Your-o-vision song contest
Do you have dreams of but haven't managed to make the break yet? Here's your chance. Not just World Have Your Say, but World Have Your Song. Send me an e-mail if you're an aspiring singer or group, or leave a comment and a link here.
It occurred to me that outside Europe it probably isn't that big a deal so here's a fairly comprehensive guide to what all the fuss is about by
Certainly here in the UK the event is quite a spectacle. Veteran Eurovision host Terry Wogan, takes us through every act and marvels at the political point scoring, in a way only he knows how!
We're hoping to have some of you join us and make your case to a former contestant or maybe a panel of callers. Also, what do you make of this crazy costumed Finnish metal band? Nice contrast to the pop princesses, if you ask me.
I listen to a few new music podcasts, and I sent off a few e-mails to hear what these podcasters' favourite new tunes were. Jason of sent me "Turn Up The Faders" from .
It's a brooding song of suburband disaffection. Click over to his site.
Turn up the Faders
Light strikes the suburbs in the summer,
Water trickles and runs down the faces of children,
Laughter echoes rising
As they slip between the sprinklers.
Faces eager for no reason,
Is it the season, is that it?
This used to be enough for me but now it isn't,
I need some different entertainment.
I also sent a message to Obi Orjiekwe, who writes the blog Soul on Ice and as it says on his is a "Software Writer with a deep interest in music from Hip Hop, Soul, Broken Beat/Nu Jazz to African Music". I asked him for his nominee for the Your-O-Vision award. He said:
Difficult one but I'm digging a song, El Fulo, from a Colombian group called The King Elio Boom. The song's described as "a slice of funk typical of the champeta created by the African-music-crazed youth of Baranquilla". Very infectious and gets my household (wife and toddler son) singing along to the chorus.
He said there is a great write up on the band the track :
Identified as "highlife ragga" on the disc this comes from, "El Fulo" has more in common with Congolese soukous. It's a slice of funk typical of the champeta created by the African-music-crazed youth of Baranquilla and other port cities on Columbia's Caribbean coast.
Actually that post is chock full of great tunes from all over the world, and you can always download .
The next thing I did was take a look around weblogs who write about music. ZonaIndie covers "interesting and fresh independent music from South America". They were featuring a new EP from the Iguana Lovers, "a mythical band from Buenos Aires that started in 1990".
I didn't have time to listen to all the tracks, and maybe Iguana Lovers fans can point me in the direction of a better one, but I liked the Nuclear Age, which reminded me slightly of the REM album .
I also discovered that Mexico recently held a music contest under the banner of , the alternative copyright system. Of the three tracks, I picked , a nice trancey number.
We're going to be joined by Mark Savage, composer and entertainment correspondent for the Ö÷²¥´óÐã News website. He's going to be our expert judge, but call in with your opinion. You can give most of the tracks a listen. I'm still looking for a track from Asia. I'm kind of taken by this great number by a the blogger didn't know the name of from Xinjiang, but then again, I may just be enjoying the funky dancing on the video.
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