Based out of Orlando, Florida, The Oaks have been steadily building a name for themselves as one of the more exciting indie bands on the American scene at the moment. With two albums under their collective Urban Outfitters’ belts (hey, it’s just a guess), the group have been kept busy touring during 2008, which has left plenty of time for them to discover random new music. Which they have, as their collaborative Secret Playlist confirms.
Tinariwen / Ahimana
This song is pure drone, with blues movements all around it – shifting Arabian sand with an old Southern musician as the genie. I love the women’s voices in the background, stomping their feet. I love the rough Arabic introduction. This music is not fusion though; so don’t even go there.
Neal Caine / DEA
Up until just recently, I thought this album was from the 60s. Neal Caine plays upright bass with so much loose tastefulness, so much minimalist tone that the other instruments feel like accompaniment. The Saxes are beautiful though: very Stan Getz and breathy, they pull you in.
Toumani Diabate / Elyne Road
What an instrument, and mind, and sound, and amazing expression! To think that two hands can sound like two different people, this is two people who were meant to play music together. This entire album is played on a Kora — a 21-stringed instrument utilized in Mali, Guinea, Senegal and The Gambia — and it just automatically transports me to another word entirely from the first press of the play button. No drums, and none needed.
Plants and Animals / A New Kind of Love
This is just an unabashed musical build, vibe, and emotional outpouring. It’s indie music at its best and it makes me wish I had the money to randomly break stuff and then calmly replace it. I just love this band. Good stuff for daytime or night. Yeah!
Rachmaninoff / Vespers #6
This is a brilliant marriage of sacred text, melody and architecture. It was conceived specifically for the acoustics of a cathedral. The shape of each line and phrase uses the natural long decay of the reverb to spin arc upon arc of melody. In the middle section, the tenor and sopranos have an open octave as they double each other, and the altos are split with a churning counter melody in between. As the basses enter at the end of the section to bolster the crescendo, it reveals one of the most brilliant overarching structures in choral music. Everyone must hear the Robert Shaw Festival Singers performing this!
Sara Bareilles / Bottle It Up
I’ve been listening to this because I want to inject a bit more pop and funk sensibility into my folksy songwriting and I’ve always been terrible at writing effective, funky (funky-funky NOT funky-weird) bridges. This girl has it down to an art.
Maze and Frankie Beverly / Joy And Pain
It’s old school R&B, with some really catchy basslines. Listen to it and try not to dance in some way. It’s nigh impossible!
Boubacar Traoré / Mariama Kaba
I’ve recently developed a slight obsession for Traoré. He has an interesting mix of folk and blues acoustic guitar with Mali rhythms paired with a gravely and earthy voice. His voice really fits the folk-blues flavor and communicates an authenticity that is hard to find.
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