Strange show this week: as promised Nicolas Collins' "Vaya Con Dios" received fuller attention and was accompanied by a series of pieces by collage/noise artist Ekkehard Ehlers. Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus received some more attention (deservedly so), too, but a strange technical glitch and one intense song after another made the show feel unbalanced and too weighty. Nevertheless, there are some fine songs on this show, including a hypnotic guitar-drone piece by Aidan Baker, one of the best songs Honey Owens has ever written, and a strange Greecian blues hybrid from a band called Annabouboula. Their sound really floored me, so I took some extra time to read up on them. Unlike Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus, there's plenty of information about this trio available. Summarily, Annabouboula was Anna Paidoussi, George Sempepos, and Chris Lawrence. Using their heritage as a foundation, Paidoussi and Lawrence took on a Greek term that can be translated as "noisy confusion" and began situating traditional Greecian music next to modern, synth-laden dance music. As if that were not unique enough, they eschwed the popular Greek canon of music and instead infused Rebetiko (Greece's version of the blues, check this video out and perhaps take the time to watch the BBC documentary, which begins here) and other obscure forms of music from around the Mediterranean into their work.David Sanborn hosted a show in the 80's called Night Music. This program played host to an uncommon variety of musicians and musical forms, including Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, Sun Ra, John Zorn, The Residents, Pere Ubu, The Pixies, Sonic Youth, Adrian Belew, Diamanda Galas, Julee Cruise, and even Annabouboula. That this show was ever taken off the air is stupefying (more so because no commercially available documents of this show are available). Thankfully, fans recorded several episodes and Annabouboula's performance on Night Music can be found over at Youtube. A little research also revealed a connection between Annabouboula and They Might Be Giants by way of John Linnell. According to the They Might Be Giants Wiki Database, Linnell played accordion and organ on both Hamam and In the Baths of Constantinople.
As far as I can tell, much of Annabouboula's music is out of print at the moment. Normally that means I would upload the record for your pleasure, but I currently do not have the means necessary for ripping an LP to mp3. If I find a digital copy, I'll make sure to make it available. In the meantime, download the show and enjoy.
A brief note - you'll notice that the numbering below is a little strange towards the end. Any two songs referenced by the same number refers to the fact that they were played simultaneously.
Thanks for listening...
01. Cerberus Shoal “Unmarked Boxes” from Mr. Boy Dog (2001) on Temporary Residence
02. Current 93 “Lucifer Over London” from SixSixSix : SickSickSick (2004) on Durtro — originally released in 1994 on Lucifer Over London
03. Popul Vuh “Wanderer Through the Night” from Tantric Songs (1981) on Celestrial Harmonies
04. Golden Death Music “Lost in Violence” from Ephemera Blues (2007) on Helmet Room
05. Shalabi Effect “Mr. Titz (The Revelator)” from The Trial of Saint Orange (2002) on Alien8
06. Muslimgauze “A Nation” from The Rape of Palestine (1989) on Parade Amoureuse
07. Revolutionary Army of The Infant Jesus “Man of Sorrows” from Mirror (1991) on Apocalyptic Vision
08. M2 (Squaremeter) “The Cry of Morgoth” from War of Sound (2003) on Ant-Zen
09. Aidan Baker & Thisquietarmy “Blood” from Orange (2006) on Thisquietarmy Records
10. Old Time Relijun “In the Crown of Lost Light” from Catharsis in Crisis (2007) on K
11. Yeasayer “No Need to Worry” from All Hour Cymbals (2007) on We Are Free
12. Bon Iver “Flume” from For Emma, Forever Ago (2008) on Jagjaguwar
13. Valet “Blood Is Clean” from Blood Is Clean (2007) on Kranky
14. Panther “Puerto Rican Jukebox” from 14 KT God (2008) on Kill Rock Stars
15. Annabouboula “Don't Worry Ma” from In the Baths of Constantinople (1990) on Shanachie
16. Hot Chip “Shake a Fist” from Made In The Dark (2008) on Astralwerks
17. Apparat “Fractales Pt. 1” from Walls (2007) on Shitkatapult
18. Ekkehard Ehlers “Albert Ayler (8)” from Plays (2002) on Staubgold
18/19/20. Nicolas Collins “Vaya Can Dios” from Let the State Make the Selection (1985) on Lovely Music, Ltd.
19. Ekkehard Ehlers “Robert Johnson (9)” from Plays (2002) on Staubgold
20. Ekkehard Ehlers “Robert Johnson (10)” from Plays (2002) on Staubgold
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