India

Rodney Anonymous vs. the World

by Rodney Anonymous

Artist: V/A

Album: Journey to the East (Musical Passage to India)

Country of Origin: India

Since Journey to the East (Musical Passage to India) may very well be the worst title since REO Speedwagon's You Can Tune a Piano But You Can't Tuna Fish (Because You're the Sort of Moron Who Listens to REO Speedwagon), it's a good thing that the music contained therein is actually rather enjoyable.

The people at Triloka Records corralled 10 artists who manage to steer clear of the synth-leaden pop that has been the mainstay of Bollywood soundtracks and thankfully lean in the direction of traditional Indian music, which means you'll get to experience the loose rhythm of the tabla, the drone of the harmonium, the buzz of the sitar and exotic sounds of other traditional instruments that, for the sake of brevity, we'll just assume are made from mangos and discarded copies of the Kama Sutra.

Individually the pieces are nice windows into the music of the subcontinent (the true standouts being Karnamrita's "Meerabai" and the Dead Can Dance-ish "Jai Ambe" by Gardner Cole). Cumulatively the tracks have a satisfying, trance-inducing quality that should leave you bobbing your head and chanting "Daktar to nahi hai par bahut janta hai in cizo ke bare me." (Hindi for "He's not actually a doctor, but he knows a lot about these things.") Mmmm ... trippy. This should come as a pleasant surprise to anyone whose sole knowledge of Indian music has been gleaned from the opening scene in Ghost World.

Verdict:

And who better to deliver that aid than former U.S. assistant secretary of state for arms control and noted REO Speedwagon fanatic Stephen "Dibblenuts" Rademaker? For it was Mr. Rademaker who, shortly after spearheading the agreement enabling the United States to sell nuclear technology to India (a country that, by the way, has never signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty), left the State Department for a lobbying gig with Barbour Griffith & Rogers, a firm that lobbied on behalf of the Indian government for the nuclear deal.

(r_anonymous@citypaper.net)

Rodney Anonymous is not done telling you how to live. Go to www.rodneyanonymous.com.