Rhythms Del Mundo mix Pop and Cuban music

June 28, 2009

Rhythms del Mundo Mix Pop and Cuban Music
Kristi Kates 6/29/09
The very cool Cuban band Rhythms del Mundo have completed work on another one of their collaboration albums, on which they mash up pop and rock songs with Cuban rhythms and horns, usually in special versions of the songs on which they work directly with the artists. Their latest effort, called simply Classics, is all duets and covers, and includes the likes of The Killers’ singing The Eagles’ “Hotel California,” The Kooks rocking “Are You Ready For Love,” Keane performing Queen/Bowie’s “Under Pressure,” Editors covering Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side,” and Kaiser Chiefs taking on Motown’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” If you’ve yet to hear a Rhythms del Mundo project, we’ll say that they’re highly recommended, and help good causes, too; this album, like their others, was produced to raise awareness and funds for natural disaster relief and climate crisis projects, and will go on sale in July...
The legendary Peter Gabriel has been jointly awarded Sweden’s prestigious Polar Prize alongside Venezualian composer Jose Antonio Abreau. Each musician will win one million kroner from the Royal Swedish Academy of Music, with the prizes presented by King Carl XVI Gustaf at a special gala ceremony at the Stockholm Concert Hall in August. The Polar Prize is the biggest music prize in Sweden, and is traditionally split between pop and classical musicians; this year, they praised Gabriel for his “ground-breaking” artistry...
Brooklyn duo The Fiery Furnaces are set to release their eighth studio album, I’m Going Away, on July 21, which will make it their first recorded offering since last year’s Remember, a live collection. Produced and written by Matthew Friedberger (one half of the FFs), the album blends delicate piano riffs and more pop-focused melodies, and also includes contributions from the FF’s usual roster of backing bandmates...
And this year’s Latitude Festival Weekend is set for July 16 through the 19th in Suffolk, UK, with the big Obelisk Arena ready to host the likes of The Airborne Toxic Event, Patrick Wolf, and Pet Shop Boys, while the Uncut Arena will feature Spiritualized, Chairlift, and Bat For Lashes; elsewhere at the fest, the Film and Music Arena will welcome Chas and Dave, and the Sunrise Arena will include sets from 1990s and !!!. Get more info online at www.latitudefestival.co.uk...

MODERN ROCK LINK OF THE WEEK:
Finch have launched a new website and are celebrating by giving away their Finch EP- it includes four great Finch tunes, including “Daylight” and “Famine or Disease,” and you can snag it for free at www.officialfinch.com/photos/store/free-ep/...

MINI BUZZ:
The lineup for the 2009 Austin City Limits Music Festival has been released, and among the performers will be The Beastie Boys, Pearl Jam, Kings of Leon, The Dead Weather (Jack White’s new band), Mos Def, The Decemberists, and many more...
Former Guided by Voices member Tobin Sprout has written and illustrated a youth book about a rabbit entitled Elliott that’s been published on Mackinac Island Press...
Austrian pop singer Falco, who had international hits with “Rock Me Amadeus” and “Der Kommissar” before he passed away in 1998, will now have a street named after him in Vienna; the street will be dedicated this month...
Danny Elfman has composed a blended synthesizer/orchestral original score for the new Terminator Salvation movie; the soundtrack is available now on Reprise Records...
UK singer Jack Penate has snagged pal Adele to contribute vocals to his still-untitled second album, which is due for release later this month...
And 1980s giant-mullet-hair’d pop group Kajagoogoo are set to reform, and will stage their first tour (complete with the original band lineup) in over 25 years..
As far as we know, most of the musicians on this week’s new releases are mullet-free... ON CD: Rob Thomas’ Cradlesong...UUVVWWZ’s UUVVWWZ... and Dinosaur Jr.’s Farm... ON DVD: Phoenix’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix... and Pink Floyd’s London and Cambridge... and that’s the buzz for this week’s Modern Rock.
Questions, comments, rants, raves, suggestions on this column or your favorite musicians? Send ‘em to Kristi at modernrocker@gmail.com

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