Thanks to a global phenomenon known as "the internet," music in the past decade has become truly worldwide. Thanks to services such as YouTube and Spotify, it has become possible to access material that in the past would have been out of reach for an English-speaking youth living in the Home Counties countryside. But this comes at a price: surely music loses at least some of its value when the lyrics become unintelligible? How else can the listener fathom the true depth of what that Finnish black metal band is on about without first learning the language? These artists have proved it's not always necessary:
6. Rammstein: Reise, Reise (2005)
The Language: German
Rammstein emerged from the former East Germany in the mid-1990s, disillusioned by the lack of job prospects in their recently-reunified country and unleashing their Teutonic fury through the medium of song and a darkly industrial musical style. Reise, Reise appeared relatively late in their canon, but remains one of their most popular albums, having spawned a few mainstream hits and successful videos. It's not hard to see why: while earlier works were pretty minimalist in terms of songwriting, this album shows a broad spectrum of moods, from the vicious thrash of Mein Teil - based on the widely-publicised story of Armin Meiwes, the German who advertised himself as a cannibal on the internet before murdering the (consenting) young man who answered his call - to the operatic love song Ohne Dich.
Why You Don't Need to Learn German to Appreciate it:
Really, German is the only language appropriate to match the sheer brutality of Rammstein's music. Former Olympic swimmer Til Lindermann heads the group, morphing his voice between a guttural growl and a full-blown Wagnerian bass. Yet while the lyrics definitely add another dimension to the music for German speakers, the overall power of the album ensures that, for those who don't understand, the words become irrelevant. Musically speaking, it's as innovative as anything in modern rock, and this means that the casual listener shouldn't get bored or feel alienated by the admittedly pretty entertaining vocals. In any case, the video for Amerika presents an ingeniously sarcastic attack on capitalism that can be related to on a pretty universal level, made easier by the English chorus:
5. Pato Fu: Isopor (1999)
The Language: Brazilian Portuguese, Japanese
Relatively unknown outside their native Brazil, the art-rock group from Belo Horizonte was founded in 1992 and is headed by Japanese-Portuguese vocalist Fernanda Takai. Isopor was their 5th studio album in 7 years, and is probably their most accessible work to date: 12 tuneful, cleverly-harmonised cuts of a decidedly innocent nature, drawing on influences ranging from glam rock to early grunge, with an overriding atmosphere of futuristic experimentation. Takai's voice rests peacefully on top of the musical landscape, remaining the focal point of the album, but not becoming all-pervasive either. It's understated, entertaining and ultimately a pleasure to listen to.
Why You Don't Need to Learn Portuguese or Japanese to Appreciate it:
For a start, both languages are pretty hard to learn from an English perspective. Regardless of that, however, this album's musical strengths more than make up for the slightly bizarre sounds emanating from Takai's vocal chords. The whole aesthetic immerses the listener from the opening track, the futuristic Made in Japan, through the creeping title song and the trippy acoustic number Depois to the closing Olimpiada 2000, a cheerful tribute to the Brazilian team's journey to the forthcoming Sydney Olympics. The pure sonic joy on show here allows the listener to forget the lyrics completely; the vocals merely become another melody added to the mix. The video for Made in Japan is an intelligent, albeit unsubtle, metaphor for Japan's imminent domination of world industry and, like Amerika, benefits English-speaking listeners by having an English chorus:
4. Kaizers Orchestra: Violeta Violeta Volumes I and II (2011)
The Language: Norwegian
Kaizers Orchestra emerged from the south of Norway at the beginning of the past decade, and rapidly found success in their native land as one of the first Norwegian groups to sing in their own language outside of the decidedly unwholesome black metal scene. Their popularity has not relented, and their jilting jazz/folk/rock song Ompa til du dør was voted the Norwegian song of the decade in a nationwide radio poll. Their Violeta Violeta project is the group's contribution to music this decade, consisting of a trilogy of albums, of which two have so far been released. The works blend Scandinavian folk music with alternative rock and a Springsteen-style affection for stadium-filling anthems, with frontman Janove Ottesen providing heartfelt melodies superimposed over the often unpredictable music.
Why You Don't Need to Learn Norwegian to Appreciate it:
Quite simply, the first two Violeta Violeta albums are a musical delight. Beginning with a 60s-style ballad in Philomen Arthur & the Dung, the project kicks off with a delicious touch of melodrama before progressing through alt-rock heartache and Beatles-esque harmonizing, all backed up by accomplished orchestral arrangements and sweeping instrumentation. It's music to inspire true passion in the very soul of the listener, and Ottesen's lilting, poetic Jægen dialect seems wholly appropriate when taken in this context. The sound of Kaizers Orchestra is the sonic recreation of driving past the country's majestic fjords and valleys, of viewing snow-topped mountains covered in faded-blue pine forests. It is achingly beautiful stuff, and the best part is there's a whole album yet to come. Here's the video for Hjerteknuser, the second single from Volume I. Enjoy:
3. Fatal Bazooka: T'as Vu (2007)
The Language: French
The brainchild of Suresnes satirist Michaël Youn, Fatal Bazooka are, on the face of it, an urban French hip-hop group like any other. Yet the album cover of T'as vu suggests otherwise, lampooning the admittedly rather ludicrous cover of 50 Cent's The Massacre, with the usually skinny Youn given a cartoonish makeover, the traditional rapper's gun being replaced by a water pistol. What follows is a ruthless spoof on all of the most ridiculous aspects of rap culture, from violent lyrics and aggressive sexuality to the repetitive beats that form the backdrop to such music. This is compounded in the video for J'aime trop ton boule in which Youn, parodying Sean Paul, enters a club purportedly on the lookout for a woman before descending into a homoerotic fantasy that ridicules the often homophobic content of hip-hop.
Why You Don't Need to Learn French to Appreciate it:
The French you learned in school won't help much. In fact, the French taught at university standard only goes part of the way to deciphering the multiple levels of slang, swearing and invented nonsense on show here. Partly drawing on the verlan vernacular currently popular among youths in France, the lyrics come at such a rate that even a native speaker would struggle to keep up with Youn's inherently complex diatribe. Yet perseverance is worthwhile for those with even a rudimentary understanding of the language, and for those who have forgotten all of their French, the impotent fury with which Youn spits out his raging lyrics in the language of Baudelaire and Proust is hilarious in itself. The Frenchness of it all is completely necessary in the parody element, as shown in the video for Fous ta cagoule (Put on your balaclava), a cautionary tale on the dangers of improper attire in the cold weather of the Alps that has racked up an astonishing 11 million views on YouTube, a testament to the universal accessibility of Fatal Bazooka's work. Watch it and try not to laugh at the sheer overblown silliness of it all, and then realise just how similar it is to so much modern music:
2. Die Antwoord: $O$ (2010)
The Language: Afrikaans, Xhosa
Die Antwoord burst onto the global music scene in 2009 in true "internet sensation" fashion, the video for their debut single Enter The Ninja going viral on YouTube (today, it has over 8 million views). What was truly amazing, however, was that no one could seem to work out exactly what angle the group was taking. Depending on whether or not they were serious, they were either the best or worst rap group to appear in some time. And yet, in an age where 5 minutes on Wikipedia would reveal the true identities of Ninja and Yo-Landi Vi$$er as a pair of art-school students from Johannesburg who had in fact released a number of albums together prior to this, they are still managing to keep listeners guessing. $O$ was no exception, as without their surreal, overblown videos, the duo managed to sound relatively straight-laced, and yet somehow, at the same time, completely ridiculous. Their recent release TEN$ION already looks set to be one of the best albums of 2012.
Why You Don't Need to Learn Afrikaans or Xhosa to Appreciate it:
This is cheating somewhat, as enough of the album is in English for it to be largely intelligible to an English speaker. However, the way in which the pair switch between their native Afrikaans and the language of their country's colonial past is a perfect metaphor for the post-Apartheid confusion that South Africa has suffered, with Diplo's Xhosan verse on Evil Boy addressing the decidedly sophisticated theme of the ostracism of tribal youths who refuse forced circumcision. Meanwhile, the depth to which Ninja and Yo-Landi (real names Watkin Tudor Jones and Yolandi Visser) immerse themselves within their characters creates a truly disturbing ambiance. This is especially evident when taken in conjunction with Jones' past projects, the futuristic music/comic-book crossover The Contructus Corporation, the psychedelic hip-hop of Max Normal, and his surreal solo work. But regardless of all this, Die Antwoord's music remains the prevailing masterpiece of satire, simultaneously forward-thinking and advanced, and yet equally back-to-basics and derivative. Jones himself demonstrates some impressive vocal skills, shown here in the group's promotional video Zef Side (WARNING: this video contains strong language and weird humour. Watch at your own risk):
1. Sigur Rós: Takk... (2005)
The Language: Icelandic, Volenska
Arguably the most internationally famous group on this list, Sigur Rós' ethereal, orchestral music broke out of their native Iceland just before the turn of the Millennium, sounding as if it had bubbled out of a geyser or dripped as melting ice from a glacier in the group's homeland. The spirit of their music embraces the spirit of the entire world in its brilliantly epic, grandiose forms and feelings. This lead to the group being commissioned to write the score for the David Attenborough documentary Planet Earth, which, according to the internet, is officially the best TV series ever made. It's really not hard to see the appeal of their music: tuneful and peaceful for the most part, it occasionally breaks off into phases of dissonance and tension, like all of the masterpieces of classical and popular music fused into one. Keyboard player Kjartan Sveinsson is responsible for most of the writing and orchestral arrangements on display, and Takk... remains the band's most successful and popular album.
Why You Don't Need to Speak Icelandic or Volenska to Appreciate it:
If you haven't heard of Volenska before, that may
be because it doesn't actually exist. Rather, it is the name given to the
nonsensical vocal ramblings of singer Jón Thór Brigisson, who often
switches between his native Icelandic and the invented language within the
same song. Therein lies the appeal of the band's music: words become
meaningless, as language becomes just another instrument to add to the already
beautiful mix of harmonies. It transcends the very concept of lyrics, or what
it means to be understood as a vocalist: Birgisson's fragile falsetto in itself
conveys more emotion than the average vocalist can do with even the most
complex words. The ultimate effect is cathartic, spectacular, wondrous... really, hyperbole cannot
do even the slightest justice to the ineffable power of the music on display.
The single Hoppípolla has been used on everything from Planet Earth to football adverts to the trailer for Slumdog Millionaire. And my cousin's wedding. Takk... really is the ultimate accessible foreign-language
album, because the language itself is simultaneously irrelevant and ideal, the
music becoming something anyone can appreciate, regardless of their background.
Music, after all, is the world's universal language.
TJGreenwood
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