United Future Organization / The Swingin’ Swamis
About a week or two ago I felt like going for a ride around town in my Mini Cooper, but didn’t know where to go – at the suggestion of a friend of mine (and since I hadn’t been there before), I went out to Fells Point in Baltimore, about a 30 minute drive from where I live. While I was out there I found a used cd/dvd store called The Sound Garden and went in to poke around and see if I could find a copy of Frank Zappa’s “Joe’s Garage”. Didn’t find what I originally went in there for, but ended up leaving with a few other albums, including this one that I picked up on a whim based on the album cover:
United Future Organization: “No Sound Is Too Taboo”
I hadn’t heard of the group at all and had no clue what their music would be like (The Sound Garden has listening stations for previewing, but I was feeling adventurous!). It’s rather jazzy… I’d say it’s similar to Fantastic Plastic Machine, but heavier on the jazz and lighter on the electronic mixing. The group is actually comprised of three DJs (two Japanese, one French) and had apparently been performing in nightclubs in Tokyo since the early 90s. The music on this album really does cover a range of styles (I guess lending credibility to that “no sound is too taboo” title?). I’d have to say that my personal favorite on the album is track #5: “Make It Better” – it’s a very catchy song with a tune that I can’t help but have run through my head later. I’m very impressed with this album, and hope that maybe my luck at blind picking of albums will continue, haha…
– “United Future Airlines
– “Stolen Moments”
– “Make It Better”
– “Sunday Folk Tale”
[ buy No Sound Is Too Taboo ]
—
the swingin’ swamis:
Later that night, while walking back through the neighborhood to my car, I passed by this one pub/bar/whatever called “The Cat’s Eye” where a group named “The Swingin’ Swamis” were inside performing. I wished that I could have gone in to listen but I had places to be, so I stood outside for a minute and gave a quick listen before continuing along my way, and from what I heard and what I saw later when I looked up their webpage I’m disappointed that I didn’t go in to listen more. They had a kind of jazzy lounge / bachelor padish sort of feel to them. Their webpage says that their cd can be bought at The Sound Garden, so it looks like I’ll have to make a return trip! They do have a video of a performance they did at the Kennedy Center linked to off of their webpage, and they also have mp3s for sampling (the mp3 download links weren’t working, but here’s a secret: try opening the .m3u files in a text editor for a more useful web address).
– “Belly Up!”
– “Night Train”
[ check out The Swingin’ Swamis ]
I’ve definitely got to pick up at least their debut cd – any jazz/lounge/bachelor-pad-y sort of band that can do a cover of “The Sabre Dance” has GOT to be listened to!
—
misc:
Also, I don’t remember on what musicblog I first saw it pointed out on, but there’s an amazing mix of songs by Queen with hip-hop tracks: “A Night At The Hip-Hopera”.
You also might have noticed that I’ve taken down the link for Webradio KRUD – the computer I used to host it on (named “The Lemon”, how apropos), might have finally died 🙁 I’m still trying to find time to fiddle around with it and see if I can get it back up and running.
Finally, this coming Saturday local band Woodswork (possibly along with others, I do not know) is going to be performing along with previously-mentioned on Radio KRUD Carbon Leaf in Federal Hill in Baltimore on Cross Street – $3! Depending on my schedule for the day I might be going… Check their sites for more info.