Blogarhythms

It’s not unusual for a band identified with one genre to glom on to another genre and start infusing their own tunes with elements of this new style or sound. Sometimes other bands follow suit and a new “scene” springs up, usually bearing some “clever” new epithet like “New Rave” or “Grindie.” In fact, it’s entirely possible that another bastardized sub-genre, this time formed from the grafting of African Pop and Funk styles onto regular old American Indie Rock, is taking shape in a practice space near you as I type this!

Actually, it’s not just possible… It’s a certainty. I know this because I’ve listened to the new self-titled release from deceptively-named Portland, Oregon-based songwriter Adrian Orange & Her Band. Lyrically and vocally Adrian is entrenched in the mopey singer/songwriter thing, writing introspective, emotional songs and singing them in a cracked monotone (think Tom Waits, but more nasally, minus the gravel, and with a touch of whimsy) that’s something of an acquired taste. But musically it’s a different story, as most of the tracks on the album are inexplicably performed atop rollickingly funky, horn-drenched Afrobeat backdrops. It’s a decidedly original mix that caught me off guard, but won me over since it combined different styles I already appreciate in an unpretentious way. Though Orange isn’t as “pretty” a singer as Damon Albarn, particularly heavy album cuts like “Window (Mirror) Shadow,” “Unconvincing Seranade,” the Reggae-tinged “Question Love Answer,” and the jazzy “Give to Love What’s Love’s” might be just the sort of ruffer-textured, sweaty workouts people expected out of that The Good, The Bad and The Queen project of his.

Listen to “Unconvincing Serenade”

I’d be far-less convinced of the existence of this new amalgam had I only listened to the music of recent XL Records singing Vampire Weekend though. I’ve had some sort of pre-album thing (demo? self-released CDR? I dunno…) from the Manhattan-based unit for a while. And I’ve enjoyed their music. But when they recently began receiving a bit of mainstream press every blurb I read about them played up the influence of Afropop on the group’s sound, citing the soukous-flavored “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” as evidence of the band’s “Uper West Side Soweto” sound, leaving me a little confused. The overt African influence on “Kwassa Kwassa” is hard to ignore, and other more subtle rhythmic and melodic textures pop up here and there, but for the most part the Vampires come off like a bunch of kids mixing up the snappy rhythms and pretty melodies of ’60s Pop, chintzy skate-rink organ music, the lo-fi grit of Garage-Rock, the manic energy of Punk, and the experimental “cool” of ’80s New Wave. It struck me more as a riff on contemporary acts who were influenced by “World Music” like Talking Heads and Bow Wow Wow than a direct tribute to Fela and Hugh Masakela. I didn’t get “New Rave” either though, so maybe I’m missing something.

Listen to “Mansard Roof”

So, if it does indeed exist, I guess we need to name it now, right? How about Afrie? Or maybe Indro? Umm, naaaahhhhh…

-El Keter