Song of the Day: Johnny Tillotson - Dreamy Eyes

Happy Friday.

Song of the Day: Low - Walk Into The Sea

People tend to forget that Low are the best

Song of the Day: Archibald - Stack-a-lee

There are a lot of versions of this song and this is one of them.

Song of the Day: The Mills Brothers - You Always Hurt the One You Love

Blue Valentine was a pretty good movie.

Song of the Day: Michael Angelo - Oceans of Fantasy

some 70s soft-psych for y'all (ie the none of you). This whole album is pretty great actually.

Song of the Day: Samamidon - Relief (R. Kelly cover)

As long as we have a them we might as well go with it.

Song of the Day: Esso Trinidad Steel Band - I Want You Back

There has been sort of an accidental cover theme this week. I hope that is ok with you guys, I really do.

Song of the Day: Wendell Stuart & The Downbeaters - My World is Empty Without You

via the always excellent Ghostcapital.

Les Surfs!

As you may have heard I have been pretty much completely obsessed with the Madagascar pop-group Les Surfs this week. I can not recommend downloading this best-of enough. Featuring covers of Be My Baby in both French AND Spanish!

Says the internets:

The eldest six of twelve children were Jack (Coco), Pat, Rocky, Dave, Monikya (Monique) and Nicole Rabaraona. Born in Tananarive, Madagascar the four brothers and two sisters performed as the vocal group "Les Surfs" from 1963 to 1971.

On October 14th 1958, they entered a singing competition held by Radio Tananarive under the name "Rabaraona Brothers and Sisters" performing two songs by The Platters, "Only You" and "The Great Pretender". They were awarded with first prize and then began performing under the new name "The Beryl". They toured Madagascar with Henry Ratsimbazafy and the CCC guitars and it was at this time they recorded their first 45's, "Little Flower", "Marin" and "The Three Bells".

On September 8th 1963, they appeared on the grand openning of the second television station in France. Their performance endeared them to the French public so Jean-Louis Rafidy, who was chaperone to the Rabaraonas while in Paris, urged them to sign a contract with Festival Records and release a single as soon as possible. With the release of "Reviens Vite Et Oublie" a cover of "Be My Baby", the group who were now named "Les Surfs" were at the top of the charts for three months in Franceand in Spain and Mexico with a Spanish version. They toured with Frank Alamo and Sheila and in 1964 they performed at the Olympia in Paris. It was here they were proclaimed the "Newcomers Of The Year".

They recorded and toured throughout the 1960's in languages and countries all over the world. Performances at San Remo secured them as a popular act in Italy, Spain and Germany. With further television appearances in France, Italy, England andAmerica they garnered an international audience of millions. As a dynamic sounding and original looking group they secured many original compositions and some covers of English language songs.

With their career spanning from 1958 to 1971, they performed for royalty and common people alike. By the time the late 1960's had rolled around they had their own young families and so in 1971, at the end of a very long tour, Les Surfs decided to call it a day.

The following years would see Monica and Rocky reunite for a couple of years but this didn't last. The boys settled in Canada and started their own families. Monica lived in Canada for a while but eventually returned to live in France. Nicole immigrated to the United States and worked as a carer for children in need. Monikya passed away suddenly on November 15th 1993 at the age of 46. She is survived by her two sons Lawrence and Nicolas. Nicole passed away on May 5th 2000 and has been laid to rest with her sister in the Rabaraona Family tomb in Fiakarana, Madagascar.

In 2008, Dave Rabaraona started a new group "Les Surfs 2008" which participated in the French tour "Âge tendre et tête de bois 2008" during the 2008-2009 season. The line up of "Les Surfs 2008" included, in addition to Dave Rabaraona, Isa Rabaraona, Jackya Rabaraona, his cousin Bruno and Mahenintsoa Fidy.

Song of the Day: Caetano Veloso - Billie Jean

Thank you for existing, this.

Scopitone Tuesday!

If someone could teach me to dance like this that would be just great

Says Wikipedia:

Scopitone is a type of jukebox featuring a 16 mm film component. It was a forerunner of music video. The Italian Cinebox/Colorama and Color-Sonics were competing, lesser-known technologies of the time.^[1]Based on technology developed during World War II,^[2] color 16 mm film clips with a magnetic soundtrack were designed to be shown in a specially designed jukebox. The first Scopitones were made in France, among them Serge Gainsbourg's Le poinçonneur des Lilas (filmed in 1958 in the Porte des Lilas Métro station),^[3] Johnny Hallyday's "Noir c'est noir" (a cover of Los Bravos' "Black Is Black") and the "Hully Gully" showing a dance around the edge of a French swimming pool.Scopitones spread to West Germany, where the Kessler Sisters burst out of twin steamer trunks to sing "Quando Quando" on the dim screen that surmounted the jukebox. Scopitone went on to appear in bars in England, including a coffee bar in Swanage where Telstar was a favourite. By 1964, approximately 500 machines were installed in the USA, according to Time magazine.^[4] Several well-known acts of the 1960s appear in Scopitone films, ranging from the earlier part of the decade The Exciters ("Tell Him") and Neil Sedaka ("Calendar Girl") to Procol Harum ("A Whiter Shade of Pale") later on. In one Scopitone recording, Dionne Warwick lay on a white shag rug with an offstage fan urging her to sing "Walk On By". Another had Nancy Sinatra and a troupe of go-go girls shimmy to "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'". Inspired by burlesque, blonde bombshell Joi Lansing performed "Web of Love" and "The Silencer", and Julie London^[5]sang "Daddy" against a backdrop of strippers. The artifice of such scenes led Susan Sontag to identify Scopitone films as "part of the canon of Camp" in her 1964 essay "Notes on 'Camp'."

The trumpet on this song is sort of unbearable truthfully, but check out those vampire hands!


Not lying when I said this is my new favorite band.



If you had to take a loving test I doubt that you would pass





Every video of Neil Sedaka I've ever seen starts with him suddenly standing up from his piano. true stories.


We will end with this, because it has a bear in it.

Song of the Day: La Bionda - I Wanna Be Your Lover

Way to go guys, way to go.

Song of the Day: Les Surfs - Tú serás mi baby

This strikes me as the best possible end point (though it turns out this group is from Madagascar).

Song of the Day: Los Pop Tops - Mamy Blue

Tomorrow will be the last of these for a while I think. Or maybe this is turning into all Spanish pop all the time.

Song of the Day: Los Payos - Maria Isabel

I mean really why stop here.

Meanwhile, Somewhere Else

Presenting the first ever DoC official mix cd. Yep.

Meanwhile, Somewhere Else.

1. Untitled Fragment - Unidentified Angolan Mother and Son
2. Tu Seras Mi Baby - Les Surfs
3. I've Been Losing - Chrissy Zebby Tembo & Ngozi Family
4. Cantemos - Los Yetis
5. Gol Bi Goldoon - Googoosh
6. Vacaciones de Verano - Formula-V
7. Fuego Lento - Maria Dolores Pradera
8. Callate Nina - Pic-Nic
9. Maria Isabel - Los Payos
10. History of Man - Amanaz
11. No Llores Mas - Morena y Clara
12. Andurina - Juan y Junior
13. Koori Shin Baba - Tigers
14. Solado de Levita - Los Rancheros
15. Aqui En Mi Nube - Sonia
16. Adios - Tony Landa
17. Gole Aftab Gardoon - Noosh Afarin
18. Ligeey - Group Lewlewal
19. Sucesso, Aqui Vou Eu - Rita Lee
20. Do Me Justice - S.E. Rogie

download here!

Song of the Day: Formula V - Vacaciones de Verano

Spanish sunshine pop for everyone!

Song of the Day: Pic Nic - Negra Estrella

That last post led me here, and I am happy about that. You can download the album here. It is pretty great.

Song of the Day: Morena y Clara - NO LLORES MAS

This is happening.

Song of the Day: Dave Van Ronk - Dink's Song

I found this song through a rather roundabout turn of events and was pretty sure it was Nina Simone at first. Yep.

Song of the Day: Plastic Ono Band - Remember Love

This is a nice Monday song I think. I am pretty sure Yoko Ono is way better than the Beatles, to be honest.

Song of the Day: The Kinks - Love Me Till The Sun Shines

I'm sorry for the obviousness of posting songs by the kinks, but also this song is great. Incidentally, it is way better to listen to the kinks through a layer of tape fuzz I think, luckily Mississippi Records has thought of this.

It is friday and all I care about are Kate Bush videos

Song of the Day: Isaya Mwinamo - Lipa Kodi Ya City Council

Continuing a trend. I have no idea why there are pictures of the White House on this video btw.

Song of the Day: A Sunny Day In Glagow - Drink Drank Drunk

I don't think people liked A Sunny Day In Glasgow's last album enough.

Song of the Day: Scott Walker - Hero of the War

The worst thing about Governor Scott Walker is that he is tarnishing Scott Walker's good name.

Song of the Day: Marehamu George Mukabi - Bibi Mama Ngani Mzuri

This past weekend I'd been busy making music of my own, so my obsessive processing of new things stalled a bit. Fear not though because today is my day off and instead of going outside I'm just going to listen to some Nigerian High Life. Cool beans? This is off of the Lipa Kodi Ya City Council compilation from Mississippi Records.

Song if the Day: Sagor & Swing - In i Skogen

A little Sunday morning Swedish instrumental.

Song of the Day: Casa Forte - Edu Lobo

Last night it was incredibly warm and I walked around the Mission (where it was bizarrely deserted) listening to this. It was perfect. If you are a fan of tropicalia, or you know, good things, this is probably for you. You can download the whole album (which, again, is great) here courtesy of my favorite blog in the world.

Song of the Day: Abner Jay - Depression

Today I got this on vinyl, it was a good day.

Abner Jay is a pretty amazing guy, says wikipedia: Jay was born in Fitzgerald, Georgia. His father and grandfather were both slaves in Washington County, Georgia. His grandfather was also a banjo player and imparted a vast repertoire of old-time and folk songs to Abner. He started playing in medicine shows when he was 5. In 1932 he joined the Silas Green Minstrels and would later go on to lead the WMAZ Minstrels on Macon radio from 1946–56, before going solo. He spent many years travelling the American South and playing concerts from his “converted mobile home that opened up into a portable stage, complete with amplification and home furnishings”. These concerts, as evidenced in his recordings, were often equal parts spoken word (jokes, philosophical asides, rants) and music. Common instruments on his recordings include harmonica, drum kit, a six-string banjo (that Jay claimed was made in 1748), and the “bones”, which were chicken and cow bones that had been bleached in the sun and used to create percussion. Jay’s song repertoire included field songs, Pentecostal hymns and minstrel tunes. He once described himself as the “last working Southern black minstrel”. He also performed original material that was mostly secular, and subjects ranged from politics, relationships, war, the bible and depression. In later years he held a residency, playing shows and selling his LPs and cassette tapes at Tom Flynn's Plantation Restaurant in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Anthony Braxton, renowned American composer and philosopher, called Jay an "American Master"

Here is my favorite Jay album I have heard so far, Folk Song Stylist.