World Music Cup: Groups A&B, Match 1

[Jeff]

Welcome to match one for groups A and B.

Listen to all of the songs at least once and select the two in each group that you most prefer.

Voting for this session ends 17 January at approximately 11:59pm UTC / 6:59pm EST. After votes have been tallied the nation in each group with the most votes receives 3 points, the nation with second-most votes 2 points, third-most votes gets 1 point, and the last-placed nation 0. Nations that finish tied divide the points of their positions.

Group A
NIGERIA
Yemi Alade – Johnny
Time for some contemporary Nigerian pop. This 2013 song was a massive hit in several African countries and a minor hit in the UK.

BRAZIL
Os Mutantes - Panis et Circenses
My favorite track of all the Tropicalia artists, who I will try to refrain from leaning on too much. Wild psychedelia, topping so much of the wild psychedelia from English-speaking countries. - sonofsamiam

TURKEY
The Mehteran Band – Mehterhan Geçit
The sounds that had Europe quivering in fear from the Battle of Nicopolis to the Battle of Vienna (i.e., Ottoman military music).

BELGIUM
Mintzkov - Ruby Red


Group B
SOUTH AFRICA
Letta Mbulu - Mahlalela

UNITED STATES
Navajo of Lukachukai, Arizona – Night Chant, Yeibichai Dance (this link should be working now)
Spotify Link
From Smithsonian's Indian Music of the Southwest. Producer Laura Boulton describes it as "Perhaps the most sacred ceremony of all the Navajo chants for in it the gods and godessess appear." This is an abbreviated version, as it is meant to last all night and involve various competing teams of dancers while the singers chant in the voices of the gods.

IRAN
Hasan – Laylî çuye humam (this link should be working now)
Spotify Link
Kurdish folk song in a style popular among Kurdish nobility. The drum he is playing is a daire. The lyrics describe a girl preparing to go to the women's baths.

SPAIN
Lole y Manuel - Tu mirá
Y tu mirá / se me clava en los ojos como una espá.
And your glance / nails in my eyes like a sword. - Honorio
Note from Honorio:
YouTube only has an edited version, so here is the full version from Spotify.

[Jeff]

Group A
Brazil and Nigeria
I'm fairly certain that "Panis et Circenses" made my favorite songs list I submitted for last year's songs poll, so of course it gets a vote. I'm a sucker for pop songs with a good beat and a charismatic vocal presence, meaning that Nigeria gets my other vote.

Group B
South Africa and United States
The South Africa entry surprised me (in a good way) when the instrumentation kicked in as I was expecting it to be strictly a vocal song after the intro. It is fantastic and my clear favorite in this group. Letta Mbulu must be quite the diva (I mean this as a compliment). The second vote is a bit tougher, but ultimately goes to the Navajo chant, partially due to its novelty to my ears.

[luney6]

I have to choose 2 songs from each group, right?

Group A: Turkey & Brazil

I really liked the military music from Turkey. It was sort of close between Brazil and Belgium, and neither song really was all that great for me, but after listening to Os Mutantes for a second time, I felt that it was better than Mintzkov, especially due to the ending and the instrumentation, although I didn't really like the vocals. Yemi Alade didn't really stand even a semblance of a chance.

[Jeff]

I have to choose 2 songs from each group, right?

Yes.

[luney6]

Group B: Spain and South Africa

I like Tu Mira quite a bit. Personally, none of the other songs did all that much for me. The chant from US was drab and boring. I've ever heard enough songs like the Iranian one in India, and once again, it is boring and drab. The South African song is fine like the Nigerian song from the previous group, but better done.

[spiritualized]

Group A :
Belgium & Brazil

Sorry, but my Western Rock white male side just cannot let anyone win this one but Mintzkov. A perfect blend of lovely voice and rock melodies. It may not fit the "folk" world music style, but then again this is what Belgium can offer at its best.
Brazil - very wacky, psychedelic track and a mile above the rest.

Group B : PS - the links for Iran and USA don't work for me - Spain and South Africa it is then !

[Honorio]

Group A: Brazil & Belgium
Group B: South Africa & Spain

[Jeff]

Group B : PS - the links for Iran and USA don't work for me - Spain and South Africa it is then !

It still works for me, so it might be a region lock. I've added Spotify links in case anyone else has this problem.

[DaveC]

Group A: Brazil & Turkey
Group B: South Africa & Spain

[bonnielaurel]

Nigeria and Brazil
The Nigerian answer to "Nobody knows where my Johnny has gone." - very lively and funny. Brazilian tropical rhythms surrounded by a psychedelic atmosphere, a discovery.

South Africa and Spain
Beautiful South African voices, powerful rhythms and rich harmonies. Traditional Spanish flamenco rhythms combined with 70s syntheziser sounds.

[BITUSSR]

Well this was a great start. Picking NIGERIA and BELGIUM in Group A and SOUTH AFRICA and SPAIN in Group B.

The Nigerian track is a fun modern dance tune with a nice beat and a great bassline. Really infectious. The Belgian track is a simple but effective rock song, in a style that's close to my own preferences. The South African pick is a revelation and makes me sad this is the first time I'm hearing it. Funky, powerful, a definite frontrunner at this point. And finally the Spanish track is another '70s song that's evocative of the overall period but with a very specific Spanish flavor (love the vocals).

[whuntva]

Turkey and Brazil

Love some exotic march, and Os Mutantes are a band I just started getting into recently.

I don't think Belgium should be here, personally. It's in English after all.


South Africa and Spain

All these songs were really good. But these two in particular went all out. And I've always been a fan of audacity, so they basically tie for the lead.

[spiritualized]

I don't think Belgium should be here, personally. It's in English after all.

Well strictly speaking, this was not a "non anglophone" competition. I like the nationality aspect to the game, and the rules made it so that the obvious winners would not get an unfair advantage. That's the way I understood it.
If I could see it, I would expect that the US one is not in Native American ? And Nigeria is in English too, at least partially, if I decipher it correctly

[Jeff]

If I could see it, I would expect that the US one is not in Native American ?

Do the Spotify links not work either? Also, to others from outside North America, do the YouTube links (or the Spotify failing that) for the USA and Iran work for any of you? I assumed that the USA and Iran were losing so badly because Navajo and Kurdish music isn't very popular. I would hate for the reason to be that only half of the forum is able to hear them. Other 'dummy' nations use Smithsonian Folkways recordings too, so this would be problematic if this is the case.

[luney6]

If I could see it, I would expect that the US one is not in Native American ?

Do the Spotify links not work either? Also, to others from outside North America, do the YouTube links (or the Spotify failing that) for the USA and Iran work for any of you? I assumed that the USA and Iran were losing so badly because Navajo and Kurdish music isn't very popular. I would hate for the reason to be that only half of the forum is able to hear them. Other 'dummy' nations use Smithsonian Folkways recordings too, so this would be problematic if this is the case.

I think it is a regional problem, because the links don't work for me either. But I searched Youtube and Google to find what I assumed to be the same track. I cannot paste the links right now, because I'm using my phone, but I will post them later.

[spiritualized]

Oh man do they ACTUALLY sing in Native Indian ? I feel like a plonker now

[luney6]

Oh man do they ACTUALLY sing in Native Indian ? I feel like a plonker now

If I'm refering to the right track, then it's one minute long, and I can't tell if they're singing in any language at all. It sounds like a dance around the fire, where they make noises like a wounded animal (no offense). Almost (but not quite) like Diamanda Galas at times, if she was a bear.

[luney6]

Please tell me if either of the links lead to an incorrect song.

USA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJQ17v0v4ug

Iran: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUwqRHIsl44

[Jeff]

Please tell me if either of the links lead to an incorrect song.

USA: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJQ17v0v4ug

Iran: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUwqRHIsl44

Thanks Luney. Those are the same recordings, except that the Navajo one is edited (only by 43 seconds though). I'm putting them in the original post.

Oh man do they ACTUALLY sing in Native Indian ? I feel like a plonker now

To be fair, half of the USA's entries are in English (the other half being in Navajo, Hawaiian, or instrumental). And of course, all of England's.

[jamieW]

(I have listed my favorite of each group first.)

Group A: Belgium and Brazil
Group B: Spain and South Africa

BTW, thanks for putting all this together, Jeff. My favorite game ever on AM was the first World Cup (perhaps it's because it was the first I ever participated in after becoming a member of this great forum). It's awesome to see it back!

[Jeff]

Reminder that voting for these two groups ends in about 28 3/4 hours. Only Brazil's position looks secure at the moment; a single vote could alter the position of any of the others.

[Dan]

Sorry that I missed the deadline for voting. I'm working like a madman for 12-14 hours per day at the moment... and strangely enjoying it, even though my music-listening time has been severely reduced. But I'm really pleased that Letta Mbulu's "Mahlalela" did so well and that some people seemed to really enjoy listening to it. It is fast becoming my favourite South African song.