This week my head was swirling in musical inspiration after my attendance at WOMADelaide music festival the weekend prior. Two acts stood out to me in particular.
Firstly, Brazilian bossa-nova legend Jorge Ben Jor performed at the ripe age of 76, with a wide assortment of touring musicians (including a percussionist that could barely walk but, damn, he played the cabasa like a champion). The highlight of the set was, “Mas, Que Nada!”, arguably the most famous song written in Portuguese not named “The Girl from Ipanema”. God knows how many times he’s played that song given it came out in 1963, but Jorge sang with a carefree conviction that transcended age, language and nationality.
The second act that made an impression was Australian neo-soul innovators Hiatus Kaiyote. Their entire performance was full of moments that just broke my brain musically. They’d incorporate inexplicable time signatures and lawless chord progressions in ways that mesmerised the listener, while still remaining cohesive and in service of the overall song. It was also inspiring to see an Australian band be so musically adventurous and internationally recognised (Hiatus Kaiyote are twice Grammy nominated).
Song Of The Week for this week is “The Lung” by Hiatus Kaiyote. My favourite aspect of it is how nicely the instrumentation compliments the vocal stabs from Naomi Saalfield around the words “quick to lose your furrowed brow”2 around the 4:00 mark:
2Hiatus Kaiyote. “The Lung”. Choose Your Weapon. Flying Buddha, 2015.
Jachin's Songwriting and Performance Journal 