- Feba
- Eh Mane Ah
- Tay Su Tan-Tan
- Ro Lungi
- En Yay Sah
- Kill Me With Bongo
- Somebody
- Rotin
Fuck your white hipster exotica bullshit. Janka Nabay and his gang of merry cohorts (including members of Skeletons, Gang Gang Dance and Zs) are making actual new Afrobeat-inspired music without the tongue-in-cheek self-referential ego trips of American indie rockers. In fact, you should go listen to Feba right now in all its dancey glory.
Originally from Sierra Leone, Nabay’s assembled a perfect band here in the States to flesh out the sound of his propulsive, catchy, dazzlingly complex songs. It’s probably impossible to compare it to anything else you’d hear this year. The different styles and sounds are just barely recognizable, working towards a cohesive sound. It doesn’t sound like a mix of a million different styles and genres, but rather, En Yay Sah combines seemingly disparate sounds and techniques in the service of a pretty fucking epic vision. Nabay’s songwriting is, on one hand, cavalier, melodic and easygoing, while at the same time intricate, nuanced, unpredictable, and fucking manic as hell. A myriad of drums (real, home-made sounding, electronic) explode together while synths, guitars, and a chorus of voices raise multipart mayhem. It’s exciting to hear new music that actually sounds really seriously brand new. It’s not a juxtaposition between form and content, not a compromise between different elements, not a hybrid or combination. If you can calm the fuck down and stop dancing for a second, you can realize that this could be the sound of the future.
Nabay is clearly someone who loves to practice, loves to perform, is probably playing music right now. The scale of the songs, the comfort navigating the melodies is something that is made, not born. This guy’s a fucking phenomenon, bordering on genius, and you should go see him and his clearly inexhaustible Bubu Gang perform any and every chance you get.
-
Ace of Base's Secret Nazi Past
Before he founded Ace of Base, Ulf Ekberg was a member of Commit Suiside, a Nazi punk band.
-
Parquet Courts - "Light Up Gold Road Trip" (Full Documentary)
In this new documentary, Noisey follows rising indie rockers Parquet Courts from Mexico to Texas and London as they tour to support their debut LP, 'Light Up Gold.'
-
Yung Lean Doer Is the Weirdest 16-Year-Old White Swedish Rapper You'll Hear This Week
Yung Lean raps over pillow-fluffy beats and raps about glory holes and Arizona Iced Tea. Who the fuck is this kid? And why is he like this?
-
Adam Ant - The British Masters, Chapter 6
Noisey's John Doran talks with the great post-punk pop star Adam Ant about tribal body mods and layering tape.
-
Photos: Taking Acid at Coachella
When Paley sent these photos in, she included a nice little caveat over email that we've decided to reprint here in full, not only because it's too good to edit, but because her photographs of her and her weird buddies riding the snake are some of the best
-
R.I.P. Storm Thorgerson (1944-2013)
On Thursday, the hyper-talented graphic designer, artist, and famed album cover creator Storm Thorgerson passed away after a battle with cancer. He was 69 years old.
-
The Internet Is Scary
As of six months ago, my Facebook fanpage is like a dojo where hormonal teenagers hone their technique. Here is a heartfelt poem from some kid who wants to rape, kill, and marry me.
-
I Accidentally Touched Little Richard's Butt One Time
It was in the Detroit airport. After it happened Little Richard said, "He graze my derriere."
-
Listen to St. Lucia's Remix of The Colourist's "Little Games"
Last month, Cali quartet the Colourist released "Little Games," and St. Lucia just pulled a warm Balearic blanket over the whole thing, sanding away its rough edges with bright synths and lightly gated percussion.
-
Aaron Montaigne, Godfather of Screamo, is More Interesting Than You Can Ever Hope to Be - Part Two
On surviving combat in Iraq and Afghanistan with the help of magic, 'Bladerunner,' and everything in between.
NOW PLAYING ON YOUTUBE
Comments