Fighter | Trickbaby

*I claim no ownership or rights over this video.

Lyrics:

" I was watching a late night film
How to steal a million - A Parisienne sting
Venus wasn't quite what she seemed
A forgery, a robbery, a happy ending
I was chatting some ridiculous things
Funny kind of conversations late nights bring
Winding you up like a spring
No matter what I say I seem to say the wrong thing”

Artist: Trickbaby

Song: Fighter

While scrounging for new music to analyze and dissect for this post, I suddenly realized that “New” was never something what this blog was about. The essence of Poplar Purfling lies in hidden nuggets. Trickbaby is definitely one of those hidden nuggets. Displaying a brief sparkle, this band disappointingly went back into hibernation and seems almost dead now.

Fighter, like all the other tracks by Trickbaby, securely retains what this band started out with – a hybrid. Fighter is like that quaint little top with funky prints in psychedelic colors that is sadly lying forgotten in some corner and catching dust. You bought the top because you fell in love with the amounts of bizarre oozing out of it. But, then forgot about it and never wore it enough.

This track has that crackling bollywood masala with a dash of psychedelic western influence in it. Saira Hussain, the lead vocalist, has an otherworldly style that captivates the listener. Bollywood splits and hisses in her singing style while her British background easily fuses to create kaleidoscopic sounds. A very danceable beat and nostalgic rhythms and melodies, especially, if you’re a 90s Bollywood kid. This track is a good way to reintroduce Trickbaby and what it tried to start. The style could very easily become a genre of its own, but I’m glad it didn’t because it somehow lent Trickbaby a very unique identity which it still retains.

About The Artist: 

Trickbaby is a London based band, influenced by modern dance music and Indian Bollywood classics. They were born out of the songwriting partnership of Saira Hussain and Steve Ager, and the rhythms of Vikaash Sankadecha. Described as an East/West soundclash, Saira cites influences from modern Western music through to Bollywood movie classics. It is this unique blend of inspiration, and contemporary use of classic Indian instruments alongside modern production values that provide the basis of the Trickbaby sound.

The band’s debut single did receive a huge mainstream response, but did not quite retain its shine for long. With massive support for ‘Neela’ in 2004, Trickbaby looked promising and almost made it big in 2008. With an amazing opportunity given by Rohan Sippy in Bluffmaster, the band was doing spectacularly well. After 2008, with the release of Chor Bazaar, the band was producing authentic pieces that stayed true to the Trickbaby style. The world hasn’t heard from them since. Let’s hope this dormancy has a good reason and ends with more spectacular pieces.

Some other pieces worth listening to:

• Neela
• Slipping through your fingers
• Nine Parts

The Way I Feel | Aṣa

*I claim no ownership or rights over this video.

Artist: Aṣa

Song: The Way I Feel

Rhythm and soul. I will not consider this Asa’s best piece but definitely something fit to get you hooked. A smoky voice with a brilliant arrangement makes this track extremely intoxicating. I identify Asa as a very simple artist who chooses her work to be an exact portrayal of herself. Usually her works have very simple lyrics that sound like a personal sketch of her. But, the captivating elements usually are the earthy tones in her music, especially in her album titled “Beautiful Imperfection” released in 2010.

 Her voice has a textured smokiness that lends each piece a hue of sensuality. Despite the quality of the voice, she manages to come across as a youthful artist without sounding too matured. She has experimented beautifully in her album, “Beautiful Imperfection” with instruments and melodies. The album swings between soul and pop.

About The Artist: 

Aṣa (pronounced "Asha") is a Nigerian French singer-songwriter and recording artist. Her stage name "Aṣa" means "Hawk" in Yoruba. Her actual name is Bukola Elemide. She released her first album Aṣha in 2007 which won her the prestigious French Constantin Award in 2008. She has a strong soul jazz influence in her creations.

Some other pieces worth listening to:

• Ok OK (Beautiful Imperfection)
• Questions (Beautiful Imperfection)
• Fire on the Mountain (Aṣha)
• Jailer (Aṣha)

Ghosts | Laura Marling

*I claim no ownership or rights over this video.

Lyrics:

"Opened up his little heart
Unlocked the lock that kept it dark
And read a written warning
Saying I'm still mourning
Over ghosts
Over ghosts
Over ghosts
Over ghosts that broke my heart before I met you”

Artist: Laura Marling

Song: Ghosts

This particular song sounds like a cathartic attempt at music by Laura. I got introduced to this artist through ‘My Manic and I’. A beautiful voice with an effortless play of strings. This free-spirited, non-conformist artist considers all her work a very personal experience which is very clear in the vivid imagery she details out in this song.

It’s one of those songs you can escape into. Despite being a very young artist, Laura portrays a very cultivated approach. She has a lot of scope to evolve further in her experiments and it’s rousing to wonder what more this fresh artist has to offer.

 

About The Artist: 

Laura Beatrice Marling, is a British folk artist who has also been an active member of bands like Noah and the Whale, The Rakes, Mystery Jets, Johnny Flynn and Mumford & Sons. Born in 1990, she released her debut album ‘Alas, I Cannot Swim’ in 2008

Laura has been recognized with awards like the Brit Awards 2011 (Best British Female artist) and the NME Awards 2011 (Best Solo Artist). She has successfully managed to carve a unique identity for herself in the nu-folk genre. Her music finds it’s strength in forceful lyrics and its simplicity. She recognizes her music as a cathartic outlet and something very personal.

Some other pieces worth listening to:

• My Manic and I (album: Alas, I Cannot Swim)
• Devil’s Spoke (Album: Alas, I Cannot Swim)

Other albums

• I Speak Because I can
• A Creature I don’t Know

Ay mi Niña | Giulia y Los Tellarini

*I claim no ownership or rights over this track.

Lyrics (Translated):

"Oh my girl

How nice, how nice

Oh how nice it will be to be your love

It’s fate and your strength, and your strength

And let the passion flow

Beside you I do not feel death"

Artist: Giulia y los Tellarini

Song: Ay mi Niña

Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona brought me here. The depth in Giulia Tellarini’s voice definitely adds that seasoned charisma to the song. I was not surprised that she managed to convince complete strangers into starting an initiative that has come up with beautiful renditions ever since they happened.

One can easily paint a masterpiece inside one's head while listening to this track. The agony in the drunken tempo tempts you into tapping your feet. The musical arrangement falls like confetti on your ears. It’s delicate without getting wept away with the myriad sounds used in it.

Each piece by this group is a masterpiece, but this particular track caught my fancy because of the care with which it has been handled. To put it simply, the song is delicate and pristine.

 

About The Artist: 

Giulia y Los Tellarini is a group formed in Barcelona and whose singer is Italian. 

§                    Giulia Tellarini ( voice and accordion )

§                    Jens Neumaier ( guitar , saxophone , charango and choir )

§                    Maik Alemany (guitar, charango and choir)

§                    Alejandro Mazzoni ( bass , percussion , flute and choir)

§                    Xavier Tort ( trumpet )

§                    Pablo Diaz-Reixa (percussion and choir)

§                    Jordi Llobet (percussion and melodica )

§                    Olga Abalos ( alto saxophone )

§                    Joan Portales ( electric guitar , mandolin and charango)

§                    Camilo Zorilla (percussion, melodica)

Formed in 2004, the group experiments with a lot of styles. Their major influences are drawn from Tango, Indie Rock, Bossa Nova, Flamenco, Rumba and Jazz.

One day Giulia Tellarini appeared with her accordion in the Maik Maier studio of Barcelona, ​​and met Maik Alemany, Jens Neumaier and Alejandro Mazzoni. In love with her voice, this project soon started walking musical paces around the world: the Mediterranean warmth, the suggestive chanson, the tremendous Latino Mexican doom and jazzy elegance. With the help of various musicians and friends, they strung songs for "Eusebio", an overwhelming album. Destiny once again places a copy of "Eusebio" into the hands of Woody Allen, who is fascinated with the music of Giulia y Los Tellarini and decides on using the soundtrack for "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", the film which at the time was filming in Barcelona.

Some albums worth listening to:

• Eusebio
• L’Arrabbiata

Ancient Forces | Berit Margrethe Oskal

*I claim no ownership or rights over this video.

Lyrics (Translated):

"Ancient forces, ancient dreams
Living thoughts, living hopes
We will not surrender,
we will not disappear"

Artist: Berit Margrethe Oskal

Song: Eamifámut (Ancient Forces)

This artist has been one of the reasons why I am usually glad about landing on the National Geographic channel when the rest of the television is bombarded with the same banal, mind numbing nonsense. I toppled over a show about the Sami culture in Europe. Apart from the impressive ammo, what captured me was the music of course. Then followed an aggressive internet search on the culture and its music.

Berit happened to be one of those gems that I managed to mine out. The bewitching effect that her music had on me is definitely beyond words. With closed eyes, it’s more of an experience and surprisingly gets you closer to nature (even if you are sitting in a concrete jungle amidst man made blasphemies). This particular track weaves a pagan magic and successfully creates something that is deeply personal and spiritual. Our limited vocabulary will never be able to do justice to describe how Sami folk music affects ones psyche and the experiences that come with the package.

About The Artist: 

Berit Margrethe Oskal is a Norwegian Joik artist and Sami musician. She is an upcoming performer who is mixing the traditional sound with modern music styles.

About Joik:

A joik, (also spelled yoik) is a traditional Sami form of music. 

Originally, joik was referred to only one of several Sami singing styles, but in English the word is often used to refer to all types of traditional Sami singing. According to music researchers, joik is one of the longest living music traditions in Europe, and is the folk music of the Sami people. Its sound is comparable to the traditional chanting of some Native American cultures.

Some other pieces worth listening to:

Berit’s latest album “Fargga”

Other related Artists:

• Ulla Pirttijärvi
• Wimme Saari
• Eivør  Palsdottir (Icelandic music)

Bread and Butter | Hugo

*I claim no ownership or rights over this video.

Lyrics :

"She tastes like midnight

She tastes like wine
Gonna run my fingers

Oh, down your spine

Just like a bad dream

Stay on my mind"

Artist: Hugo Chakrabongse Levy 

Song: Bread and Butter

Fresh. Catchy. Great sound. This track has everything required to top the charts. Hugo brings to the table something with a punch. Baring a heavy influence of blues, most of his work has catchy hints of country too.

Bread and Butter has a relaxed tempo spiced up with Hugo’s flirtatious voice. The only thing that might let you down in this song is the uncanny similarity of the chords with Dido’s ‘Don’t believe in Love’. That’s the only fact that holds one back from calling it an original thrill.

About The Artist: 

Hugo Chakrabongse Levy (Thai name: Chulachak Chakrabongse), better known as Hugo, is a New York based singer-songwriter. Half-Thai, half-British, Hugo was heavily influenced by blues musicians and rock. With a number of collaborations to his name, he started actively pursuing music in 2010 and released his debut album by 2011. Hugo looks like a very promising artist for the current age of music. Let’s hope his style is preserved over time and doesn't lose its essence in commercial success.

Some other pieces worth listening to:

His Debut Album – Old Tyme Religion

·        99 Problems
·        Old Tyme Religion

 

Ai Du | Ali Farka Touré

*I claim no ownership or rights over this video.

Lyrics (Translated):

"Trust and faith in your fellow man has no equal.
If you have experienced trust you will know its strength.

You must know yourself before you know others."

Artist: Ali Farka Touré (October 31, 1939 – March 7, 2006)

Song: Ai Du

I lived through a mellow high, as if sipping fine wine that lingers in your mouth leaving a burst of flavours that tells a story of its origin. This fine Malian musical piece by Ali Farka Toure starts pouring into a rhythm while it tries to catch up with the beats that tenderly start picking on the strings. I’m sitting with my eyes closed and imagining the guitar doing a waltz with the beats. I slowly forget what I was thinking briefly before being hit by this beautiful rendition and the guitar almost preparing me for some light blues. Just when the beats got me accustomed, Toure pitches in with words far from my understanding yet manages to capture every speck of my attention. The haunting appeal of his voice and the violin trails across and introduces me to a Malian verve very new to me.

The first sip rich in Malian flavours being nudged by the subtle blues and the beats keeping me high. The coarseness of the vocals adding the depth that I just don’t want to let go. Toure pulls me down and leaves me floating back in space. Just when I realize he’s playing with my longing for the flavour to return, he comes back to flirt with the melodies of Mali again. The wanton camaraderie of Malian rythm and the blues bearing a melancholy strain while I feel an unbearable lightness. A mere seven minutes that could explain humanity beyond language. Just emotions. Pure music. 

About The Artist: 

Ali Ibrahim “Farka” Touré (October 31, 1939 – March 7, 2006) was a Malian singer and guitarist, and an internationally renowned musician. His music represents an effortless blend of traditional Malian music and the blues. Touré was ranked number 76 on Rolling Stone’s list of “The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”

Some other pieces worth listening to:

Collaborations with Ry Cooder:

• Soukoura
• Diaraby

Albums:

• The River
• Savane