2024: Top 5 New Discoveries

(5 favorite albums from 2022 or prior that I discovered this year)

5. Purplene

Spunk Records, 2004

I don't listen to enough music from Australia. According to Wikipedia, Purplene were "one of Australia's most respected rock groups". I hadn't heard of them until 20 years after this LP was released. This is great American Football-influenced twinkle indie, with some interesting math-rock undercurrents. They recorded this in the US with Steve Albini (RIP), whose crystal-clear production makes this record shine. (Albini's band Shellac made last year's #1 before he died)

 

4. The Apples in Stereo - The Discovery of a World Inside the Moone

   

SpinART Records, 04/2000

Perfect turn-of-the-millenium indie pop. I'm ashamed and embarrassed that it took me so long to listen to this album. I had Stream Running Over on one of my favorite mixtapes back in 2000. I even saw the Apples on this tour back in early 2001, and they were fantastic. The Apples in Stereo opened for Man or Astro-man. I sadly bought a Man or Astro-man T-shirt instead of the Apples in Stereo album. I still have the T-shirt, but I wore holes in the armpits. I wish I'd bought the Moone instead.

3. Harry Belafonte - Calypso

   

RCA Victor, 1956

A neighbor had an estate sale, and I rummaged through the old old records, and I found this one. I bought it as a Beetlejuice soundtrack.

(the scene, for reference :)

...and it does make a fine Beetlejuice soundtrack, but this album is so much more. Belafonte holds this whole thing together by force of personality, and it makes a fun listen regardless. I get a bit tired of the weird little flute that happens in half the songs, but that's a small nit-pick. This album is thoroughly enjoyable, start to finish.

 

2. Hot Snakes - Suicide Invoice

 

Sub Pop, 06/2002

Hard hitting rock and roll from Swami John Reis of Drive Like Jehu and Rocket from the Crypt. Hits all the right rocknroll buttons that bands like Q and Not U hit. This one rocks.

1. Wild Tchoupitoulas

 

Mango Records, 1976

Say "Chop-it-too-luz".

Mardi Gras Indians. I have no cultural connection to this. I've never been to New Orleans, never celebrated Mardi Gras, and I am generally ignorant about all the cultural things going on there. Now that I've discovered this, I'm fascinated, and I've gone down a few youtube rabbit holes, but I'm sure I'm getting a lot wrong.

Anyway, here's the situation as I understand it: Every Mardi Gras, these New Orleans street gangs go out parading. They spend a lot of money and effort to dress like caricatures of native americans, but with way more spangles, color, and glitter. They posture and get into knife fights. There's a hierarchy, with a Chief, as well as Flag Boys and Spy Boys, which are somehow ranks within the gang. They also...sing?

Somehow, everyone in New Orleans (or at least Chief Jolly, who is lead singer for the Tchoupitoulas) all talk like Ray the Firefly from Princess and the Frog, and spit all these strange creole-isms. Hey too-way-pocky-way! Jock-a-mo fina ney! Koona-hoona! etc.

This particular Mardi Gras tribe wasn't the first to record their music, but this tribe contains all 4 Neville brothers and most of The Meters, who later became very important to jazz and funk music, but again, this is way outside my realm of knowledge. (It's true. I don't know much).

This music, though. It's SO GOOD. It's a weird amalgamation of almost every american genre (Soul, Funk, Blues, Jazz, Gospel, Rock), with some west-african and caribbean thrown in there as well. It's almost as if this is the absolute geographical center of music. I dunno, but it's good. I guess I'm a sucker for the funky rhythmic bounce and the call-and-response vocals.

I feel like this is what the Talking Heads must have been listening to from 1980 through the end of their run. If you take Remain in Light, and add ever-increasing doses of Wild Tchoupitoulas, you get Speaking in Tongues, Little Creatures, True Stories, and Naked.

I also find it odd that the Tchoupitoulas didn't record what is apparently the most popular Mardi Gras Indian song, the oft-covered Iko Iko. (original version, most popular version, hippie version, 80s version from my childhood).

I truly love this album, and these Wild Tchoupitoulas songs keep popping up at random into my head. Indians coming-- get out de way!