flag red, white and black".

The Frogs - Racially Yours

If I can't have a nickel of your love give me two

A lot of people instantly write off these old bluegrass ramblers assuming they have nothing to offer. "Modern" music certainly eschews any semblance of Hurley's mountain melancholy, in the same way our society erroneously marginalizes the value of nature or a simple lifestyle. I think Hurley embraces dejection because it affords him much more than what can be gained by pandering to market tastes-- I've seen him billed as a "folkie shaman" and have to believe in his lilting libations for the unappreciated, if not somewhat demented (idiosyncratic).

Michael Hurley - Weatherhole

Plus I have always nursed a soft spot for musician/visual artists, and the mouth trumpet for that matter, check out some of Hurley's paintings and wolf comics in this video for "Rue of Ruby Whores" the song that drew me to this album in the firstplace

Andean Invasion!

The International Time Machine makes another stopover in South America to sort through some great records from Peru. I hadn't thought much about Peruvian music until I got my hands on two El Polen records and realized I was making a huge mistake. These are only two of several albums I've come across recently so if you enjoy them you can look forward to at least a few more in the coming months.

Los Sideral's self titled record is lush and very diverse. Each song is a unique blend of different regional and international patterns; cumbia, go-go, balada, surf, and American instrumental rock from the 1950's

Los Sideral's (1967)



Though nearly 50 years shy of actual modernity these Incas certainly sampled a wide range of their musical contemporaries to produce this delightful synthesis of greaser rock, crooning, and surf.











Los Incas Modernos (1962)

Fighting against reality

Fire fe the Vatican, blood for the poor man.
Revelations say, so the prophets say

"Spider" John Koerner and Willie Murphy - Running, Jumping, Standing Still

Released in 1967, "Running Jumping Standing Still" is one of the most unique and underrated albums of the folk boom, perhaps the only psychedelic ragtime blues album ever made. It brims over with boisterous energy and stellar playing, driven by John Koerner’s distinctive guitar work and Willie Murphy’s dynamic piano," as some guy wrote many years ago. Personally, I think the term "folk" doesn't do this album justice. "Psychedelic ragtime blues" is more adequate. Songs like "Old Brown Dog", perhaps the highlight of the album, also meander in and out of a jazzy kind of swing. This culminates in a well-crafted sound not commonly found elsewhere. This time traveler finds it unfortunate that Koerner and Murphy never made another recording together.


I Wish My Nickname Was Spider

The Brothers Hawk - Funny Funny (A-Go-Go)