Wednesday, October 26 2011
Various Artists: Golden Beirut: New Sounds From Lebanon
An eclectic and oddly put-together mixtape from an eclectic region, Golden Beirut is a very good cross-section of certain musical trends that are occurring in contemporary Lebanon.
Wednesday, March 30 2011
Various Artists: The Rough Guide to Bellydance
The whole body of instruments whipping in unison around a hairpin curve and hovering, the grace of a ballerina backed with the heft of a whale.
Wednesday, March 31 2010
Erosion Nearly Complete, Music Industry Begins Reconstruction at SXSW 2010
SXSW conference attendees took a workmanlike “how-to” approach to discussing new revenue streams, replacing the “what do we do now?” tone of recent years.
Tuesday, August 25 2009
A World I Loved: The Story of an Arab Woman by Wadad Makdisi Cortas
Wadad Makdisi Cortas understated but deeply nostalgic memoir of her childhood in Lebanon gives a revealing, appealing, and necessary glimpse into the Arab world of the past.
Sunday, May 3 2009
Balkan Beat Box: Nu Made (Remixes)
While not a great album in its own right, it's a nice addition to the Box's small canon.
Friday, April 3 2009
In Cod We Trust & Magic Bus
Where else in the world can one find a town called Hell, a German U-Boat-turned-bowling alley, and Vinmonopolet, government-run wine and liquor stores?
Thursday, April 2 2009
Whitewashed: America’s Invisible Middle Eastern Identity
As the Middle Eastern American community has been perceived to be less Christian and more Muslim since 9/11, so too is the assumption that they are unable to assimilate because of religious differences.
Wednesday, November 26 2008
Dozan: Introducing Dozan
The neatness of the arrangements, and the way the voices come together, suggest madrigals.
