The Free Design – Songs for Very Important People

I heard of this via the Guardian’s 1,000 Albums to Hear Before You Die – a rare example of a list that avoids the obvious choices and is clearly compiled by genuine enthusiasts.

The Free Design were the brainchild of Chris Dedrick. With his brother Bruce and sister Sandy they started playing Peter, Paul and Mary songs but somehow ended up playing beautifully arranged close harmony pop.

There's an undoubted Brian Wilson influence (not least because The Free Design are singing siblings), but it's more controlled, less dark. I don't know much about Dedric (though I mean to find out more) but he doesn't sound troubled or frightened.

With Felix’s arrival I’m seeking out music for children, so please post a comment if you can recommend any good albums.

Os Mutantes

I've been lax in updating my blog, but I wanted to share with the world (and show off, basically) that last night I witnessed a historic moment - the first gig by Os Mutantes in 33 years. Arnaldo Baptista and Sergio were clad in doublets and hose. The performance at the Barbican, part of the Tropicalia festival, was witty, complex, proggy, psychededelic, uplifting. A privilege to be there.

Love's a Real Thing: The Funky Fuzzy Sounds of West Africa - Various Artists

It does what it says on the tin. If you ever wondered how western underground music such as Jimi Hendrix and James Brown influenced west African musicians (no, me neither, to my shame) then this is for you.

It doesn't sound awkward at all. As Ronnie Graham writes on the Luaka Bop website:

"All the essential ingredients existed in abundance in the burgeoning metropolitan capitals of West Africa: centuries of psychotropic experience, the strongest source music on the planet, decades of adapting western pop to local tastes and an affinity with anti-imperialist ideology. Add to this heady brew a cultural philosophy which actively promoted music, a relaxed attitude to sex and the day-glo visual imagery of daily life, almost guaranteed that West Africans would embrace funk, soul and acid rock as something familiar if not entirely home-grown."

Me me me: After reading Robin Denselow's review in the Guardian I knew I had to get it. The more I hear about David Byrne's Luaka Bop label, the more I marvel at it.