random tunes part 1

this is not a new idea
but i'm going with it anyway
i own an iriver (think ipod)
and have stacked it up with a bunch of favourite cd's
most of the time i listen to it on random play
as i go walking
or sit on a bus/train/plane
or as i am reading
or need to attend to some mundane task
or sometimes just trying to get to sleep
my own private radio station
and it often amazes me how it will toss up a tune
that coincides with some other current event
like reading about the artist in question
or thinking about the song
or even freakier wanting to hear the song
....so for my listening pleasure todays 10 random tracks...
princesa by corou de berra
vocal outfit from the french alps
their style is officially polyphonic
this one has a strong violin presence
the vocalist rattles along in his dialect then out of nowhere
the beat, the key and everything changes
and all 6 voices, strings and a drum are hard at it
harmonising beautifully
one goes there alone by jan garbarek
saxophonist who records on the ecm label
which stands for eclectic cool music
as far as i am concerned
here it's a haunting collaboration
between tenor sax and violin
essence by the church
ok confession time
there's a disproportionate number of church albums
stacked up on my iriver so they are going to pop up a lot
i like it that way as they are my beatles
except they are still around
producing great music and live shows
this one a fine example of their twin guitars powering away
from their 1990 gold afternoon fix album
25 years of high standard recordings
make them all timeless to this obsessive fan
you still believe in me by m ward
the first track from the first album i bought by him
and in fact the first tune of his i ever heard
he's a singer/songwriter/guitarist
nothing original in that
but he has a knack for writing
standout songs with inciteful lyrics
a young r zimmerman some say
though no lyrics on this gentle little acoustic piece
unified field by the church
this is from their 2006 album uninvited like the clouds
i think this one also came out as a single
it's ok but they would have churned this out in their sleep
actually it's probably my least favourite church track
it won't be on my desert island selection
a magni by lobi traore
the thing that strikes me about african music in general
and mali music in particular
is the huge diversity in styles
that defy the generic label of world music
this track is from an album called mali blue
and the blues is what it sounds like
you can hear traditional african instruments
deftly combined with guitar and harp (mouth organ)
silver moon over sleeping steeples by david sylvian
this track popped up on a recent re-release
of his brilliant album gone to earth
it's a typical, luxurious reminder of that genre
that burst forth in the 80's
ambient
old flame by the church
another church track - we was warned
it does seem a little excessive
but i'll go with it
this clocks in at 1 min and 37 seconds
it's from their 1992 album priest = aura
one of their best
beware...an old flame is still burning there
don't stare...shadows in the smoke whispering everywhere
thanks boys
time not hit but missed by the laughing clowns
otherwise known as eternally yours
never saw the clowns live
wished i had
totally, completely, utterly pure originality
jazz meets rock if you like
the 3cd set of remastered tracks stacked in the iriver
this is a good thing
song for the boys by pat metheny
mr guitarist of guitarists
shops file him under jazz
probably because there are no vocals
a few years ago he released an album called one quiet night
him alone and a custom-built acoustic guitar
a bunch of original tunes like this one and a few covers
musically it defines complex simplicity
i just made that up
that's it - 10 tracks
oh what fun - shall do this again sometime real soon now
byeeeee....