Music to get

[redbird]

Over on Making Light, pnh tnh included a link to Chumbawamba's new album. Having listened to most of the sample bits, and looked at some lyrics, I'm sold, and not just by the remarkably sweet love song "When Alexander Met Emma" (few love songs mention propaganda by deed). I'm going to try a couple of local record stores first, I think; the exchange rate makes ordering directly from the band less appealing. (12 pounds, plus three for shipping, comes to thirty dollars in U.S. money.)

In the meantime, I have downloads of a few of their older songs, including a wonderful extension of the Beatles' "Her Majesty."

Comments

[pnh.livejournal.com]

Actually, it was Teresa who posted that link, but I agree, it's a terrific album.

The whole album's available on eMusic, for what that's worth.

[redbird]

Thanks.

[heyiya.livejournal.com]

Hey, thanks for the link! I never took Chumbawamba seriously since I didn't think much of their late-90s hit Tubthumping, but I've been looking at the lyrics and listening to the clips on that site and I think I might have to get the album too... Nobody who writes songs about Alexander Berkman and Emma Goldman can be bad in my world.

I've been yearning for British socialist folk music lately too, after having a minor Billy Bragg phase.

[the-maenad.livejournal.com]

Having already obtained this album, and also having heard them play almost all of it live *smug* -- was it released earlier over here, I guess? -- I can't recommend it enough. In point of fact, almost everything Chumbwamba have done is worth seeking out; if TUBTHUMPING is the only thing you know, it's far from representative.

[bohemiancoast.livejournal.com]

It's a really excellent album; we bought it last summer when we heard them at the Crawley folk festival.

Marianne and I went to see them on Friday night as part of the 'Folk in the Fall' season at the South Bank. This is perhaps the first concert ever where Marianne has been the main driver behind my attendance rather than a willing participant, and her only sin as an audience member was her tendency to clap and sing along rather too loud, in the verses as well as the choruses, and out of both key and time. I had to explain on the way home some of the subtleties of joining in, and standing vs. seated venues and theatres vs. festivals, together with a pile of stuff about British political history.

By a strange coincidence, pdcawley has just IMed me to say, amongst other things, that he needs to get hold of the album to find out how one of the songs goes so that his wife can sing it... so I said, oh, yes, it's a great album and I'll be singing 'Learning to Love' just as soon as I can learn it'. Same song of course.

Easily the best way to get it is on eMusic.