The crowded bus drove up the steep mountain road, its diesel engine busily panting out fumes. In the back a traveler named Gary sat, his head leaning against the window. With his eyes half-closed, he was day-dreaming and thoughtfully absorbing the unfamiliar scenery outside. Three girls next to him were chattering energetically in their own language. They were talking so quickly that he could not understand what they were saying. But Gary was happy. He had finally escaped the smothering comfort zone of the capital city overrun by boisterous tourists. Besides, not being forced to comprehend every conversation around him made the long ride peaceful and relaxing.

One of the girls reached into a backpack and pulled out a battery-powered radio. She turned the switch and adjusted the volume. Immediately, the back of the bus was filled with loud music. It was slightly static but clearly recognizable as the worse American pop song Gary had ever heard. Gary curled into the fetal position and silently howled in agony.

Over the next few hours, poor Gary valiantly tried to ignore the words and music buzzing in his ears. He fiercely kicked himself because he had forgotten to bring ear plugs. When the batteries in the girl's radio finally ran out after eight hours, Gary almost cried with happiness...

Sure, pop music from the US isn't all that bad. But, it's unfortunate that most mainstream music around the world is dominated by American artists, especially manufactured artists that aren't exactly too talented or original.

Well, to help the situation, here are some good songs by international artists. Since the songs are international, most of the lyrics aren't in English. But that adds a certain je ne sais quoi that makes them even better. Yes? Claro que si!

Brasilian
Bebel Gilberto - Aganjú
Bebel Gilberto - Um Segundo
João Gilberto - La Garota de Ipanema
MC Marcinho - Rap Glamourosa
Sergio Mendes - Berimbau/Consolacao
Sergio Mendes - Magalenha
Sergio Mendes - Mas Que Nada ft. Black Eyed Peas
Seu Jorge - Carolina
Seu Jorge - Convite para Vida
Vanessa da Mata - Ai ai ai...
Vanessa da Mata - Não Me Deixe Só
Wonkavision - O Ímpar Perfeito

Colombian
Sonora Carruseles – Micaela

Danish
Alphabeat - Fascination
Mew - 156

Eire (Irish)
Lasairfhíona - Bímse Féin Ag Iascaireacht
Lasairfhíona - Damhsa na gCoiníní

Español
Antonio Carmona - Ay De Ti
Astrud - El Vertedero De Sâo Paulo
La Buena Vida - En Bicicleta
Mala Rodriguez - Nanai
Mala Rodriguez - Yo Marco El Minuto

Français
Indochine - Electrastar
Indochine - Popstitute

日本 (Japanese)
Puffy AmiYumi - Tokyo I'm On My Way
TM Revolution - Heart of Sword

Русские (Russian)
Glukoza Nostra - Schweine
Катя Чехова - Я робот
Ленинград - Nikogo ne zhalko

Scottish
Julie Fowlis - Hùg Air A' Bhonaid Mhòir

And... if you've got any international song favorites, let me know!

     I saw the King at the NorVa last Friday, I swear. No, not the Burger King, but Elvis. Really, that Elvis, the decadent rap metal pioneer from back in the era when my dad was riding tricycles with Theodore "Leave it to Beaver" Cleaver. Elvis was cleverly disguised as the much younger Jesse Lacey, singer of Brand New. He thought he fooled everyone. That is, everyone who didn't notice him sing the line, "No matter what they say, I am still the King". See, I wasn't fooled!

     On stage, Jesse did act like he was the King. It is true that the band and he are talented, but he maintained an air of superiority that a Hollywood celebrity would have. Understandably, the band has been touring for years and has built a significant, non-corporate fan-base. Relentless touring is stressful for a band to the point that performing loses its charm. Their performance on Friday was evident of this stress in that the performance, while physically energetic, seemed hollow at times.
     The performance focused mainly on their recent album The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me. With the songs on this album, Jesse and the band are caught in a "midlife" crisis. Without getting into a tangential album review, their latest material departs entirely from the raw angst of Your Favorite Weapon and elaborately expands the range of imagery in Déjà Entendu.  The Devil... is complex and mature. While this progression to maturity with the past three albums is logical and demonstrates the diversity and creativity of the band, it also shows their limit. It is difficult to try to be complex and profound while avoiding theatrical arrangements and pretentious lyrics. Brand New began as a raw punk band that is now seeking to achieve timelessness.  Jesse probably wonders now if he will truly be great, like Neil Young, Robert Smith, or Thom Yorke.

     Great lead singers are arrogant but they have earned the right to be. Jesse is still not badass enough to get away with ending the concert with looped variations on an untitled track from their most recent album. It was an anti-climatic ending. I would have rather extended mewithoutYou's short 25-minute set and skipped the Brand New encore.
     Even though Jesse Lacey won't ever be this generation's Bruce Springsteen, the concert was loads of fun. I was two-steppin' the whole time. For those that missed out on the concert as well as those who want to relive the magical moments, here are some highlights from Brand New's set. It was recorded and carefully edited by an anonymous friend of mine. Thanks again, anonymous friend!

- Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't
- Sic Transit Gloria
- Millstone
- You Won't Know

And two random studio Brand New Songs:
- Mixtape
- Fork And Knife

The two opening bands mewithYou and Thrice put on better shows than Brand New's. I will post highlights from their sets as soon as I get the files.

     The exotic tropical paradise of La Habana in Cuba is preparing for the onslaught of a major hurricane. As the wind gusts in from the bay, two young tourists that are probably American are suspiciously dangling their legs over the seawall. Although the Navy Seal floating invisibly in the water might suspect they are traitors, betraying the free world by looking for a unique cultural experience and high quality cigars, the two are mostly harmless. Even though they are both scruffy-looking, they have gorgeous haircuts. As they sip their mojitos, they argue animatedly:

     Wearing a Velvet Underground T-shirt, Stefan is boasting, "I'm so avant garde, I have an original cassette copy of LL Cool J's first LP."

     "That's nothing. I saw Grandmaster Flash spin records back before I was even born." Kevin grins triumphantly in his black Joy Division T-shirt.

     Stephan throws his worn copy of an obscure Hemingway book at Kevin, "Well, I have a vinyl of every Niagra record on German import and a white label of every seminal Detroit techno hit."

     Kevin is too excited to acknowledge the LCD Soundsystem reference. "Come on, don't you remember my parents named me for Kevin Shields?"

     "Who the hell is Kevin Shields?"

     "Oh my gosh, you've just lost major cool points, my friend. He's just the guitarist of My Bloody Valentine, the one who signed my Fender Jazzmaster. How could you forget his name?"

     Stefan hangs his head in shame.

     Since the 1991 release of their second LP Loveless [buy], My Bloody Valentine has not only useful for winning annoying name-dropping arguments, but also for causing reviewers to rave, giving a place for Loveless on many significant Best Albums lists. What at first is confusing about the enthusiastic acclaim for the album is that it seems like a mess, a muddy chaos of heavily-filtered guitar drowning out the indiscernible vocals. The songs are sluggish like water in a muddy pond. The songs often do not progress cleanly or resolve comfortably.

     But just as pond water beneath the microscope reveals intricate, fascinating life, so Loveless unfolds into an immersive world of sound. The album is not a collection of songs; it is more like a painting that requires thoughtful examination to fully appreciate its colors, its textures, and its meaning. One of the differences between music and traditional visual art is unlike a painting which begins as a whole that the eye deconstructs and conceptualizes, an ordinary musical piece usually begins as a sequential order of tones that creates a whole in the form of a melody recognizable by the ear. However, in the hand of musical geniuses such as Kevin Shields on Loveless, music becomes a unified whole more than a melody simply manufactured from the humble building blocks of notes and chords. It becomes timeless, free from the restraints of progression. Loveless transforms these traditional musical building blocks, wrapping guitar chords in lush sustain effects so that the chords swirl together in a synergy fused into a single blazing star set against the background of dreamy vocals by Shields and fellow band-member Bilinda Butcher.

     Regardless of the medium, masterpieces have the ability to captivate their audience. With enough volume and enough patience, Loveless can overwhelm the listener to the point of speechlessness:

(download)
:: Only Shallow ::
:: To Here Knows When ::
:: When You Sleep ::
:: I Only Said ::
:: Blown a Wish ::