la radiolina

the 4th album from spanish-born french-living multi-lingual singer-songwriter manu chao
whose claim to fame for me was as producer of amadou and miriams last big hit of an album
i'm always on the lookout for new music from out there in the world
especially if that music is closer to a genre or style of music than the culture it comes from
that is i'm not going to be buying into bagpipe music from a traditional scottish group
but if a group from poland is into bagpipes then i'll give it a listen (they're called shannon)
ditto this well-respected spanish performer with his dance/electronica/rock sound
13 dias
off to a flying start with this very up-tempo number
the similarity to amadou and miriam in sound, style and production is immediately obvious
nice acoustic and electric guitar work over the head-bopping beat
tristeza maleza
and a nice seque into this track which runs at the same speed and similar beat
harmonising voices give way to a very catchy blast of trumpets
spanish lyrics with some mention of el presidente george buuush
politik kills
which leads into a great tune that has a slower beat and english lyrics
politik need votes, politik needs your mind, politik needs human beings, politik needs lies
that's way my friend it's in evidence, politik is violence
rainin in paradize
today it's raining, today it's raining, today it's raining - in paradize
heading off into rock territory here with lots of electric guitars
mixed in with electronica and other noises to give it a very contemporary feel
besoin de la lune
now we're in french and another up-tempo guitar-pickin' tune
besoin - demand, la lune - the moon - so the demand of the moon?
man he cranks them out - nice consistency and beat - ballade? moi? non!
el kitapena
and they seque together so seamlessly - why waste valuable seconds with gaps between tracks
this album would make for excellent workout/aerobics backing music
another 2 minute track that gets along very nicely
me llaman calle
back to some traditional instrumentation - those mandolin sounding instruments
and other acoustic guitars and trumpets with a very catchy vocal line
could easily be a well-known standard tune put through the manu chao treatment
a cosa
vocals dominate on this slower and gentler number sung in his native spanish
there's an acoustic guitar in there somewhere and some brass and female backing vocals
a lovely tune that no doubt would be so much more with a translation of the lyrics
the bleedin clown
funny how a return to english brings back a familiarity in the music - a bit sad this one
i used to make the children happy now little girls cry when they look at me
i'm goin down... down... down...
mundoreves
another micro-tune - this one clocking in at 1 minute and 48 seconds
stripped back production compared to the rest of the album
kind of forgetful, kind of album-filler, kind of not-much-at-all really
el hoyo
back to the trademark production technique used throughout the album
up tempo number, brass backing, noises (in this case sirens), electric guitars (in this case wah-wah-ish)
and a lyric that means something to someone but not an essential component
la vida tombola
lovely flamenco-style guitars backing up harmonising male voices
then a slow build bringing in lead vocals then brass and wah-wah guitar
he almost swoons on this one - probably a great live favourite
mala fama
and sequeing to another acoustic-backed track with a slow sad feel
it's time like this it would be really good to lay hands on an english translation
this is as close as it gets to ballad territory i suspect - a sad-sounding singalong song
panik panik
more sirens, more wah-wah and fuzz guitar, more rapid-fire playing
get the impression this one is an ode to modern day life in the fast lane
panik economik, panik aux assedics, panik a la boutik, panik demografik, panik sans plastik
otro mundo
taking a bit of a breather on this slower one with almost spoken vocals
in fact almost a rap style vocal delivery over light instrumentation
sits in there quite nicely without causing too much of a fuss
piccola radiolina
1 minute and 8 seconds only of the most gorgeous flamenco guitar (lute?) playing
it sounds like a backing track from one of the other tracks on the album
but no problem - as with everything else brilliantly produced
y ahora que
unfamiliarity breeds cloning - or at least the sound of it
haven't investigated too far but i'm sure i've already heard this one on the album
but then again why not flog a good thing - it's all over in less than 2 minutes anyway
mama cuchara
the sister song to panik panik - same rapid playing, sirens, guitars
not sure who mama cuchara is but it or she seems to be held in high regard
the song goes out on an almost head-banging type beat and sound
siberia
another clever segue with some guitar hooks carried over from the previous tune
nice smooth liquid bass-playing comes to the forefront of this one
and the usual fade-out with all guns blazing
sone otro mundo
i'm guessing here but with sone translated to sound
this may explain that this seems to be the song earlier in the album but with no vocals
so easy to dismiss as album filler material but who cares with this pleasant little piece
amalucada vida
the last track and almost an anti-climax with a fairly average tune
though in it's favour is a reminder of the feel of the whole album
great production, mixed-up sounds, vocals not dominating, and feeeeeel

21 tunes on the album with an average of 2 minutes and 24 seconds
almost a punk like attitude - bang em out, bang em down, get on with it
but there's been some serious amounts of time spent on the production of this album
reminds me a lot of that huge album from moby (play)
lots of sounds and noises to get hooked in to
though the language barrier will be a problem
though obviously not in france and/or spain
est bon, esta bien