Dori Hoffman- "Never Will Marry". The leaves are changing colour. I'm not a naturalist, or a botanist, so I can't tell you why. I am not a poet either, but for some reason I have no qualms dealing in metaphor. As my husband you used to say, "Flowers are the flowers that grow right here." We are what we are. And so I always get sad when the leaves are changing colour, as if it's all our losses made material. The greenery can't last. I never thought I would marry. I thought I would die alone. And then I met Sam under a cypress tree, and he was holding a bicycle innertube and I was holding a dead rabbit. How many times have I told this story? And then one day he died. The leaves are changing colour. [thanks, Jeremy - download whole EP here]
Marlaw - "Pipi". My sister tells me this is Tanzania's summer jam of 2009. This is the song buzzing from rickshaws, shanties, houses, transistor radios. It's the song you hear as you wolf down goat in Stone Town, as you surf the web in Arusha's internet cafe. I can't help but generalize, vaguely stereotype; I have never been to Tanzania, never crossed the Gibraltar (except crisscrossing, in Istanbul). I imagine Zanzibar in kodachrome and pixels, in the smell of cinnamon and nutmeg. And, now, I imagine people doing as I do - pointing into the air and mouthing "pi, pi" every time the chorus comes around. [can't find a shop]
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Posted by Sean at August 24, 2009 11:51 AMSince Tanzania is in the Southern Hemisphere, isn't it technically winter right now? So is this a winter jam? But also it's so close to the Equator, so it's probably basically always summer all year round. Does that mean that any song that becomes popular is a summer jam? Jeez this world is so confusing.
Anyway, one thing that's not confusing is that song. So great.
Posted by jay at August 24, 2009 7:51 PMAlso, where might a guy find more from this Marlaw?
Posted by jay at August 24, 2009 7:54 PMMarlaw - brilliant track and brilliant find; the sound of pure happiness
Posted by j.r.mchale at August 25, 2009 2:38 PMso a google search turned up a couple of youtube videos for other songs (both also jams) and seriously, this dude is so good.
Posted by jay at August 25, 2009 7:36 PMi found this blog cute for gramophone type
Posted by Songs at August 26, 2009 12:53 AMoh the memories!
... the marlaw song is about a guy stuck in a traffic jam (pi pi = beep beep) who wants to get home to his girl for dinner.
so yes, i guess you could say it is a swahili country song.
Posted by robin at August 28, 2009 9:26 AM