Talking Heads is one of the most important groups in Rock history. This is obvious to anyone that has listened to their first three albums: Talking Heads 77, More Songs About Buildings and Food, and Fear of Music. Egregiously lumped in with punk rockers at the time, Talking Heads were more literate,cerebral, and diverse than most punkers(not to say there isn't great or diverse punk rock music, because there definitely is). But it is with Remain in Light that they made an album that transcends not only the previous limitations of the band itself, but of rock music itself. This has a lot to do with the fact that their producer Brian Eno (a great artist in his own right) was finally fully integrated into the studio band, making this more of an equal collaboration than the previous two produced by him. Eno's experimental presence is sonically evident all over the record, but no more so than the group itself, who also collaborated more equally than ever before, the ipso facto leader David Byrne letting go of his tight grip on the music composition. Adding to this democratic environment are African drumming polyrhythms (beloved by Eno and Byrne) and some of the most provocative psychological-surreal lyrics ever composed (by Byrne) for a rock record (inspired in part by African literature), along with a sample, loop based approach inspired by hip hop and electronic dance music and you have the band's masterpiece. Containing the band's most popular and possibly most definitive song "Once in a Lifetime", "Remain in Light" as a whole is one of the essential purchases for the serious rock music collector.
So, what is an Electronic Musician doing reviewing acoustic ethnic music from around the globe, all recorded from the 20s to the 40s? The answer is simple: great music is great music. Genres are really just labels, nothing more. Music is the art of sounds, harmonies, melodies, rhythms, cultures, individuals ,and ideas and if you are at all interested in traditional music of the world outside of the U.S. and U.K(and you should be)made before western pop music infiltrated much of the world, then this series is a treasure trove of sparkling gems. Every single one of the albums is filled to the brim with short pieces ranging from dance music(like the Romanian song above in the video) to virtuoso instrumental pieces to art music to folk songs and more. Sometimes, a stray western track pops up from time to time as a reminder that ethnic music also includes western music, but for the most part, this series concentrates on African, European, Asian, Latin, and other non-western countries. 3 of the discs offer music from specific areas, namely Eastern Africa, Northern Africa, and Central Asia and they are all terrific as well. To someone unaccustomed to music outside of the west, much of this music will sound strange indeed, but this is a good thing, as it exposes them to music that will challenge their ideas about the possibilities and the realities of global music culture. Sadly, much of the traditions that led to the creation of this music are being lost as our global culture assimilates and disposes of traditional musics made before industrial music production started taking over global culture in the 50's. These seem to be mostly field recordings from a bygone era, clouded in mist and legend, even as you listen to them. In other words, these are recordings to treasure and hold onto the rest of your life. The Secret Museum of Mankind series on Amazon
