After yesterday's Ska-P session, I'm on a massive Ana Tijoux binge and it's making me reflect.
I love vocals I can't understand. Despite recent musings that this website makes me want to abandon Europe to go and chase Totiga, Ness and Fay round Chile (don't worry ladies, I can't afford the airfare and I can't handle heat - you're perfectly safe), I don't speak a word of Spanish.
(This is a small lie, I can order two beers and ask for directions to the library, although understanding those directions is a problem.)
But I fucking love Spanish vocals. The Spanish language is just so good for song. So are Italian (Fishball is less safe, I love me some Italy) and French, it's the Romance connection.
Danish is a particular favourite, it makes for a fantastic punk song and surely everyone can appreciate that the German language lends a lot to the success of Rammstein.
So what is it exactly? Is it as simple as how a language sounds or is it that it's almost liberating to hear music and be able to appreciate a voice in a strictly musical sense, with no distraction in words?
Here's a good example.
Johanna Kurkela is a Finnish singer song writer. For all I know, she could be singing about drowning puppies or genocide. I know I'd almost certainly not be listening if she sung in English, it's not my thing at all.
But I find her completely captivating.
So, anyone else love a good song they can't understand? Got a bit of a fetish for world music that's not quite world music?
Or any insight as to why it's so appealing?
I'll leave you with this.
