Ali Farka Toure - Radio Mali

Radio Mali may not be the Malian legend's best-known work (that accolade would go to his swansong, Savane, or Talking Timbuktu, the collaboration with Ry Cooder) but it my opinion it's one of his most essential.

The recordings on this album were originally made for radio broadcast in the 70's (hence the title) and this is one of Toure's most traditional album. As ever, he plays what has been dubbed 'African Blues', accompanied only by an acoustic guitar or two and the njarka violin, a single-stringed instrument that sounds like nothing else (have a listen, you'll see what I mean).

As with the best of his work, Radio Mali is a slow-burning album that may take some time to worm its way into your head, but it's worth perservering with. Toure's hypnotic guitar playing is frequently stunning, and his voice has a suprising range for someone who was often referred to as the African John-Lee Hooker (even if, like me, you can't understand the words).

If you are at all interested in the blues or African music then this album is essential. Ali Farka Toure recorded many albums, but this collection, one of his earliest, is one of his very best.

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The Notwist - Neon Golden

OK, so I know I'm a bit late to the party with this one. Back in 2002 (or maybe '03, I'm not sure) German band (what genre label applies to these guys? Would you call it 'indietronica'? 'electrock'? I honestly don't know. Think rock music mixed with electronic beats, anyway) burst forth from semi-obscurity, released this album to pretty much uniformly great reviews from anyone who could get their hands on it and then disappeared back into semi-obscurity again.

I remember reading various reviews back when it came out and thinking that it sounded like just the sort of album I would love. But for some reason i didn't buy it. Then The Notwist seemed forgotten about by everyone, and of course i forgot about them too.

Then the other day, while thinking of which albums I really want to hear, the name 'The Notwist' popped into my head. So, finally, a few years late, i got hold of a copy.

I was an idiot for waiting so long.

This album is brilliant. It manages to be both catchy and experimental, simple and yet somehow quite complex. Listen to Pilot, the hit single that never was, or One With The Freaks, with it's simple chorus refrain (“Have you ever /Have you ever / Been all messed up?”) and you'll be hooked. I don't know what happened to these guys while recording this album, but it seems like they were, for the first time in their over-a-decade-long career, plucking great tunes out of the air.

The original album closes with the beautiful Consequence; which builds from a rather straightforward acoustic ballad into something much more as processed strings, a piano and skittering electronic beats form what is almost a wall of sound behind Markus Acher as he sings “Leave me paralysed, love / Leave me hypnotised, love”. In many ways it is the perfect closer to a superb record.

However, this version is the US release, which has three bonus tracks tacked on to the end. The three instrumentals (Scoop, Propeller 9 and Formiga) are nice enough and not unpleasant, but they don't really add anything to the album. Personally I prefer to listen to it without these three tracks and have the album end on Consequence, as was intended. However the bonus tracks are worth a listen and don't drag the album's quality down much.

So if like me you missed out on this album first time around, or if you've never heard of the band at all, don't waste any time in downloading this album.

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Did anybody catch...

...the Glastonbury highlights last night?

those Arctic Monkeys lads aren't bad are they?

Also, Regine from the Arcade Fire is probably the most cheerful person in the world.

Oh and the lead singer from Hot Chip looks a bit like Buster from the late, great sitcom Arrested Development, don't you think? (These pictures don't show it very well, admittedly)


It would work better if I could have found a picture of the Hot Chip guy wearing normal glasses (as opposed to none or oversized plastic novelty sunglasses). He was wearing normal glasses during the Glasto set, which was why I noticed the resemblance, but I'm yet to find any pictures of that.

The Mountain Goats - Get Lonely

You may not know it yet, but you love this album. At least you will. As you would expect from a Mountain Goats record, Get Lonely is peppered with Darnielle's astute lyrical observations and empathetic characters, and this album further enhances his reputation as one of the best lyricists around at the moment.

Like 2005's The Sunset Tree, this is an album that manages to be simultaneously profoundly sad and uplifting. You see, Darnielle has only really one subject for the album, and that is love. Or rather, losing love. Luckily it never gets dull, because no one can write songs about this subject like The Mountain Goats.

Whether it's documenting the strangeness of the end of a relationship in Woke Up New (“the first time I made coffee just for myself / I made too much of it / But I drank it all just 'cause you hate it / When I let things go to waste”) or clearing up a partner's belongings after they have left in Half Dead (“Try not to get caught up / Try to think like a machine / Focus in on the task / Try not to think about what it means”), The Mountain Goats can make beautiful songs from the smallest moments.

Get Lonely is a quiet and intimate record, consisting mostly of a strummed acoustic guitar and Darnielle's hushed quiver. Occasionally you make out a bass low in the mix, a lightly accented electric guitar, a piano, or lightly brushed drums. Some of the songs (like Get Lonely and the aching Moon Over Goldsboro) are supplemented by some quite subtle string arrangements. But that's about all. You might think such a record would sound samey, but this is not the case, even if musically it does not try to reach as far as previous albums The Sunset Tree or We Shall All Be Healed.

This is the fourth sort-of-but-not-really concept album that The Mountain Goats have released since signing for a bigger label, and like it's predecessors Tallahasee, We Shall All Be Healed and The Sunset Tree, Get Lonely does not disappoint.

I've heard people say their older albums - many recorded into an old boombox and often distributed on tape – are better than their new ones, and to be honest I wouldn't know, as I have only heard the last four albums by The Mountain Goats. But I do know this: Get Lonely is quite simply a magnificent record.

You will love it. Trust me.

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A Fresh Look At...

This is the first of a feature which will talk about an album that one of us thinks is, for whatever reason, underrated. Whether they have been unjustly ignored, misunderstood, or are simply hard to find, these are albums that deserve more recognition. With that I give you a fresh look at...

The Beach Boys – Carl And The Passions - “So Tough!” (1972)

Please, ignore the terrible cover art. Ignore, if you can, the utterly awful title. Even ignore the fact that The Beach Boys 70's output is regarded as at best mediocre and at worst shockingly poor. This is a very good album indeed, though of course it is no masterpiece. But it stands up well against the much better regarded Surf's Up, which preceded it, and Holland, which would follow.

The album came out in 1972, long after The Beach Boys had ceased to be considered musically relevant. Pet Sounds had come out way back in '66. Six years in music was a long time back then, and seven albums had come and gone since Pet Sounds and the doomed Smile project, none of them even close to matching that record (though Wild Honey and Surf's Up both have their moments).

This album was the first to feature new members recruited by Carl Wilson (the de-facto band leader at this point), guitarist and singer Brodie Chaplin and drummer Ricky Fataar. It's Chaplin who contributes the albums high watermark, the gorgeous Hold On Dear Brother (perhaps a thinly-veiled plea to the ailing Brian Wilson, whose contributions to the album are minimal).

In the absence of Brian, whose contribution consisted of co-writing and singing back-up vocals on three tracks, it is the other Wilson brothers who really shine on this album. Carl sang lead on three tracks and co-wrote the wonderful mantra-like All This Is That, while erstwhile drummer and co-lead vocalist Dennis, who had no songs on 1971's Surf's Up, contributes what is arguably another album highlight in the closing 'Cuddle Up'. Admittedly, the song does veer into schmalzy territory at times, but ends the album on a high note, I think.

One of the main criticisms of this record is that it's uneven and inconsistent, and that's true to an extent. Certainly the album careens between gentle rock and roll (You Need A Mess Of Help To Stand Alone and the single Marcella) to gospel (He Come Down – one of many many songs Mike Love would write about Transcendental Meditation...and one of the better ones) to what could almost be described as country (Hold On Dear Brother). That doesn't even take into account Dennis Wilson's two contributions which are so different from anything else they sound like they were intended for a different record...and indeed, they were, initially written for a potential solo album (Incidentally, Dennis would release that album, Pacific Ocean Blue, in 1977, and it is likely to be the subject of a future Underrated Albums feature)

Don't be put off by the criticisms levelled at this album. Sure, it's not a masterpiece. It's more a collection of disperate songs and styles than a coherent album, but – and this is the point – it does have some truly great songs. This album will not change your life, but if you only know The Beach Boys from Pet Sounds or one of the numerous Best Of compilations, give this a listen. It may pleasantly surprise you, just like it did me.

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The Name Of This Blog Is Simple Brainwaves

Hello. This is Simple Brainwaves. It's a music blog (oh, is that a passing bandwagon? I think I'll jump aboard). On here we (myself and various partners in crime) will be blogging about...well, music. We've not decided on any of the finer details yet, but we'll blog about pretty much anything. Be it news, reviews (both old and new) specific features or just random rants. Though some of us are busy, the idea is that this place will be updated semi-regularly, at least until we all get distracted by some other project or other.