Zap Mama was a five woman a cappella group, formed by a ex-African living in Belgium. Their sound is heavily influenced by the rhythms of Africa, especially the pygmy tribes, as well as European pop song. The rhythms they employ are intense, sometimes complex, and the harmonies are gorgeous. The group sings in English, French and occasionally an African language, though I have no idea which one.
There were a number of great songs to choose from off their first album, but I chose "Brrrlak!" as it contains most of the group's signature techniques. It starts with the a cappella rhythmic singing, including some very tribal hoots and chirps. There's the beatbox-ish percussion bubbling along through the entire tune, turning downright funky near the end. And then there's the gorgeous melody sung over the top, in both French and English. It's a very worldly presentation from an extremely worldly group and highly enjoyable.
"Brrrlak!" comes from their first LP from 1993, Adventures in Afropea 1. It's a great album all the way through, stretching from medieval-style hymns to rhythmic chants to beautiful pop melodies, sometimes all in the same song.
[You can listen to Zap Mama's "Brrrlak!" by navigating to the post "Song072" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]
Before 50 Cent and Lil Wayne there was Serge Gainsbourg. He penned a little ditty for France Gall called "Les Sucettes", which means, I'm pretty sure, "The Lollipops" in French. While ostensibly being about Annie's anise-flavored lollipops, it's actually full of erotic double entendres and dirty French puns, mostly about lollipops. Go figure.
Serge's popularity went through a little surge back in the late 90's. Like Bacharach before him and Leonard Cohen today, it seemed like anybody who wanted to be taken seriously as a performer had to cover a Gainsbourg tune. About this same time, John Zorn was curating a (sadly short-lived) series of compilations called "Great Jewish Music", in which he would choose a composer of Jewish heritage and get his stable of Tzadik artists to cover a slew of their songs. They handled Bacharach & Gainsbourg, and later Marc Bolan. Sadly, they never got to Paul Simon, Leiber & Stoller or Gene Simmons. Or Barry Manilow. Oh, or Neil Diamond!
Jon, as this artist is known, is another matter. She's Japanese and she plays a pump organ. And that's all I know, as "Jon" doesn't exactly Google well.
I think I promised somewhere that I wouldn't post anything I didn't actually enjoy listening to. And that's important, because there are people who like stuff simply because it's so weird and/or awful that you couldn't possibly actually like it. You should know that, if I offend your ears, it's not because I'm trying to somehow aurally gross you out. I really do enjoy listening to the music on some level. So, no Three Stooges Christmas albums or William Shatner singing Rocket Man, just music I enjoy and think is interesting enough that you should hear it too.
Jon definitely falls into that 'avant-garde' or 'weird' category. First, her voice sounds like a twee little six-year-old, which is somewhat appropriate (and creepy) given the nature of the song. Second, her organ sounds like it's dying of old age. You can hear every creak and moan, every push of the pedals and puff of air. You can almost hear the dust floating about in the dimly lit haunted-house of a room this must have been recorded in. And yet, that's what gives the recording it's appeal for me. The music isn't just in the song, but it embodies the Cagian idea that all aspects of the performance are part of the music; that the wheezes of a dying organ are just as musically important as the notes and lyrics Serge originally penned. I couldn't listen to a whole album of this stuff, but this tune is both fascinating and enjoyable. I hope when you listen to it, you get a chance to revel in the artifact and the atmosphere.
You can find the tune on the excellent Tzadik compilation Great Jewish Music: Serge Gainsbourg. Most of the rest of the tunes are far more traditionally musical than this one (though a few aren't). While you're at it, you should grab the Burt Bacharach one as well. You can skip the Bolan one. I believe they missed Marc's whole point with that comp, and as such, it's just not as good.
Zap Mama was a five woman a cappella group, formed by a ex-African living in Belgium. Their sound is heavily influenced by the rhythms of Africa, especially the pygmy tribes, as well as European pop song. The rhythms they employ are intense, sometimes complex, and the harmonies are gorgeous. The group sings in English, French and occasionally an African language, though I have no idea which one.
"Brrrlak!" comes from their first LP from 1993, Adventures in Afropea 1. It's a great album all the way through, stretching from medieval-style hymns to rhythmic chants to beautiful pop melodies, sometimes all in the same song.
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