From: Wesley (wesleyc_at_cox.net)
Date: 2003-07-06 11:30:20
there's some opinions on the new Mondo Grosso album here (mostly "what
happened to Mondo Grosso!):
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/soundlounge/message/4835
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/soundlounge/message/4836
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/soundlounge/message/4813
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/soundlounge/message/4812
bird isn't fluent in English. i heard her sing part of a suzanne vega
song once and it didn't come off very well.
best,
Wesley
Christopher Grass wrote:
> My favorite Bird album is "Mind Travel". There are elements of her
> first disc that I really love, though. The third album, Gokujo
> Hybrid, is good, but it veers off in a different direction...perhaps
> due to the fact that Mr. Osawa produced most of Mind Travel, while
> Bird did the majority of her third disc.
> Oh, and I agree with you (in a way) on not having Bird sing in
> English. I spin her stuff in my sets, and people either don't notice
> that it's in Japanese, or they come up and ask who the artist is.
> However, since I English IS my native language, just once I would love
> to hear her sing a song in English. Of course, she may not speak
> English at all. Look at it like this: Nina Miranda sings in both
> Portuguese and English, since she is fluent in both. I love it when
> she sings, period, no matter what the language...but it is nice to be
> able to understand the vocals...it can give even more meaning to a
> song (to me). Same thing goes for Bird...but I'd love to find out if
> she is multi-lingual! I listened to Bird's version of the Mondo
> Grosso tune "Life", and then I listened to the English language
> version...and It's really tough to say which one I prefer. I mean
> REALLY tough. Bird's voice is so perfect, but I love how the lyrics
> translate to English: "Life, everchanging...nothing ever stays the
> same" has more meaning for me because I can understand it! .
> Perhaps I should learn Japanese; that would solve any issues I might
> have.
> Speaking of Mondo Grosso...what is up with the new album? Talk about
> a change in sound...Osawa sounds like he has been listening to tons of
> trance and progressive house. I like the first few tracks, especially
> "Motormouth" and the scat of "Waitin' For T", but the HIDEOUS cover of
> the Beastie Boys' "Fight For Your Right (to Party)" almost ruined the
> album for me. It could have been a b-side (as a kitschy novelty), but
> it was just a BAD decision to put it right in the middle of the
> album. The following track, "Dancefloor Combat", was a little better,
> but it really struck me as a blatant attempt to cash in on the prog
> house/breaks sound. On the upside, the Towa Tei track was pretty
> cool, and there are some Underworld-ish tracks on the disc that
> actually sound pretty good...but overall I think this album is gonna
> meet with some harsh criticism, especially following the amazing "MG4"
> and its remixes. I'm all for artists going in a new direction, but
> I'm not too fond of where Osawa is heading with his new sound. Anyone
> else agree?
> Oh, and the J's Bee album "Five" is finally available stateside via
> Dustygroove. If you liked the Sleepwalker album, and are into the
> Freeform Arkestra...I HIGHLY recommend picking this up. No joke, it's
> that good. Also, two disc to pick up if you haven't already: the new
> Rithma (on OM) and the new Belladonna (Irma). Two spectacular
> releases...jazzy, soulful, and surprisingly spiritual on several tracks.