Feature:: Alternative World Cup Anthems – Group C

Columbia

Go Out Strangers – ‘Curtis Lover’

An indie stomper dripping in NYC cool, ‘Curtis Lover’ is a great track delivered by Columbia’s premier be-white-suited rockers Go Out Strangers. Strokesy guitars and White Rabbitsy rhythms make this an upbeat yet melancholy track for an exciting Columbia side who will still probably be held back by their limitations- especially after their star player, and beautifully named Radamel Falcao, has pulled out through injury. Hopefully the birdman will love it though.

Greece

The Noise Figures – ‘Out Of Your Mind’

Like a Greek Black Keys, The Noise Figures deliver simple yet effective garage rock. Booming bass-drum and snare beats propel this track, reminiscent of fellow Euro-garage groups like The Hives, Caesars and their American counter parts The Von Bondies. Straight catchy hooks pervade this tune, made up of little more than drums, guitar and vox. The odd hand-claps and synth notes add a bit of flair; in truth, probably more than this hard-working yet low on quality Greek side.

Cote D’Ivoire

National team captain Didier Drogba urging an end to hostilities before the team play a match in rebel capital Bouaké

Alpha Blondy – ‘Brigadier Sabari’

Anyone who has seen videos of the Ivory Coast team just hanging out can see how chill and easy going they are. However, they have also been active as a force for reconciliation when playing friendly matches in the rebel capital during the country’s civil war, and Didier Drogba, being the nations most high profile player, has done plenty of great work building hospitals in the poverty stricken district in which he grew up.  Therefore, reggae, with its relaxed vibe but polirical/protest undertones is the ideal track for the ‘Elephants’. The biggest reggae star to come out of the Ivory Coast is probably Alpha Blondy, and you can listen to his track ‘Brigadier Sabari’ below. Yeah, there may be a few naff synths/guitar tones, but the vocal delivery, aided by cutting backing vocals, counter balances this.

Japan

Bo Ningen – ‘Henkan’

Japanese acid-punk weirdos Bo Ningen have been causing a stir on the UK festival scene. Bringing their psychedelic chaos to the stage, seeing them live is definitely an experience you need to have. Knee length hair, pained yelps, unending guitar riffs and wizardesque robes flail about as they duck and dive in delivering their crazy songs. You know that a song is going to be epic when they announce it’s their last and there’s still 15 minutes of the set left. Never constrained by time-signatures or conventional patterns, Bo Ningen are bringing the crazy back to scene.

Lewis Lloyd-Kinnings

Feature:: Alternative World Cup Anthems – Group B

The second edition in our quest to deliver good music from the 32 nations competing at the Brazil World Cup:

Australia – Jagwar Ma – ‘Uncertainty’

The Socceroos won’t be going into Rio with much realistic ambition – their squad is significantly weaker than previous World Cup turnouts that could only be described as ‘just about good enough to be kind-of-sort-of-well-maybe-if-they-play-a-blinder competitive’. Nevertheless, team leaders Tim Cahill (CAHILL WITH THE HEADER!!!) and Jedinak (contender for coolest name award 2014) have a plethora of stuff they could stick on in the changing rooms to get their troops going and hopefully snag a win (‘Wait a sec mate, who do we have in our group? Strewth! Make that a draw mate). A Jet rock-out? A Wolfmother screamer? ‘I Need You Tonight’ by INXS on loop? These are all more than adequate, but we’ve gone for something a little more hip and happening. 2013’s ‘Howlin’ was a hoot, and Jagwar Ma’s blend of 90’s psych and electronic groove will have the Aussies popping and bouncing all along the long plane flight home.

Spain Rodrigo – ‘Concierto de Aranjuez’

Can you name a good Spanish band that has been received out of its native country? Nope, neither. The thing about Spanish popular music is that it can generally be placed into one of three categories: Enrique Iglesias love-ballads, Euro-dance with a Latin twist, or Mariachi rock. Anyway, finding good Spanish alt might prove to be a wild goose-chase, but they do classical guitar pretty well. Rodrigo’s ‘Concierto de Aranjuez’ is an iconic and, more importantly, beautiful piece. Written in 1939 during a time of Spanish disillusionment and devastation (Civil War, Guernica etc.), ‘Aranjuez’ is rare composition of guitar and orchestra together that manages to be both regal and times intensely personal. Evocative of blue-skied Andalucian summers and lush Galician coasts, Rodrigo’s magnus opus perfectly unites the proud regionalism of Spain behind Xavi, Sergio Ramos, Iniesta and of course Juanfran as they try to make it four cups in a row.

Netherlands Ferry Corsten – ‘Rock Your Body Rock’

A ‘Pure Trance Classic’. Get Van Hyper.

Chile Ricardo Villalobos – ‘Reblazhenstva’

 

Villalobos, who was raised in Germany after his parents fled the Pinochet regime just in time has been pioneering and producing minimalist electronic for two decades. His samples range from Clark-esque click-clocking to Hispanic chanting to break-beat Samba, but ‘Reblazhenstva’ is a clinic in how to do this genre. It plays like still water on the horizon even though there’s actually a remarkable amount going on. An archetypal alternative anthem.

 

Alex Cheah

Feature:: Alternative World Cup Anthems – Group A

Pitbull, the man who makes Robin Thicke aeppar respectable, is delivering the OFFICIAL World Cup Anthem. Good one Brazil.

This summer, millions of eyes will be fixed on Brazil as they host one of the most prestigious events in the world -the FIFA world cup. It’s gonna be spectacular, yet it can’t be ignored that it is premised on dodgy politics, dodgy working conditions, dodgy commercialization- but worst of all – dodgy music. Official World Cup songs are notoriously shite (New Order’s was nearly good, until John Barnes spilled his ‘flow’ all over it), so we’ve decided to come up with decent alternatives for every nation involved. Iran, Ghana, Bosnia and Herzegovina et al. – you’re welcome.

Brazil:: CSS – Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death From Above

As host nation, Brazil need to make a statement on and off the pitch. What better group to help with  that than whose lead singer is called Lovefoxxx. This sexy slice of indie-funk from CSS is 7 years old now, yet still sounds as fresh as when it was released. With the pressure on the tournament favourites at potentially seriously debilitating levels, they could do worse than to block it all out by following the command to ‘make love and listen to the death from above’. Good thing Brazil boss Luis Felipe Scolari hasn’t banned his players from doing the wild-thing, as long as its “non-acrobatic”…

Croatia:: The Bambi Molesters – Malaguena

Terrible name, but when R.E.M are fans, and they’ve had a sinister track featured in Breaking Bad, you’re not gonna argue with the credentials. The Bambi Molesters are a modern day surf rock band, and they stick to that traditional iconic sound- so more Dick Dale than Wavves. Rolling tremolo guitars, mariachi trumpets and up-tempo drums make this an exciting call to arms for Luka Modric and co.

Mexico:: Lorelle Meets the Obsolete – Sealed Scene

Guadalajara’s Lorelle Meets the Obsolete have featured on GOTA before, and we are big fans of their hazy, psychedelic drone-rock. The opening guitar screech is enough to chill the blood, paving the way for a driving rhythm, providing the backdrop for Lorena Quintanilla’s singing, moaning and howling. The overall experience is like being haunted by a ghost with a taste for hallucinatory drugs.

Cameroon:: Manu Dibango – Soul Makossa

Often cited as one of the very first disco records, Soul Makossa was released by Manu Dibango in 1972. Sounding like a motif from a terrible/brilliant ’70s US cop show, and featuring a vocal riff pinched by Rhianna, this is a refreshing example of how you often have to look further afield for the roots to much contemporary music. As effortlessly cool as Gil Scott Heron or Isaac Hayes, check out this slick and funky African classic.

Lewis Lloyd-Kinnings