The best albums of 2011

[Des]

Harsh.

[ElliotGirma]

Ethiopian friend working in NYC sent me this review for the new Invisible System album from the New York Times this Sunday, print edition. There is also a link here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/arts/ ... tem&st=cse

Invisible System

As an aid worker in Ethiopia and Mali, Dan Harper started recording local singers and bands. Then, as a musical project he called Invisible System, he started tinkering — extensively and transformatively — with what he collected, playing guitar, bass and synthesizers and adding collaborators. On Invisible System’s second album, “Street Clan” (Harper Diabate), the African sounds are melded with mean metal riffs, funk bass lines, dance beats, psychedelic guitar jams, dub-style echoes, the righteous declamations of a Jamaican-British reggae singer (Dennis Wint) and more. It’s a latter-day, more chopped up, more aggressive follow-through on the ideas of “My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.” The roiling results have some of the volatility of the Mars Volta and Jimi Hendrix and the implacability of Lee Scratch Perry. The reggae honors the Rastafarian tenet of a return to Ethiopia, although it sometimes tilts toward cliché. But the Ethiopian singers — Zewditu Tadesse, Tawebe and Mimi — are all grabbers: raspy and passionate, their voices leaping out of the tracks.

[David Flower]

The reggae honors the Rastafarian tenet of a return to Ethiopia, although it sometimes tilts toward cliché.

being a religious sceptic I've often wondered how many rastas actually made the pilgrimage from Jamaica all the way to Ethiopia, or indeed Babylon. Either would present a test of faith, wallet and endeavour. Did Marley ever play Addis?

[uiwangmike]

Did Marley ever play Addis?

I don't know, but Bob, I seem to remember, once said that that the high point of his career was performing at the independence celebrations of Zimbabwe, the country that later provided luxurious refuge to Haile Selassie's murderer, Haile Mengistu Mariam. I wonder if he ever expressed an opinion about that.
I've tried researching the question, but the only fact that I came up with in limited time is that the other Bob wanted Cliff Richard rather than Bob for the event.

[David Flower]

yes, Mugabe not noted for his taste in music, or anything else. He managed to completely alienate his previous supporter Mapfumo and others
So Bob couldn't find it in himself to swing by Ethiopia?
I might become a rasta actually. Marvelous manifesto. Blather on about remote regions across the world you're never going to visit, while smoking ludicrous quantities of weed, getting down with the bass and the ladies, and kicking the odd football around.
Haile enjoyable

[Ted]

being a religious sceptic I've often wondered how many rastas actually made the pilgrimage from Jamaica all the way to Ethiopia,

"There's a place in Ithiopia called Shashamane, given to black people by The Emperor"
(goes a reggae song whose author I can't currently remember)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shashamane

[David Flower]

thanks for the link. Interesting, if a slightly stoned sounding account of proceedings. Seems in the end maybe 200 Rastas stayed in Ethiopia. If they were being given 10 hectares each, which is a huge amount of land, that's quite something to turn down. On reflection I and I stay on the beach !

[GailMiles]

Well I agree with a lot of what you say. I don't think many rastas could handle the harsh reality of living over there. Or how to generate income. I am not sure why Bob did not pass through. Maybe he was not allowed? My boyfriend lives over there. Has done for 1 year now.

I downloaded both albums today, Invisible System Street Clan and Dub Colossus Addis Through The Looking Glass on Amazon. Thanks for the suggestion Sanj. and links to this. I do by the way also own Punt (Made in Ethiopia) by Invisible System and Dub Colossus A Town Called Addis.

First Street Clan. Wow. Speechless. But then I loved Patti Smith, The New York Dolls, Velvet Underground, Bob Marley, Talking Heads and co before I got into World Music in the states. Having said that is very varied. Some actually very traditional but with an odd twist. And I like dance music as well as rock so all good for me.

Addis Glass. The best tracks are undoubtedly the ones written by the Ethiopians. You can hear which ones are, especially if you are an Ethiopiques fan. But the western parts don't sound write to me. They are well played, but just that to me, and don't quite fit in. Like they are trying to not doing if that makes sense.

Not sure about the reggae covers either. But the more Ethiopiques tracks are fantastic. I prefer the more traditional track 2 on Street Clan, it just glues together more for me. And I love Guragigna on Addis Glass.

So I have google searched for any new reviews today and I found this which appears to agree with me in part. London I think. I am in NYC. Metro.co.uk - a newspaper.

When British/Ethiopian combo Dub Colossus released their 2008 debut, A Town Called Addis, their music throbbed with heavy basslines. There’s a milder energy to their second LP, Addis Through The Looking Glass.

The collective remain cross-cultural – their ranks include versatile British musician/producer/founder Nick ‘Dubulah’ Page and Addis-based vocalist Sintayehu Zenebe, while instrumentation spans guitars to stringed krar and masenqo.

Their crossover comes off best on the spooky call-and-response of Yigermel. Dub Colossus enjoy cheeky puns (Dub Will Tear Us Apart; a lightly poppy cover of Uptown Top Ranking), yet the music often sounds restrained. It’s immaculately performed fusion but is too polite to really push further.

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/music/reviews/86 ... z1KfMZk0Gs

X

[kk]

A growing number of first-time posters who all seem to be signing on to say that Street Clan is an incredible album and a better album than Addis Through the Looking Glass – coincidence?

[Jonathan E.]

The "new" face of "world music"?

I say "welcome" and withhold my judgment on the two albums until I've actually got around to hearing them both properly — a most unlike SotWorld attitude, I know.

The curious thing I've noticed is that there seems to be a slight uptick in the "authenticity" argument as applied to these two releases, an argument that I really would not have thought applied in the slightest since both albums are quite obviously not authentic in the traditional sense and do not even pretend to be.

[Invisible System]

Hello. I am getting a lot of emails saying new posts today. To somewhat explain, there is an influx from Addis UN staff on here due to the CD arriving there, some upset Ethiopians and a link to this forum I placed on social networking.

Over and above that out of my hands.

[Invisible System]

ps reading more I don't think anyone is saying Street Clan is better than Addis Through The Looking Glass, I think they are saying it is different? Some saying it is the other way around as well. Which is always to be exptected isn't it? Having said that I have not read all the posts properly and just looked today. And also I have not heard Addis Through The Looking Glass and didn't even know it was recorded or out until after the release. I have no copy so I can not comment myself.

UNECA boys, calm down. I know what you are saying / the justice you are trying, tone it down a little please:) Public / music forums so no one knows the 'behind the scenes';)

[Invisible System]

Well this got me interested enough to listen to the Addis Through The Looking Glass samples on Amazon. My honest opinion. You can not compare these 2 albums.

They are too different. In fact they are nothing like each other at all and that is a good thing.

Just because they both have Ethiopian vocalists (sometimes the same one!) and some traditional instruments/musicians doesn't mean they will sound the same..

Ok both have some reggae within, albeit very different sounding reggae and styles. Both have some Ethiopian sound/scales in places. Probably DC more as I read more tracks were written by the Ethiopians and I cook without a recipe so there are just my interpretations of the Ethiopian feel in the album.

DC sounds as others have said more 'Ethiopique', more jazz and ours is way out there and more leftfield/clubby/rocky/dubby and punky!

So they will appeal to different audiences and to different people in different ways. That is good, that is what it is all about. Creating more music that speaks for itself.

I just wish I could listen to DC without all the anger and injustice that came with it but that is personal and to the people supporting me on that, thanks but make sure all your comments are music related only please.

[GailMiles]

Am I to take it that I am not allowed to express my opinions as a newbie on this forum then? Is it a gentleman's club? lol

That seems rather unfair as if some people have joined through a new subject being raised or word of mouth then they probably have something new to say?

I have lived and worked in Addis. My partner is still in Ethiopia whilst I am in the USA. He is a reggae musician. I will end up there again. So I hope I have something to say.

I actually do prefer one album to the other although I do like both. And no I do not know Harper or work for his label (but my boyfriend has jammed with him).

Just my taste. Other people will differ. That is what makes the world go around and as one wise African previously said... the world stops going around when one dictates to anothers.

[Rob Hall]

A belated welcome to the forum Gail.

Am I to take it that I am not allowed to express my opinions as a newbie on this forum then? Is it a gentleman's club? lol

If that is the impression that you have of this forum, then that is most unfortunate as I don't believe that there is anyone here who wants that. As an antidote, I would suggest that you browse some of the other topics to get a feel for the place - we've had our share of ups and downs over the years, as any online forum is bound to have - but we're generally a welcoming bunch, as I'm sure you'll find.