I don't know what they're saying?

A very busy weekend, friday night brought me to Wallace Film Studios at Bloor and Lansdowne for an oldskool event: Dillinja, Skream and Lemon D. I will post more about friday night soon; 'cause today I felt like writing about some foreign music. Have you ever met someone who hates music without lyrics? They just can't see the skill in crafting a song without words, assuming that no lyrics=no message. To these people I try and explain that music is sound, and that music lacking lyrics can deliver beautiful melodies regardless. When listening to music in another language, the musical barriers that normally divide us are removed. No longer are we worrying if the lyrics are too preachy, too lame or too trivial. When I hear a song in Spanish, I can only think about how that language is a song: every sentence music to my ears. I'm going to post a few songs, great ones for those summer mixes everyone makes. The first couple are by Manu Chao, a truly multi-national singer, he was born in Paris to Spanish parents and offers a unique blend of French/Latin folk music. The other song is by French acoustic band Tryo, who were introduced to me by some Belgian friends a few years ago.


Manu Chao- Clandestino
Manu Chao - Desparecido
Manu Chao - Lagrimas de Oro

Tryo - L'hyme de nos Campagnes

I was in France at La Route du Rock festival in St. Malo - 2005. I had just spent three days camping alongside thousands of other festival-goers and watching such bands as Sonic Youth, the Cure, Yo La Tengo and Animal Collecitve. At the end of it all I packed my bag and sat on a country road waiting for a bus to the train station. Hundreds of people sitting in the sun, all looking out over the serene french countryside, and some kid from Jersey UK had Manu Chao playing on his ghetto blaster. This was the first time I had heard his music and at that perfect moment I knew it would not be my last.