The Hellbillies - Lakafant
Here’s your Cultural Studies Moment of the Day. The Hellbillies are a Norwegian band, but rather than playing the garage rock that’s made it across the Atlantic, the group plays tradtional American country-rock. Listening to the music (especially on this live track), you could be in any small-town bar in the States … until you notice that none of the lyrics are in English. It’s a bit unsettling to hear the vocals, as the musicians sound so quintessentially American. The dislocation’s compounded by the fact that the band’s a city group (at least judging by the little I’ve been able to glean on them, including the album title *Urban Twang*). Now if someone can help translate some lyrics, we can really get into this.
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Doris Henson- The Power
A few days ago I wrote on The Turntable about Doris Henson’s live show. The best song from that night was this one. “The Power” doesn’t quite have the (cough) force on the debut album as it does in a live setting, but it’s still a good track. You’ve got to imagine the trombone coming about twice as loud to get the full impact it carries. The opening line — “Have you ever been called a whore” — somehow makes a perfect start to the group’s discography, and founder Matthew Dunehoo delivers it perfectly.
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System of a Down- Revenga
I’d have never given System of a Down a chance (rejecting them based on their radio play and apparent nu-metal qualities) until somone with different, but respected tastes convinced me to give them a chance. I’m still far from a SOAD flag-waver, but I’m getting more into what they’re doing. “Revenga” is an ambitious track that succeeds, shifting gears throughout the song to combine various elements fluidly. My original “nu-metal” conception’s gone now. These guys thrash, and they have chops, too. They’re political, aggressive, and fun.
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June 29th, 2005 at 2:33 pm
you are a little bit off target with the hellbillies. by norwegian standards, they represent the countryside and smalltowns more than any other band. the title ‘urban twang’ is a play with words, in norwegian twang roughly translates to coercion. their lyrics are in a really heavy dialect, and thus hard to translate perfectly, but i´ll try my best:
up in a nest lie two eggs, the nest hangs high up in a tree.
the birds in the sky have a lot to beware of!
because on the branch a cuckoo is nesting. he guards the nest. a hawk dressed in brown.
the birds in the sky have a lot to beware of!
and then a day in may, suddenly two eggs turned to three.
the cuckoo´s egg lied there, nothing to do about it.
the cuckoo sings from the hill a coarse coo-coo.
though he sings so nice, though the song is sweet
he is still a rotter, a nasty naughty-bird
such a “lakafant” (impossible to translate)
poor two little birds in the sky, nesting a cuckoo is trouble bound.
the birds in the sky have a lot to beware of!
but then one night, like a new years eve rocket, a woodpecker flew in.
pecked so hard that the cuckoo´s egg burst.
this called for a party in the shrub, the best goods were brought
the woodpecker got himself a real shrub-draught
the cuckoo sung from the hill a hoarse coo-coo
though he sings so nice, though the song is sweet
he is still a rotter, a nasty naughty-bird
such a “lakafant”
sun in the shrubs, the cuckoo has lost!
the birds in the sky have a lot to beware of!
July 1st, 2005 at 8:24 am
Thank you! I’ve searched everywhere for more details on these guys. I’ve tried running the lyrics through translators, but it must be the dialect that prevents more than snippets from coming through. If you know of any good English-language resources, I’d appreciate hearing them.