v/a "Groove Club vol. 2: Cambodia Rock Spectacular!"

This is a compilation of pop music from Cambodia from before the Khmer Rouge came to power – cue the usual stories about how everyone involved in making the songs here were killed in the years from 1975 to 1979, when what might be the most extreme human society that has ever existed turned on anyone associated with the former regime or Western decadence. This features top tunes from the likes of Sinn Sisamouth, Pan Ron, Ros Sereysothea and other less well-known artists, sometimes on their own and sometimes with the others. It also has extensive notes, including attempts to piece together the sad ends to these people's lives during the Democratic Kampuchea* period.

Still, I think it is possible to look beyond the unfortunate fates of the performers and enjoy it for what it is – a recording of mainly up-tempo groovers by people making a very vague approximation of Western pop music. It sounds almost like what you would get if some talented musicians read about the Beatles in a book and decided to make something like that themselves, without ever hearing the originals.

The focus in discussions of Cambodian pop music tends to be on the singers. While the likes of Pan Ron, Ros Sereysothea, and Sinn Sisamouth are clearly vocalists of great talent, it is often the backing that music that strikes on this record – both the playing and the production (with the latter probably filtered through several generations of tape copies, as the original studio masters were even less likely to escape the Khmer Rouge than the musicians). Some of it reminds me a bit of the beatier end of the music on the Éthiopiques compilations, to call to mind another musical scene shut down by maniacal far-leftists. Most of these would make great floor fillers for leftfield retro discos, or for party scenes in films set in a world of hipster nostalgia.

Individual songs? Well, is it worth mentioning them? You'll probably never hear this record, so what do you care? Even so, I can mention a few. 'Yuvachon Yuvatey Samai Tmai (New Generation Youth)' is a charming duet between Sinn Sisamouth and Ros Sereysothea that glides along, the melody leaping gamely from one voice to another in a manner familiar to anyone who has heard Dengue Fever's 'Tiger Phone Card'. 'Tonight Dance' is a hymn to the talents of Ros Sereysothea, her voice climbing to reach notes that should be beyond the range of human hearing, while her 'Oun Chong Rom Leng Ning Bong (I Wanna Dance With You)' adding her vocal talents to a tune that sounds like something early 60s beat Serge Gainsbourg might have served up.

To reflect again on Cambodia's sad history, these people may not have survived Democratic Kampuchea, but their music did. The perpetrators of the terrible crimes of that period are now dead or facing imprisonment for the rest of their lives, but some of us are still listening to this music they tried to eliminate.

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* The name by which the Khmer Rouge referred to the country they ruled.

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"Missing"

I went to see this 1982 film when it was being shown in series of paranoia films in the IFI. Unlike the others (Parallax View, The Conversation, etc.) it was the only one based on a true story – the sad tale of an American guy who was disappeared in the aftermath of the Pinochet coup in Chile. As such it was a bit of a nostalgia trip for me – Pinochet was something of a bête noire for my old school, and I recall us all being trooped off to see it when it came out.

I hope to talk more about this powerful film in the future, but for now I will just mention its rather impressive soundtrack, an ominous piece of synthesiser work by Vangelis. I came out of the film thinking that I might have to look for it, but it turns out to be yet another of the Greek sensation's classic but unavailable soundtracks. It did get me thinking, however – where does the idea that Vangelis is some kind of cheese-meister (or feta-archon) come from, given how much in the way of properly atmospheric film soundtracks he has done? Maybe Chariots of Fire is to blame – but even the music in that is pretty good, isn't it? I think it must be that Vangelis is a victim of an unhealthy stew of rockism and racism.

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Rioters v. Music

There have been a load of riots in England, starting in London. As well as throwing things at policemen, the rioters have done a fair bit of breaking into premises and stealing things. And burning places down. One place that was burned down was a warehouse holding the stock of PIAS, the UK's largest distributor of independent music. Many record labels will have seen their stock completely destroyed, leaving them in a legal quagmire as to where liability lies and whether anyone is going to stump up cash to cover the cost.

There is a list of the record labels affected here.

On Facebook, someone asked for recommendations of stuff from these various labels that someone might want to buy as a way of helping them out – or panic buy now because they may not be available again for some time when shop stocks run out. I seem to have acquired a load of records from the Finders Keepers label. Looking at their website, these are ones I recommend highly to discerning music aficionados:

Jane Weaver – The Fallen By Watch Bird (amazing contemporary avant folk)
v/a – The Sound of Wonder (Pakistani pop music. Like classic Bollywood tunes, only from Pakistan)
Ersen – Ersen (Turkish psych rock)
v/a – Welsh Rare Beat vol.2 (delightful Welsh eclectica, mostly of the psych rock and avant folk bent)
Selda – Selda (awesome Turkish folk electronic rock)
Lubos Fisher – Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (fascinating soundtrack to obscure Czech film)
v/a – B-Music Cross Continental Record Raid Road Trip (beat music and stuff from around the world)
Jean-Claude Vannier – L'Enfant Assassin des Mouches (weirdo French music from the guy who did Melody Nelson with Serge Gainsbourg)
v/a – Bearded Ladies vol. 1 (eclectic folk ladies old and new selection)
v/a - Welsh Rare Beat (see vol. 2)

Just in case you think I am one of those people who likes everything I hear, I do actually have several other Finders Keepers records that I feel are somewhat less than essential. I am not going to list them here, because for all that I am a bit underwhelmed by them they may well be other people's cup of tea.

More on that PIAS fire, including things you can do to help keep independent music alive

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Ravi Shankar "The Sound of the Sitar"

I bought this on a visit to Claddagh Records, a shop that I always fear will have closed down next time I pass it. It specialises in Irish traditional music, but I go there more for their World Music selection, which is probably the best in Dublin (not that this is really saying much, I don't think anywhere other than Tower really stocks that much World Music. And apart from Tower there there isn't really anywhere that stocks anything*).

But what does it sound like? Well, do you like the sound of the sitar? Do you like the sound of the sitar playing while someone else does their stuff on tablas? Then this reissue from 1965 is the record for you, unless you have a load of other records by Ravi Shankar (or, indeed, by other sitar players, of whom I understand there are several). If you had a load of such records then maybe you would be able to judge whether this is a good or bad, standard or idiosyncratic example of the sitar music. I just like it in a "Ah, sitars and tablas, that's better" kind of way.

*OK, OK, apart from Spindizzy, Trout, and the soul-destroying hellhole that is HMV

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PLANT EATS BIRD

Normally in the natural world it is the case that plants are eaten by birds and animals. However, some plants have had enough of this, evolving so that they are able to eat members of the animal kingdom. These carnivorous plants usually prey on insects, grubs, and the occasional tiny lizard. One pitcher plant in a Somerset has gone further – this monstrous plant has eaten a blue tit. Apparently the bird was lured into the pitcher plant's blasphemous maw as it tried to gobble up some insects who were caught in there. But once the blue tit fell in, it was stuck in place and doomed.

This is apparently only the second time in recorded history that a carnivorous plant has eaten a bird.

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v/a "The Black Keys: Brotherhood"

There is not really too much to say about this. It is a compilation CD given away by Mojo (I buy it for the pictures, Your Honour). It is a compilation of tunes by The Black Keys and of other tunes that inspired them. So what, you might say. The really remarkable thing about this is that I had never heard about the Black Keys before. I am so out of touch with today's music that a popular band of the moment (who are apparently loved and praised by young and old) can rise to the top of the hit parade without making any impact whatsoever on Panda Mansions. They appear to be one of those bands where one guy sings and plays guitar while the other drums. They seem alright, but I am not sure I would bother getting that excited by them, and I reckon listening to them too much could turn you rockist.

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INVASION OF THE ROCK HYRAX

The good folk of Israel are often troubled by the indigenous human inhabitants of what was once Palestine. Now they are being menaced by the non-human natives, as the Hyraxes of the rocky parts of the country are invading human areas and "eating everything they can find". The Hyraxes seem to like the piles of boulders that are created by building projects, using them as hiding places from which to mount raids into back gardens and villages.

Hyraxes are mentioned in the Bible – the Book of Proverbs (30:26) reports: "The rock badgers are a fierce folk, yet they make their homes in the crags". There are also reports that the new suburban Hyraxes may carry the noxious skin disease leishmaniasis.

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v/a "Oddities, Musings and Meanderings"

This is a compilation sent to me by someone for whom I had purchased here the latest album by Gavin Friday, sending it to her so that she could get it a week or two before it was released in the USA. I find the compilation rather enjoyable, partly because it includes wonderful things like This Mortal Coil doing 'Song To The Siren' and an interesting cover of 'Le Pastie de la Bourgeoisie' by Alex Kapranos.

What most struck me, though, was what sounded like it might be a live version of an up tempo tune by some American indie/electronic band. It bops away in a non-annoying manner, and then it segues into them doing 'Poker Face' by Lady Gaga. In general I am against indie bands doing covers of pop tunes – they tend to be either ironic and overly* knowing, or else snidely rockist in their "reclaiming of a great piece of songwriting". But this one just bops along, escaping the twin poles of wankology. So when it came up when I was listening to it on the way home from work on the iPod, I looked at the display to see who it was, and the answer froze my blood cold. For the band name on the screen was Weezer. Considering Weezer to be the worst band that has ever existed or that ever could exist is one of the rocks on which I have built my life. If it turns out that Weezer are making good music then either my whole life thus far has been a lie or I am losing my mind. There are no other options.

* There is something liberating about realising that as Brian Haunton is not going to be reading this I can say "overly" as much as I want without anyone becoming overly annoyed. Unless Brian Haunton is actually reading this, in which case, sorry Brian, and is there any likelihood of you rejoining Frank's?

musing panda(follow the link... it will bring you to the world's greatest blog)

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MELTDOWN MAN – Part 2: March of the Superyujees

This is my account of the one concert in this year's Meltdown festival I made it to. Read part one here, if you want to.

And then Dengue Fever. I was talking about them to the people from work, mentioning that they formed to cover Cambodian pop music from the late 1960s and early 1970s, going on to write their own tunes in a similar style. That sounds amazingly niche, the kind of music that only some kind of world music ponce would listen to, but that reckons without three important factors. Firstly, the pop music of Cambodia is just amazing, a kind of pop-psych sound that simply cries out for a wider audience; any band playing half-decent versions of this music would be worth a listen. Secondly, Dengue Fever are a most exquisite live band – in fact, they have a tightness and presence that make me think of them as one of the most impressive live bands of our times. And thirdly, their tiny singer Chhom Nimol is blessed with the most astonishing set of lungs and vocal chords; she is the archetypal little woman with the big voice, managing to sing beautifully as well as loudly and project an aura of star quality. She would be the secret weapon in any band, and it is great that she is able to bring the great songs of past Cambodian singers to a contemporary audience.

The band fully lived up to the picture I have painted for them above, wowing the audience with their stage presence, tight playing, and Chhom Nimol's unbounded charisma and ability. They look great on stage, with Chhom's lovely gown contrasting nicely with Zac Holtzman's amazing beard, and her small size off-set by the astonishing height of bassist Senon Gaius Williams.

But there is always a spectre hanging over this music, for all its joyfulness. That spectre is of course the Khmer Rouge regime, which shut down Cambodia's pop music scene and killed off almost everyone involved in it as part of a general extermination of their various enemies. While listening to the infectious rhythms of 'New Year's Eve', I was briefly overcome with emotion as I reflected in particular on the sad and brutal death of the gentle-faced singer Sinn Sisamouth – killed with sharpened sticks after a long period of incarceration and torture.

That said, Dengue Fever's music is so uplifting that it is impossible to maintain a sad mood for long. The Queen Elizabeth Hall is a seated venue, but the band soon had people dancing in the aisles and rushing to the front of the auditorium. I don't think anyone could have left this concert without a happy smile on their face. If I had a single quibble, it would be that maybe Chhom Nimol's vocals were at times a bit over-amplified – on duets like 'Tiger Phone Card' or 'Sober Driver' she did rather drown out Zac Holtzman's admittedly less strong voice. But that was just a minor annoyance, one that did not cause a bother on the great many tracks that she sings alone.

I did not recognise a great many of the songs the band played – I am guessing these were tunes from the new album, Cannibal Courtship. These sounded pretty good in the live context, even 'Cement Slippers', which under-impressed me when I first heard it. The songs I knew included some from the earlier records where they sing in Khmer and some from the likes of Venus On Earth, where there are English-language vocals, including the sublime love song 'Tiger Phone Card'.

I hope sometime to get round to buying the new album; I could have done after the show, but there was a bit of a queue for the merchandise, and we were already out past my bedtime.

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MELTDOWN MAN – Part 1

I found myself in London recently, where I hung out with my old friend and quaffing partner "Mad King Ken". We did many exciting things, including paying a visit to the Queen Elizabeth Hall for one of the concerts being organised as part of the Ray Davies*-curated Meltdown Festival. I had timed my trip to London for this, as the concert headliners were the US-Cambodian sensations Dengue Fever. Before talking about them, though, let me regale you with fascinating comments on the two support acts, each of whom played short sets of roughly 20 minutes.

First up were Maria and the Monitors – a threesome comprising one bloke with a funny haircut and two women with big hair, shorts and matching crop tops. The man did something with synthesisers and the like, while the two women drummed (while standing) and made largely non-verbal vocal noises. It was rather loud and pretty uncompromising, causing a flood of concert goers to leave the venue for the comfort of the bar, uttering such complaints as "I did not expect challenging music from a festival curated by a man in his sixties!". My companion, meanwhile, was glad that Mrs "Mad King Ken" had decided not to join us.

But what did I think? Well, "avant garde nonsense" was the phrase that leapt to mind, but I did appreciate getting to see something that was a bit out of the ordinary even if it maybe was not all that. I reckon Maria and the Monitors are the kind of thing that would go down well at ATP or some similar thing.

All that excitement meant that we decided to nip out to the lobby for a quick coffee, partly necessary to cancel out the three ales we had enjoyed earlier. While there, some guy with a little camcorder came along and asked me questions about Dengue Fever and Meltdown. You can see what I said on the Internet at Winkball - search for Dengue Fever and then pick the result that comes up for Meltdown. I think I am on page three or four.

Then we went back into the venue to catch the next support act - Baxter Dury – a band or a person? We did not know. Before he or they came on, I quipped to "Ken" that maybe this would turn out to be Ian Dury's son or something. Then Baxter Dury came on and turned out to be Ian Dury's son playing with a backing band. He did not really break any new ground musically, and if you have a superficial familiarity with Dury senior's work then you would be familiar with what young Master Dury had to offer – a performance focussed on geezer-ish vocals and wry observational lyrics, with the music largely taking a back seat. I thought it was pretty bland, though it went down well with most listeners. I was particularly struck by how the opening track seemed oddly reminiscent of the B-52s' 'Planet Claire' – and then the second song was called 'Claire'. That said, the songs where Master Dury basically spoke his vocals had a certain charm, but nothing I would rush out to listen to again.

Keep your eyes tuned to Inuit Panda for the next episode in this exciting story, in which Dengue Fever themselves take the stage.

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* This is Ray Davies of the Kinks, not the parpmeister.