Philip Montoro, Reader music editor, is obsessed with …
Abou El Leef, Super Leefa Egyptian singer Abou El Leef, born in 1968, released his first album in 2010 and Super Leefa last year. His music partakes of the populism of shaabi but not the aggressively cheap futuristic production of youthful subgenres such as mahragan. The playfully postmodern arrangements on Super Leefa collide decades of Arabic and Western pop: Auto-Tuned vocals overlap with raggedly soulful traditional singing, nasal folkloric reeds give way to sassy muted trumpet, and the rhythm tracks hop from jaunty hand drums to decadent dance beats to funky 80s synth bass. Thanks to Bodega Pop for the tip!
King Dude A solitary car drives in the moonlight, turning from a lonely desert road into a desolate, forgotten cemetery. The driver lights a cigarette and the dreams and tears of the dead fill his vision and heart. That’s how I’d describe King Dude, one of my current favorite bands. Haunting vocals spin beautiful, unsettling tales of forbidden love and biblical analogies that remind me of a more countrified Nick Cave. Bleak guitar twang and dark melodies evoke visions that Poe might have had if he’d lived in the era of early rock ‘n’ roll.
El Chopo Fresh from another amazing Mexico City trip. Made it back to El Chopo, with Pieter from Bloodyminded, Sergio from Los Heraldos Negros, and our three better halves. First went in 2007 with Sergio, plus Isidro and Heber from Bloodyminded and some cool DF noise guys. This massive, long-running, revolutionary street market is dedicated to metal, punk, goth, classic rock, et cetera. Need a Discharge DVD? Check. Specimen T-shirt? Yep. Obscure black-metal demos? Si. Beatles memorabilia? Of course! Bizarre bondage zipper mask with Pinocchio nose?
