You dandies must be too busy shopping for lipstick or fretting about your naughty bits, because the volume of submissions to the Macaca Music Poll has been shamefully low. Don’t get me wrong: the quality has been high, and I’m going to need a couple of days to track down some of the picks and pull together a wrap-up post worthy of the contributions. However, there are a LOT of regulars who have yet to submit entries — yeah, y’all know who you are — and I know some of you lurkers have some cool picks to share as well.
So here it is: Last Call for the poll. Send me a list of up to five songs or albums that did it for you this year. Need inspiration? Here are my choices for the Boston Globe and for WNYC. You’ll also find picks in all categories from my colleagues at both outlets here and here. Email your suggestions here. I’ll post results by the weekend. Peace and humptiness forevah!
Can we please quit using macaca? Please? It’s quite irritating.
I just sent my list. I was very surprised at some of my favorites but whatever works, right? 🙂
I am not going to quit using it. However in my post the other day I acknowledged that it’s not to everyone’s taste:
So: your objection is noted. I respectfully refuse to abandon the word, however. If you’d like to carry on that discussion let’s do so over at the other post.
I’d love to participate Siddhartha, but like a good conservative I’m totally stuck in the past…listening to Peggy Lee, Blind Willie McTell, and Ali Farka Toure…all of whom are looking down (or up) at us. The only music I’ve listened to that came out in ’06 is Dylan’s Modern Times, which is anything but. So that’s my #1 and only pick.
But it’s nice to slow down and look in the rear view mirror.
Just took a look at the lists that you linked, Siddhartha, and there’s some great music on there. I admit that I’ve never heard about half the records. I’ve heard much about Ali Toure’s record and will definitely check it out. If the Macaca Music Poll was a top 10 list instead of a top 5, my list would’ve included Cassandra Wilson’s record as well. I probably listen to her more than any other jazz vocalist. And seeing as how you are a Patricia Barber fan, I have her previous Live in France album and it’s definitely worth checking out.
It’s damn near impossible for any real music lover to put together a list that holds any salt. I tried to make a list that had some cross-genre appeal, but I think if I made another list today, it would be completely different.
Manju, There was an album released this year – Savane.
Everyone is talking about it in tandem with one by Toumani Diabate.
Thanks Neale. I’m getting up to speed. Going to pick up Savane and Cassandra Wilson’s newest. So, along w/ Dylan’s latest, I’ll have 3 ’06’s soon. Hopefully they come in vinyl.
“Macaca” was the reason Alan Webb was overthrown. Racial slur is what the pundits claimed. Now, the same term is freely used by the very same ethnic group that caused a furore!! How hypocritical can this group get.
You should have heard Jamie Foxx on Tavis last night.
Tom Waits’ Orphans
Waits isn’t technically a New Orleanian, but he embodies our nitty-gritty sinuosity and has so many genres of NOLA-based music going in that album. Besides, his heart is here.
While I’m flogging New Orleans, I heartily recommend Putumayo’s latest New Orleans Christmas, especially because “a portion of the proceeds from the sale of [the album] will be donated to New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity in support of their MusiciansÂ’ Village Project.” (Ingrid Lucia’s ‘Zat You, Santa Claus? is very good.)
As a friend of those who work with the project, I vouch for this great cause. There are plenty of musicians here who still need your help. Keep the heart and soul in Christmas, y’all! Peace.
I’d love to participate as well but I’ve either been playing oldies or pointing my radio to oldies. I could breakdown the fantasy value of every player in the NBA but I’m oblivious to the tunes of 2006 =)
On a good note, I did purchase Souad Massi’s Mesk Elil thanks to you and the Professor. It’s superb and satisfies a long, unfulfilled craving.
Welcome to America.
Waits had an album in ’06 too, and nobody told me. I gotta stop hanging with Van Halenites.
@Manju: How could you not know? It was on the front-page of EMusic for the longest time, and Waits was on Jon Stewart’s show.
@sic semper tyranni, doesitmatter: Macaca please! We have taken ownership of the slur and now only macacas can say it. And anything that let’s me use the expression “_ please!” is fine by me.
@Manju again: Macaca please! There has been a lot of new music by older artists this year. Bruce Springsteen did a folk themed album. Tom Waits, Clapton. So “Oh, I don’t listen to any new music, I’m stuck in the 60s” excuse will not fly. Be submitting top five list ASAP!
@sic semper tyrannis again: I’m planning on starting a macaca themed website. No cookies for you!
(don’t worry, I have used up my quota for ‘Macaca please!’ for this year so you won’t hear it again from me until January 1 (unless absolutely necessary))
done!
hey, i haven’t got my MAIL configured…what’s the email address to send our lists to? (or email me privately) cheers!
This poll will clearly separate out the ABD and the Desh born desi. Doodh ka doodh, paani ka paani.
Be the lassi brother kurma. EOM
FWIW, My top 5 of the year in no particular order: 1. Band of Horses “Everything all the time”: Nice compact album. Sweet sound 2. Joanna Newsome “Y’s”: Very new refreshing sound 3. Slayer “Chris Illusion”: The best Slayer album yet. Still holding the flag for death metal after all these years. 4. TI “King”: It was either Yung Joc or this album. TI just edged Joc out on this one. Lot of nice club bangers. 5. Hot Chip “Warning”: Just makes me want to get up.
Pretty random selection. But I had to have each genre on my Ipod represent.
Be the lassi, I shall, Master H_Yoda :). But only in matters non-musical, can I. Follows more, the average American, music of any kind than the average Indian. Just a fact of life.
I am not hip enough for this. Most of the music I listen to is from before I was born, although M.I.A.’s Grapes remix was sick.
Go for it tamasha and you too brother kurma… i interpreted siddharth’s request as the music that made an impression on me. i for one would be really keen to hear what you liked. it’s like getting in a buddy’s car for the first time and hearing what’s on his/her radio – the song ceases to be words and tune and gets imbued with the personality of the buddy. that makes for a unique experience and songs that were alien or odd become familiar and endearing. hey, i sent in my five as well – they werent all 2006 – and they werent all eclectic – but they are all available online (i am cheap and a radiocbc and youtube freebie fiend) – and i’d gladly want you to get in my car with me. 🙂
go on… go on… you can do it.
Heh heh, I bet you would.
Ok ok, I’ll stop with the 12-year old humor and think about my music.
hairy_d, as awesome as the car ride scenario is, and as amusing as your top five must have been to Siddhartha (perhaps even more so than the fact that, like a cute little uncle, you always spell his name wrong :), I think choosing 2006 songs/albums was the very point of the game.
But anyway, Miss Tamasha, whatever your list consists of, I’d email it soon. Technically, Siddhartha was supposed to stop taking submissions yesterday (although, like the procrastinator that I am, I myself sent mine in only this morning). hehe… I’m betting he’ll get submissions even after he posts results. Like good little pindoos, we’re on IST for deadlines too 😀
IST is definitely in the house. Right now I’m felled by a nasty cold and I ain’t posting nothing til the mucus subsides. Ms. Tamasha, your picks have been and remain most welcome.
hmm not a litst but a few goodies:
long winters-teaspoon killers-samstown the shins- phantom limb rodgrigo y gabriela-tamacun (mexicans living in Ireland, flamencoish) gomez-see the world margot and the nuclear so and so’s- skeleton key? cold war kids-hang me up to dry
http://www.wtmd.org -adult album alternative round these parts http://www.wrnr.com/- same kind of station around these parts
hmm… what’s up shruti?
it is up to interpretation – and to me, it’s about what caught my attention in 2006 – you cant imagine the dylan album really being considered new now would you – but i’m sure it’d be in someone’s list – for that matter, even the dhoom machale soundtrack might be a cute selection for those who heard it first today – but the point’s moot. how about you get in my car as well. the more the merrier.
uh-oh… if this is the bug i’ve heard about, the mucus stays through several weeks. the body ache and mild fever go after two-three days though.
alright since i still haven’t bothered to configure my MAIL account, here are the albums that excited me this year:
Ladytron -Witching Hour CSS- Cansei de Ser Sexy Love is All – Nine Times That Same Song Yeah Yeah Yeahs – show your bones Cat Power – the greatest
not sure how they all ended up being female vocalists…odd. there’s still loads of stuff i have yet to acquire though! my innate gujju cheapness does limit acquisitions.
Are you sure? Waise to zyadahi dhoom machalein gaye.
क्या हुआ श्रुती? सब ठीक तो है न? कुछ कुछ नाराज़ लग रहे हो तुम।
Dudes, I have 2 weeks off from the urchins – please can the mucus-talk. As for the music, Sid-Uncle, I am working on it. People tend to judge, you know.
I can only read things in Roman script, so… yeah.
hairy_d, care to transliterate for those of us who can’t read Devanagari?
nothing rude bro.
it was – “kya hua shruti. sub theek to hai na. kuch naraaz lag rahe ho tum” or “hey shruti. hope all’s ok. you sounded really pissed”
Not a good time of the year to be pissed. one should be skootering around like two butter chickens this time of the year.
dhoom dhoom.
Here’s my song for closing off 2006 – as it has been for many – as it will be for many more i hope – i sing the body electric.
.
dhoom dhoom.
How did you generate the nagari, bhai? Is there a free software that can be used?
quite vunderfully kurma bhai, i came to know of this hindiwriter through sepia pages. i cant seem to locate the link – but here’s what the readme file on my downloaded version has to say. i am sure you’ll be able to locate a download site thru this. it was free btw.
Oy, sorry for causing all this drama 🙁 I’m not pissed at all! Tone is so easily misinterpreted online; I was trying to be witty, considering all the possible connotations for the term “dhoom machale”.
And hairy_d – I gotta tell you dude, I speak Hindi, but I’m totally illiterate. You should have seen me frantically trying to find someone to translate what you wrote. I didn’t want to ask my parents because I figured the Hindi was to partially censor a scandalous reply. So my next best option was to instant message my Mallu friend, who then asked his mom (who hadn’t read a word of Hindi in 40 years) to translate for me. When he relayed her (apparently correct) translation, I told him it was whack. So I emailed Kurma, who speaks like 10 million languages, and waited and waited. In the meantime I bugged (the apparently also Hindi-illiterate) Ennis, who did what a normal person would do and asked you straight up. By that time Kurma had gotten back to me with the translation, and I had decided that I really really really need to learn how to read Hindi. (It seems I’m not graduating this year, so maybe I’ll take advantage of the extra school year to take Hindi classes).
Sorry for the threadjack, “Sid-Uncle“. snicker (Oh why am I laughing at you when, at the prime age of 21, I clearly have no game? 😀 )
I have Hindi Writer (I think you can DL it here), but it’s frustrating to work with.
:-)) Sorry to drag you all through this but this is really quite funny. 🙂 A very happy first day of winter to everyone.
Band of Horses? Hot Chip? Ladytron? I wonder just how many desis/mutineers are hipsters after all.
Hi Siddhartha, After much contemplation, I have settled for the following list:
hifidelity)There were many more records that I loved and it breaks my heart that the rules of the game restrict me to just five measly choices:(
I would like to second Promiscuous for adding a new word to the stunted vocabulary of today’s youth.
Sorry, by “new” I meant “new and REAL” – Bootylicious and Fergalicious are not real words.
Thanks for this post. So, I guess my song is Aajaa meri gaadi mein baith ja 🙂 My reason for not submitting had nothing to do with shyness or the other reason I mentioned in the “doodh ka doodh” comment (I believe that, but that’s another discussion) and everything to do with a real paucity of songs. I have completely stopped listening to music for over a year and a half. Totally weird since I have a reasonably good collection from when I was doing my masters. But even then it was really old stuff. I actually feel guilty listening to music.
Grad school has fucked with my mind, I tell you. Hoping to recover from the “illness” soon. Anyway, what you’ll hear in my car – a little pop, jazz, classical, some Tamil/Hindi/Malayalam movie songs (all pre-2000 stuff). I was going to mail Siddhartha one respresentative of each, but it doesn’t meet the date criterion. The newest is 2005. Everything else is much older.
what do you mean tamasha that fergilicious isn’t a real word ;)?
i am like that as well. the only music i listen to is freebie stuff that’s playing on cbc when i’m driving or stuff i come across youtube. for the life of me i cant remember most of the stuff i hear on cbc… because i dont hear the same stuff twice again … but some stuff sticks and i try to hear it again – for example, i was hearing this program about the montreal music scene and arcade fire came on and i went whoa!!! and that was my intro to those guys… etc. some other stuff is actually 2006, but the shitty life i lead – driving is my relief – i treasure these little moments of peace … then youtube… i’ll probably one of the handful who recommmends filmi tunes, but hey – those are delishus bonbons – i dont know if it’s the emoting or the music that gets me – but to paraphrase the ‘holic – filmi masala is bilkul yummy yaar.
so.. there you go – as i said – music is not a reflection of taste, but a reflection of one’s life – and there is no reason it should fit the top 40’s – but to have a life is to have a preference – and thusly you got to be in the game .
ok machang – the loser that i am, i got to go out and mail 40 christmas cards today. my bad. ek meri taraf sey tumhen bhi (and one from me to you).
“Can we please quit using macaca? Please? It’s quite irritating.”
It’s not that it’s irritating, it’s futile. It’s an attempt to do what black folks have done or are trying to do by internalizing the N-word. Black folks realize no matter how many times they put it on records and hip hop videos, Kramers around the world can in in an instant recall the original usage and intent of the word – to dehumanize.
I’m not saying rappers should cease using the word in records, thats a dialogue that should occur within the black community alone.
But for us to attempt a similar path of action, is silly for two reasons:
Macaca as a word against Indians was chosen arbitrarily. It came out of the subconscious of a politicians mother that lived in North Africa. If S.R. Sidarth was Hispanic, or Eskimo, or African, or any OTHER shade of “brown” they’d have the same word levy’d against them.
It was one guy who said it. Kramers re-use of the N word triggered a collective white history. In the US, we simply don’t have that history, it’s silly to try and co-opt it.
I, for one, hope we don’t have to see Desi rap acts like M.W.A, talkin about “Straight outta Iselin”
As far as I am concerned it is nothing of the sort. Are you threatened by a floating signifier?
Are you sure? I mean, can’t you be tamalicious, also? 😉
I also think macaca is stupid. Sorry Siddhartha 🙂
I agree. It should be Straight Outta Edison. Duh.
Awesome.