some things

Published on November 30th, 2007

I discovered Marika Papagika over at Dusted, via this review of a brand new compilation of bizarre and obscure world music recorded between 1918-1955, culled from this guy’s collection of 78 rpm records. I can’t vouch for the whole comp as I’ve yet to hear the thing, but this particular song –from the early 1920s — is completely stunning. I was wholly unfamiliar with the Greek “rebetika” (or urban blues) movement of the 19th/early 20th century, but according to this, it originated in Greek prisons and hashish dens, and was eventually criminalized by the Greek dictatorship in the 1930s. Papagika was the one who brought the genre to America; her “Smyrneiko Minore” is one of the more haunted/haunting and sad things I’ve heard in a long time, and I imagine it will appeal to those who appreciate the fidelity and subject matter of early Delta Blues recordings from the likes of Robert Johnson. Of course, I couldn’t tell you what she’s singing about here, but I’m fairly certain it involves drugs, death, and/or lost love:

mp3:
Marika Papagika Smyrneiko Minore

Read more about the compilation (reviews, backstories, etc.) here.

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other stuff:

Take a minute to check out Marissa Nadler’s rendition of Cat Stevens‘ oft-covered “Trouble.”

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Status Ain’t Hood dissects “RZA’s drug-Rap masterwork,” 8 Diagrams. It’s a great read, and while I definitely don’t love the album as much as Breihan seems to, he’s right about one thing: Method Man’s performance on this record is absolutely thrilling; the best Meth’s sounded (by far) since Tical.

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finally: