KONGOS » in the music http://www.kongos.com Official Website Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:00:00 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Just Blog Off! Reviewhttp://www.kongos.com/2011/10/10/justblogoff/ http://www.kongos.com/2011/10/10/justblogoff/#comments Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:59:57 +0000 admin http://www.kongos.com/?p=1522 In The Music

by Stuart Buchanan

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I’m very interested in the local music scene in South Africa, and the various ups and downs it seems to experience. It’s the reason I ended my review of Rocking the Daisies, exactly a year ago, with some concern about how much new talent is making its way through the ranks. It’s the reason I had a go at commercial music stations in general not so long ago, and it’s the reason I get excited when I go to a gig and see a band that blows me away.This week, I have been given new hope, and it’s all thanks to a group called KONGOS.Like the Kings of Leon or..err..The Jackson Five, the band is made up of brothers, and they are the sons of 70s rocker John Kongos. The guys grew up here, but are now based in Phoenix, Arizona – and making quite a name for themselves there too.Back home, TUKS FM appear to have kept this one quiet – they have been big supporters of the guys for some years now. But in a surprising turn of events, 5FM recently joined the party and playlisted their new single, ‘I’m Only Joking’.

Good on them for punting a great SA rock single. But wait, there’s more…
The rest of the album is absolutely fantastic.
Thank goodness, too. There is substance to this record, a fresh take on old genres, and it presents a very exciting prospect for music in general. Forget the local link – KONGOS are a band of international awesome.
There are fifteen tracks on this record, and all of them completely different from each other. Visiting their Facebook page shows you their list of influences. It’s long. And listening to this record, you can tell. It moves from straight-up rock, to haunting ballads, takes a trip into the location for a township jive, then sets you swaying to the sounds of the Celtic highlands, before slap-bassing the funk straight back into you for a final tour of varied musical mastery.
This record is big, and it deserves to be heard. It’s hard to be original these days, but these guys manage it with ease. And when that happens, I get excited about music all over again.
Like the lyrics of one of their tracks:

Close your eyes / And choose a destination / And try to forget / Everything you thought you knew /
‘Coz don’t you know / There is no church or nation / But you can believe / In the music

I believe.

Stu’s Top Six:

Curious
A slow, beautiful ballad, inspired by the likes of Coldplay or even maybe The Verve. A playful, repeated riff on the piano eventually gives way to a haunting guitar sound, while Dylan’s voice speaks of love and sadness.
Come With Me Now
This song wouldn’t be out of place at one of those Balkan shindigs where there’s always at least one goat present. A pounding drumbeat, hard rock guitar riffs, but with a very clear eastern European twist. Oh wait, now it sounds like Mississippi blues. Wait, now it sounds like Kwaito. All I know is I want to dance my face off.
Hey I Don’t Know (Why Don’t You Tell Me)
The strongest hat-tip to the likes of Led Zeppelin (Trampled Underfoot, anyone?), the Stones, Deep Purple and Dire Straits, with a guitar solo that Muddy Waters himself would be proud of. And yet somehow chucked into a disco grinder, sprinkled with some of their own flavour, and served hot.
This Time I Won’t Forget
Did the guys sit down one day and say, ‘We know we’re South African, but we also have Irish heritage, so let’s embrace it’, and then write this song? Could be. While this will be sung drunkenly in any pub worth its Guinness, it’s also a beautiful and inspiring track about celebrating life. It’s moving stuff.
The Trouble Is
Another one of the slower tracks, laced with a wistful melancholy that wouldn’t be out of place on a David Bowie record. It talks to that feeling of being lost, and the music meanders in and out of Dylan’s vocals in a similar fashion. You may get hints of Stereophonics here, but this track is better crafted and carries more emotion than that.
It’s A Good Life
Are these really four whiteboys? They clearly attended the Johnny Clegg School of Music if so. This has South Africa written all over it, Juluka seeping out of every note. It’s a celebratory sing-along to inspire even the most sceptical to get up and move. Performing this live must ROCK. When KONGOS do happy, do they do it so well you will be left smiling long after the song is over. Great fun.
KONGOS will be touring South Africa in December. Make sure you’re there!
]]> http://www.kongos.com/2011/10/10/justblogoff/feed/ 0 KONGOS – FIFA World Cup South Africa 2010 Promohttp://www.kongos.com/2010/01/25/kongos-fifa-world-cup-south-africa-2010-promo/ http://www.kongos.com/2010/01/25/kongos-fifa-world-cup-south-africa-2010-promo/#comments Mon, 25 Jan 2010 18:56:53 +0000 admin http://www.kongos.com/?p=168 (Un) official World Cup 2010 trailer and songs. A mix of promotional footage, Bafana Bafana and highlights from qualifying matches and past world cups, cut to the music of KONGOS. The 2 songs used are “In The Music” and “Nothing” from their debut album “KONGOS,” available on iTunes.

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