Ibrahim Ferrer-Chepin&His Oriental Orchestra -Mi Oriente- 1960

My first introduction to Ibrahim Ferrer was on the Buena Vista Social Club documentary/album, which I immediately fell in love with.  There is something about this album though that hits my true music enthusiast heart of hearts.  I don't know if it's the sound of the album due to the age in which it was recorded, the style of music that is being played or the combination of all of these things.  I mentioned Ibrahim Ferrer in an early post when I reviewed a different hispanic album, so I figured I'd do a review on the album I referenced. 

Mi Oriente is a 21 track album that is a perfect representation of early latin jazz and traditional Cuban music.  Within the album there are a few slower songs, but even these songs have a tenacity for greatness with the amount of emotion that is portrayed through the music.  But in regards to the more upbeat tracks on this album, they are highly addictive rhythmical songs that will get your foot tapping and musical blood pumping.  I am not a spanish speaker, nor do I understand spanish, but in my opinion music is the one truly universal language that is spoken to any listener/fan/musician.  I have listened to this album many many times over the years and I never get sick of listening to it.  The multiple instrument percussion section along with the lo-fi stylistically recorded horns help enhance the listeners mind's eye when it comes to understanding the expressions that are being played out for us all to hear.  Being recorded in 1960, this is a very early release by Ibrahim Ferrer, and even though I am a big fan of his later releases, when he was older and the vocal style shows his age, this release of a young Ibrahim shows where he started, and helps give a clear cut picture of the Cuban music scene. 

The Buena Vista Social Club documentary/album is a great place to get an overview of this style of Cuban music, but once you get past that, and want a real portrayal of it's origins, go get this album.  I'll be honest and inform you that is this in my digital library, so I haven't purchased this, but if I ever come across it, I will buy it for my music collection.

Official score- 4/5

Neutral Milk Hotel- In The Aeroplane Over The Sea (1998)

If I remember correctly, this band was yet again, introduced to me by Mr. Chelmets.  When I first heard this album by Neutral Milk Hotel, I was mainly into aggressive music that was loud and fast and brutal, and even though this album is the opposite of it, I immediately fell in love with it. When you listen to this album, you'll realize that there is something really different about it; it's not overly produced or some great symphonic piece, yet the style and emotion that is intertwined with the songs has a tendency to grab you and not let go.

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea is not the first release by Neutral Milk Hotel, but when you ask the majority of people who are familiar with them, this is what put them on the map.  11 tracks and right under 40 minutes long, this album plays very quickly, yet by the end of the album, you feel like you've been on an insightful journey with a story that was told that grips every part of your mind.  The album itself has a great streamline of tracks; as some of the tracks ends the next one starts with the same lead out sound of the preceding.  Lots of fuzz, the guitar and bass end up melding with an overtone of fuzz that helps put additional grit to the folk type vocals.  Even with a "folk" type base to these tracks, the lyrics help produce a vivid imagery of lonesomeness and strife that gets resurrected with triumphant vigor.  I'm not into the sappy emotional type songs that make you feel like you should be sad or something, and even though these lyrics help bring out musical emotion, that emotion is enveloped in the grand scheme of available feelings.  Mainly acoustic guitar driven, there is a horn section on multiple tracks that, when mixed with their low-fi sound and fuzz, helps with additional aural effects that brings the whole track/album together.

This is one of my all time favorite albums.  I have read through this review a couple of time before I posted it, and I still feel like I haven't given it enough credit.  I have, and will continue to, recommend this album to everyone; as the sound is for a wide audience, not just a certain niche.  NMH is no longer around, though the main guy, Jeff Magnum, is still doing different artistic endeavors.  This album can be found in most music store, with it being released on CD/Tape & Vinyl, but can be found all over the place online.  If you use peer-2-peer software, you will be able to find a lot of live bootlegs, studio releases and self-released material for free.  Get this, buy it, whatever; I promise you won't be disappointed.

Official score-4.5/5