1. Song: "Subito"
Artist: Moebius & Beerbohm
Okay, here's the deal: It's Tuesday, but it feels like Friday because I have tomorrow off. So, we're going to ease into this fake weekend with an instrumental number from Moebius & Beerbohm, artists who are on the Bureau B record label out of Hamburg, Germany. I don't know what to say about this track except, I hear kazoos. Do you hear kazoos? If I had to classify this, I'd call it garage techno, and by that I mean it has sort of a techno vibe with a steady beat, but the bass isn't there and the entire production has a sort of home-based garage feel. You may disagree, of course, but however you'd classify it, I think we can agree that it's definitely strange, and therefore fits under the banner of "strange music." Dig it.
"Subito" by Moebius & Beerbohm
Artist: Tree Helicopter
Remember The Matrix? You know, the first one. The good one. Man, that movie had a big impact on me. To this day, I think about it a lot. Okay, so what does The Matrix have to do with strange music? Well, this song from Tree Helicopter would be right at home in it. I envision it playing behind some sort of montage of the Morpheus-led freedom fighters getting ready for a mission in the artificial realm policed by Agent Smith and his techno-fascist minions, and when you hear it, there's a good bet you'll envision the same. Like the song before it, this too is an instrumental. Further, it too could fall into that pseudo-genre of garage techno, but maybe not. I dunno, I'm just spit-ballin' because there's something going on here ... something good ... but I can't quite put my finger on it. All I know is that I like it and it make me want to take fight back against my techno-oppressors! Check it and then arm the EMP. (You know what I'm talking about.)
Artist: Strange Attractor
With a name like "Scrap Metal," you might think this is a metal song. Nope. To me, it sounds like something some inventive and intelligent rap group might sample, which is to say it's another instrumental. (What's with the lack of vocals on these songs?) Of course, this jam is more than just a backing track. There's something soulful and soul-stirring going on here. It's spooky, yet inviting. Mysterious, yet somehow familiar. I suppose it too could be something a cinematographer could use to accompany some sort of montage of spies or clever thieves winding their way through a city en route to kick off some caper. Then again, this is also the kind of jam you could put on while your making dinner and dance to it while you're waiting for the oven to preheat. Granted, I finished cooking dinner hours ago, yet I'm still listening to this song. Now press play and pass the salt.
4. Song: Birdman of Lafayette (My Husband is Dead) Artist: Dopplepopolis
Okay, here's the deal: where a most of the other songs in this installment were kind of chill and laid back, this song from Indiana's Dopplepopolis is anything but. The release this song comes from is called Bizarro, and that sort of describes this blend of Midwest up-tempo punk mixed with ... something. I don't know how to characterize it, but it's definitely different from the punk I cut my teeth on. That's not a bad thing. Variety is the spice of life, girlfriend, and this track is spi-cy! There's also come cool, spacey effects at the end of this track give it an interesting finish. Dig it.
Alright, that's it for this installment, babies. Until next time ... stay strange!
