Muramuke _Mondo Times NOV_

Muramuke (Barbara Panther & Matthew Herbert), The Advisory Circle, Kibrum Birhane, SAULT, Jenny Hval, Ezra Collective, Gal Costa RIP

Nov 24, 2022

Hello all, I am deeply saddened by the passing of Gal Costa, famous tropicália proponent from Brasil aged 77.

In the 1960s, Ms. Costa was at the forefront of tropicália, the movement that brought psychedelic experimentation and anti-authoritarian irreverence to Brazilian pop music. When the leading songwriters of tropicália, Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, were forced into exile by Brazil’s dictatorship, from 1969 to 1972, Ms. Costa recorded their songs for Brazilian listeners.
“It was not a matter of courage,” she told The New York Times in 1985. “I belonged to that movement, and they were my friends.” [NY Times]

.. and also to a lesser extent the passing of twitter - famed troll house and algo hell.

Like facebook and instagram, twitter had seen engagement fall to 0% in the last couple of years for niche content providers. I was already tired of engagement farming and seeing ads, memes and negativity on the timeline algo selects for me. I guess I was addicted to that flick-of-the-wrist movement. So like everyone I’m flocking off to Mastodon, which is a decentralized and harder to use version of twitter basically. Still it feels like the early days where people actually speak to each other, and algo doesn’t sort out what you should read. Come say hi at : @undomondo@masto.ai.

IN HEAVY ROTATION

Muramuke

Matthew Herbert and collaborator Barbara Panther (City Slang fame) has just created a new duo called Muramuke (meaning Good Night in Rwandan). To my surprise the star of the show here is not old Mr. Herbs but Ms. Panther with her riot-grrlish vocals. This is a distorted but danceable and lyrically serious but still easy listening electronic music.

The Advisory Circle

Prolific Ghost Box artist - and a game changer for me in terms of creating an interest in the concepts of hauntology, of spiritual electronic music, of vintage public information tapes & library music - Cate Brooks, just released a new album called Full Circle, which for me sees her return to form of her earlier works. Check her Cafe Kaput stuff as well.

Early in her career, Brooks captured the ominous, eccentric tone of extreme government safety advisory films nestled in kosmiche synth programming, resulting in such evocative, whimsical, haunting works. Mind How You Go and 2011’s As the Crow Flies begin with rather cryptic yet official-sounding announcements that establish a ministerial tone: “The Advisory Circle. Helping you make the right decisions. The Advisory Circle. We make the decisions, so you don’t have to.” [Pop Matters]

Kibrum Birhane

A relative newcomer (for me anyway) on the Ethiophian jazz scene Kibrum Birhane from LA, injects Astatkean arrangements with a healthy dose of spiritual jazz and soul. For fans of Kamasi Washington, Dexter Story.

SAULT

SAULT has released 5, - yes five - albums on the same day, and for free (for a week)! remarkably surpassing King Gizzard The Lizard Wizard’s 5 album feat from last years. There is a wealth of music to process here, from gospel-y soul to dance punk, funk and garage rock? . Take your time to process!

Jenny Hval

If you’ve read a bit of what I write here once in a while, Jenny’s album for me is one of the best this year. Here’s a new video from the album, which should remind you that if you she comes to your town, you don’t miss her live. The album is very rewarding listening.

Dina Ögon

It seems I keep writing about the same people but, how about these 4 studio lives from Dina Ögon, my fave band this last year from Sweden feat. guitarist Daniel Ogren (already featured down below with his solo efforts) and singer songwriter Anna Ahlund.. This album was my staple listening this year and seeing the angelic Anna sing these songs in a candid shoot is a blessing.

UNDOMONDO DISCOVER WEEKLY

Themed end of 2022 series: 30 best songs from guitar genres: indie, rock, folk, post-punk, punk, garage rock and more feat. experimental guitar stuff from J.R. Bohannon, Delicate Steve, Swedish guitarist Daniel Ogren, spoken word by Kae Tempest, post-punk from London’s Dry Cleaning and O. Cal Folger Day, folky singer songwriter stuff from Basia Bulat, Father John Misty, Big Thief, krauty rock from Japan’s Minami Deutsch & Kikagaku Moyo, Hildegard von Binge Drinking, world guitar from Yin Yin, Glitterbeat’s Al-Qasar, garage rock from Ribbon Stage, some rocky stuff from Sault’s 5 album release and more.

Subscribe for new music, selected by me sporadically !

AROUND THE NET

♩John Carpenter Has Only One Criteria for a Film Score [Vulture]

♩The Woes of Being Addicted to Streaming [Pitchfork]

I feel unsettled when I stream music on Spotify. Maybe you feel that way, too. Even though it has all the music I’ve ever wanted, none of it feels necessarily rewarding, emotional, or personal.

♩The Billboard Article [The Lefsetz Letter]

In every walk of life, the boomer-owned institutions profess the inaccurate claim that we live in one homogenous society upon which they exert control. But we live in an era of chaos. And today it’s nearly impossible to gain traction, which really means an audience. You can get noticed, but for a day. Yesterday’s meme is sophomoric today, if you employ it you look bad. Culture moves incredibly quickly, and almost nothing sticks. But the powers-that-be keep telling us they can make it stick, when they cannot.

♩How Stoicism influenced music from the French Renaissance to Pink Floyd [The Conversation]

♩I’ve also found out another Substack by Gino Sorcinelli aka

Micro-Chop

which features great playlists on the soulful and jazzy side of things. Check it out!

LIVES LIVED

Gal Costa was a leader of tropicália, the 1960s movement that brought psychedelic experimentation and irreverence to Brazilian pop music. Her career spanned more than 50 years and three dozen albums. She died at 77.