 The extended play or EP is often considered the least marketable format for record companies. Pricing is hard to establish; releases are longer than singles, but not long enough to be considered a full length album. This underappreciated format found resurgence in the US in 90’s though. Bands like Ugly Kid Joe and Alice in Chains sold millions of copies and dragged attention back to a recorded musical format originally conceived as early as 1919.
Long before these American bands found success, the UK Indie music scene had been releasing EP’s for years. The British record buying public supported thousands of newly formed groups still developing and honing their crafts. One of my favorite EP’s from this time period was Moonshake’s first EP. Still heavily featuring future Laika frontwoman Margaret Fiedler, it was the perfect mix of cutting edge and soothing pop. “Coward” is a wonderful example of this combination. It’s an upbeat number that bounces like an English folk song, while remaining true to its shoegazing roots.
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 Doo Wop is often synonymous with the 1950’s and New York City street corners, where urban youth harmonized with little to no instrumentation. But this genre of rhythm and blues music wasn’t just a product of the gritty eastern cities of Chicago, Detroit and Philadelphia. Cloud deprived Los Angeles was also home to some of the finest groups like The Platters, The Penguins, and The Meadowlarks. Each of these artists benefited from their proximity to black entrepreneurs such as Dootsie Williams and John Dolphin. Through their independent record labels, word of mouth marketing, and radio support, these groups found national recognition.
One group formed in the nearby Venice suburbs was The Blue Jays. Just like the passerine bird they were named after, their sound fit well with overcast skies and northern cities, and their debut single “Lover's Island” oozed with youthful adoration that any catcaller would stop to admire.  The non-fiction investigative Italian book Gomorrah (US title) was published in 2006. It’s a scalding account of business and daily life controlled and affected by the Camorra, a criminal organization located in Campania, Italy. In 2008, a film based on the novel was both a critical and commercial success, largely due to its direction, acting, and accurate depiction of the region and the Camorra. In 2014, a television version was created and if you haven’t seen either the feature film or the TV show, I highly recommend them both.
Mokadelic has been recording and performing since 2000. They are an Italian post-rock, neo-psychedelic influenced group, known for their lofty sonic landscapes and their work on various soundtracks. “Doomed to Live” is featured throughout the Gomorrah series, and it’s a stern and chilling piece of music that perfectly captures the story and characters. I also think it’s a fantastic piece of music in its own right, especially against such brilliant direction.  Music can be such a personal and emotional thing. It’s also often cultural and regional. A number one song in Ghana may not even reach public radio in the US. Such is the case for this week’s song.
Originally released in 2010 as a single and then added onto the US version of her The Black Cat Neighbourhood album, “Out of it” had the makings of a smash hit, and it was... reaching #1 in Denmark. Maria Christina Apetri, aka Fallulah, is a very talented singer/songwriter who deserves much more attention, and it’s tragic this track and her first couple of releases did not receive much more international acclaim. I hope you all give this song more than a couple of listens. It’s upbeat and catchy with a fantastic chorus, and was packaged with a wonderful video that winks at Danish folklore. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4noJQPVnDKU |
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