Superficial Music Project: Mercedes Sosa #3

We Can Tell How Good A Band Is Without Listening to Them!

Probably not.  But we’re going to try.  Last Friday we blindly chose a band off of Last.FM’s “Hype List”.  We will now judge (from 1 to 10) how good a band is based soley on their name and photo.  After harsh (empty) judgment, today we’ll actually listen to their music to see how wrong/right we were.

(Joining us is L.A.-via-Milwaukee’s Adam Lovinus )

The Band We Are Judging Today:

Mercedes Sosa

And now… the moment of truth… feast your ears on THIS! (Last.Fm, MySpace)…

MP3: Mercedes Sosa - Sabiendose de los Descalzos care of food & music blog Muscial Pairings.

Brian: Well shit, now this experiment has made me feel like a fat, conceited American-centric jerk for not knowing what she’s saying, or who the hell she is. (Listening to “Mi Cajita de Music”).  Very nice… a lovely slightly-hefty voice. Definitely 60s era folksy latin classical acoustic. I very much enjoyed those tracks, though, I won’t be guilted into giving her a 10 because I know nothing about the Argentinian Folk Tradition, or what the hell she’s saying. Final Rating: 8 (Previous Superficial Rating: 7)

Lille: I knew this had something to do with my grandmother. It’s exactly the kind of music I’d hear in her souped-up Lincoln. At first I wasn’t incredibly impressed by her songs, but I started listening to her whole catalog, and for some reason she reminds me of Leonard Cohen, but Argentinian and female. It’s perfect early morning listening; it transports me to a place that’s foreign, sad and beautiful at the same time. I googled her after listening to a couple of songs and found out she just died. I am humbled by the fact that Mercedes Sosa is not, in fact, a drain cleaner. And while I have an excuse not to like world music (I’m ethnic, give me a break), I think I would like to put this on my iPod in a playlist with the Buena Vista Social Club (heh). (Superficial Rating: n/a)

Adam: Indeed, she sounds as authentic as she looks. She’s NPR World Cafe all the way. The fine Spanish guitar work scores high on my nerd index. But it’s nothing I haven’t heard before, and it’s hard for me to get too excited about traditional music. As an unapologetic American, I can’t fully appreciate anything sung in a foreign language that’s not produced by Ry Cooder. My rating remains an 8.   (Previous Superficial Rating:

And there you have it.  We were relatively on-the-mark with this one. Tune in soon when we take on a much more terribly named artist. Oh, and if you’re curious (via Last.fm):

Mercedes Sosa (born 9 July 1935, died 3 October 2009 in Buenos Aires) was an Argentinean singer inmensely popular throughout Latin America. With her roots in argentinean folk music, she became one of the preeminent exponents of nueva trova (new song). Sosa is greatly admired for the depth and beauty of her contralto voice. She is nicknamed “La Negra” by her fans for her long, jet-black hair.

Superficial Music Project: Mercedes Sosa #2

We Can Tell How Good A Band Is Without Listening to Them!

Probably not.  But we’re going to try.  Last Friday we blindly chose a band off of Last.FM’s “Hype List”.  We will now judge (from 1 to 10) how good a band is based soley on their name and photo.  Tomorrow, we’ll actually listen to their music to see how wrong/right we were.

(Joining us is L.A.-via-Milwaukee’s Adam Lovinus )

(after seeing photos) Brian: Wow.  I’m humbled.  Not only is M.S. not a band, but an older lady who, apparently has been around forever based on the photos I looked at.  It also appears she is playing one of those stand-up tambourine/drums.  She may actually be an authentic latina folk singer!  Good for her.  My rating bumps up one to 8, because I respect my elders… and Spanish. Rating: 8 (7+1).

(after seeing photos) Adam: Good heavens! She looks like Antony Hegarty. The uglier an artist is, the more authentic he/she/it seems to me. Typically. So this suggests she’s authentic-core <enter strain of Latin music here>. Good for plus-two. Rating: 7 (5+2).

On Wednesday, we will actually listen to her music, and update our opinions of mystery artist, Mercedes Sosa.

Superficial Music Project: Mercedes Sosa #1

It occurs to everyone that listens to music…  It happens when you’re scanning the paper to see what shows are going on, or when your you’re reading your nephew’s band’s liner notes:

You Can Tell How Good A Band Is Without Listening to Them!

But is this true?  We are here to test it out.  We have blindly chosen three bands off of Last.FM’s “Hype List”.  We will now judge (from 1 to 10) how good a band is based soley on their name.  We will then look at their pictures, decide further if that changes our opinion.  And then, finally, we’ll actually listen to their music to see how wrong/right we were.

(Joining us is L.A.-via-Milwaukee’s Adam Lovinus )

The Band We Will Be Blindly Judging Today:

Mercedes Sosa

Lille: There was a drain cleaner brand called Liquid Sosa that we used in college to clean our sinks instead of throwing garbage out. That’s what this band name reminds me of. Like a Mercedes Benz going down the drain. I get the impression that the lead singer of this band fell in love with a girl named Mercedes and stalked her outside her apartment for months and sent her paintings about the Iraq war. And that they play haunting goth music. Rating ?

Brian: The words “Mercedes” and “Sosa” immediately make me think of the douches that inhabit Wrigleyville.  I get the impression that this band  is either global-beat, or wants people to think they are ( a-la Brazilian Girls who are neither Brazilian, nor girls).  I’m going to give them a 7.  I’d like to support global beat music, if it turns out it’s five crackers doing slowcore on Moogs, I’ll be very disappointed. Rating: 7

Adam: Either a poppy, faux world-beat starlet a la Nelly Furtado, or a luxury automobile that runs on ethanol and steroids. The name-alone rating is a 5. Neither clever nor annoying. Rating: 5

On Monday, we will look at photos and update our increasingly superficial opinions of mystery band, Mercedes Sosa.