Synergy Music Club (SMC) Round 4!

yosi1

So when does this start?

barcoach

hi, to all the SMC inhabitants (old and new)
I've just uploaded something to start warming up things for round 4.
I've chosen something kind of out of the parameters of the SMC... for first instance this is from a band well known in Latinamerica, though maybe not that much for the rest of you, they're Soda Stereo and back in the 80's and 90's they used to pack arenas and stadiums in this part of the continent, they're one of the best bands that have came out from Argentina and they're a total legend in Mexico, Central and South America.
The other way in which this selection is different to the SMC standards is this isn't a studio album, but a live one. This is the recording of their (un)plugged session for MTV Latinamerica. The reason why I chose this record is first, it's one of the finest hours of this band, with some amazing arrangements to songs from their back catalog, I remember watching them live a few days before this performance in Mexico City, where they premiered this arrengements and being totally fascinated by the Floyd taste they put in La Ciudad de la Furia (here in a duet with Andrea Echeverri, singer to another recommended band from Colombia, Los Aterciopelados) and the acoustic treatment to Un Misil En Mi Placard, they sounded so polished and delighting. The second reason for chosing this record is that it gives a good scope on Soda Stereo's work for the new listener, aside of being a very personal interpretation of the unplugged concept, you'll notice the songs aren't played completely acoustic, but just with some acoustic undertones, not leaving behind the electricity that always was an important part in Soda Stereo's music, I remember the singer and leader Gustavo Cerati saying "everyone thinks just because you play acoustic, that makes it more intimate, and you have to be like in a seat and quiet... well, we don't believe in any of that."
The unplugged performance is completed at the end with a few studio tracks that have a clear atmospheric sound to it. These would be the last studio recordings the band would release. Shortly after Comfort y Musica para volar (Comfort and Music to Fly) was released, the band disbanded and did a farewell tour through Argentina, Chile and Mexico, from where a double live album was recorded. They're a presence greatly missed since they departed, Gustavo Cerati continues releasing records of his own (even having time to produce the hottie Shakira), Zeta Bosio, bass player, has been producing argentinean bands, while Charly Alberti has been focused on the computers biz.
Soda Stereo was always a pop band with wide musica skills, based on Cerati's vision and direction. When they released Dynamo -in my opinion, their masterwork- around 92, 93, after a long break, I remember Cerati saying in an interview "pop has been treated like a bastard, we're back to revert that". His guitar playing is really fine I think, and his vocals sensual and fill with passion. I always thought they had like a very European sound. The lyrics, though I guess most of you won't understand 'em, are just like images that kind of lack sense but they come to form a landscape for imagination together.
Forget they sing in spanish, for me they're just one of the best bands ever... Latin American or not...
Hope you enjoy it.

Track list goes as follows:
1. En la ciudad de la furia (In the city of fury)
2. Un misil en mi placard (A missil at my placard)
3. Pasos (Steps)
4. Entre canibales (Among canibals)
5. Te para tres (Tea for three)
6. Angel electrico (Electric angel)
7. Ella uso mi cabeza como un revolver (She used my head as a revolver)
8. Sonoman
9. Planeador (Glider)
10. Coral

transplant

yosi wrote:

So when does this start?

If nobody has any objections, I say we give it until the end of the week to gather participants and kick things off on Monday.

until then, grab barcoach's selection that is out now.

thebetterman

bump, lets get some more people in here.

transplant

thebetterman wrote:

bump, lets get some more people in here.

it would be nice to get a few more. at least we do have a very solid base of folks though. it is always interesting to hear what the new people select, I look forward to that.

barcoach, digging the hell out of that Soda Stereo. Very crisp. Any idea how the band name came about? it just seems...odd, out of place?

barcoach

transplant wrote:

barcoach, digging the hell out of that Soda Stereo. Very crisp. Any idea how the band name came about? it just seems...odd, out of place?

yeah, it's a cool name, isn't it?
What I heard in an interview is that they were trying to get a name that would make it hard to define the style of music they played... must be said they came out around 1982 that was a very tense political time for Argentina, the Flakland Islands War was going and English music didn't receive much airplay, and a lot of the bands at the time were trying to address political issues... Soda Stereo came as a reaction to that, they didn't want to talk about politics because on their view this affected the music making it solemn, gray, depressing... their songs talked about ordinary life, some of them were even funny like one that dealt about having a girlfriend with big muscles, they talked about telepathy and afrodisiacs... almost everything but zero politics...
So, from what I know, they were searching for a name as non-political as possible... then some guy in the group said "maybe something with Stereo"... they started to play with words and someone came out with Soda Stereo... the name was catchy, it really didn't tell you much about what kind of music the group could be playing, and it was two english words... kind of a blasphemy for the artists working heavy on politics during the Falkland Islands War, but also a defy to the gobernment -since they had forbidden must english sung music- and the announcement of a younger generation on the Argentinean rock scene.

barcoach

bumpin' for all the SMC'ers.

transplant

Ok, as of now, how does everyone feel about the order?

transplant
echoes
barcoach
psycosmic
vedhead27
burnin-candle
trappedinmyradio
thebetterman
andyslash
mookeywrench
yosi
outofbreath

12 people, 13 if viggs can make his way back in. Still time if you are interested, just let me know so I can add you. If somebody is itchin' to go, feel free to trade places with me. If I don't hear anything, I'll put the first selection up sometime on Monday. should be another very solid round.

have a great weekend folks.

mookeywrench

ouch...bumped from second to 3rd from last

Echoes

Oh shit I am up for this like mad. I'll probably skip week one due to studying for midterms (3 next week) but I will be all OVER the rest of it

OutOfBreath

I'd rather go sooner than that. My week will be somewhere in May when I'm getting due to turn in my master thesis, so I'd rather it be a lot sooner. Could I switch with you, transplant?

Peace
Dan

transplant

OutOfBreath wrote:

I'd rather go sooner than that. My week will be somewhere in May when I'm getting due to turn in my master thesis, so I'd rather it be a lot sooner. Could I switch with you, transplant?

Peace
Dan

sure. whenever you are ready, put something out there and start up the thread.

mookeywrench, sorry, I kinda screwed that up.

OutOfBreath

K, guys, the thread is up.
Go here: http://forums.pearljam.com/showthread.php?t=163439

Peace
Dan

swede

transplant wrote:

Ok, as of now, how does everyone feel about the order?

transplant
echoes
barcoach
psycosmic
vedhead27
burnin-candle
trappedinmyradio
thebetterman
andyslash
mookeywrench
yosi
outofbreath

12 people, 13 if viggs can make his way back in. Still time if you are interested, just let me know so I can add you. If somebody is itchin' to go, feel free to trade places with me. If I don't hear anything, I'll put the first selection up sometime on Monday. should be another very solid round.

have a great weekend folks.

where am i??

transplant

swede wrote:

where am i??

sorry swede, didn't hear from you so I assumed you didn't have time to do it. I should have pm'd you.

I switched with OutOfBreath at the last spot, you can go ahead of me if you wish (2nd to last......). I kinda screwed up the order.

In the meantime, there is a selection after the Augie March that OutOfBreath put out, however it may have expired. Echoes is about to throw something out there so look out for it.

Again, sorry for assuming you weren't interested. glad you are back in the mix.

swede

no dramas mate - i just was truely busy for a long time but things have eased a bit for a while now and im always keen to participate

- i dont mind when my turn is - just let me know when u want me to do it would be easiest im cool with whatever!

cheers mate

transplant

swede wrote:

- i dont mind when my turn is - just let me know when u want me to do it would be easiest im cool with whatever!cheers mate

here is the updated list, I will let people know when it is their turn.

outofbreath
echoes
barcoach
psycosmic
vedhead27
burnin-candle
trappedinmyradio
thebetterman
andyslash
mookeywrench
yosi
swede
transplant

swede

ok - ive been out of action again for a while - who is next and what album?

ah im hopeless at gettin time at the moment but i feel like i will very soon

and i think i have an album in mind for when its my turn

psycosmic

swede wrote:

ok - ive been out of action again for a while - who is next and what album?

ah im hopeless at gettin time at the moment but i feel like i will very soon

and i think i have an album in mind for when its my turn

i think it's my turn now... i'm still in the process of deciding which album to share with all of you...
but expect my thread to go up tomorrow or the day after...

viggs20

Hey, guys.
How's everyone doing ? I've missed a lot of albums...the last one I heard was Ballad of Broken Seas ~ Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan. But I'm glad you guys have kept this thing rolling. I don't if I can take part in every selection but I'll drop in on and off and contribute whatever I can.

Currently listening to Zaar ~ ZAAR. (Best album I've heard so far this year).