So the arts meet as they should. Visual art and Aural art; pictures on canvas and musical images in the head:



Yes, of course, if you are into alternative rock, very little can beat Radiohead's OK Computer. And yes, if you love classical music, Beethoven's 9th is right up there. And okay, if you love jazz you will love Miles Davis' Kind of Blue. But, you may be interested to hear something else for a change. So, here are some ideas. This is not my 'top 100 albums of all time' or anything like that. I'm just showcasing some really good stuff.



Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea.

Alternative Rock, Lo-fi

What do you say of an album where the lead singer can't really sing, but belts out line after line after line? Where all sorts of really obscure instruments are used, and where the lyrics make almost no sense? What do you say? You say that it is one of the best albums out there. It is probably the most honest music you will ever hear, and the originality is beyond conventional musical measures. The 'weak' voice is 'yes-I-believe-you' charismatic, and the surreal lyrics make more sense the more you listen to it. This is music that will touch you - if you are prepared to accept something that may not fit into your usual framework.



Arvo Part: Alina

Classical

Right then: So what do you say of an album with five tracks where tracks 1,3 and 5 is the same music played slightly differently, and tracks 2 and 4 is the same music played slightly differently? What do you say if each of these tracks consist of the same idea played over and over and over? You get 20 notes for the price of 20 000? What do you say when there are periods of up to eleven seconds where no note is played? What do you say? You say that this is absolutely captivating. Listen to it. You will love it - even if you have never managed to 'get' classical music. Hey, it's only a few years old too: Some fogies still write classical music.



Abdullah Ibrahim - Water from an Ancient Well

Jazz

The title track is my favourite jazz track of all time. Ok, yes I know there are other masterpieces out there, but this one 'speaks'. No-one can deny the genius of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Dave Brubeck and others, but I doubt if everyone hears as much as we who know the troubled history of a country hears (in this). Thanks Abdullah Ibrahim - we would have been a little poorer without your contribution. Cape Town rules okay!



Manu Chao - Clandestino

World Music

Man, this is just simply cool stuff. I use the word 'cool' a few times on my site, but this is 'classic' cool. There's a lot more to Manu Chao than may meet the eye too. Just try to understand the lyrics for example. By the way, don't you hate that 'World Music' naming. It's such an insulting catch-all.