Every Great Song Ever , Feature >>
The Sway Machinery and Khaira Arby: “Gewad Teriamou” (The House of Friendly Ghosts Vol. 1, 2011)
Khaira Arby is a crazily powerful singer from Mali. This year, The Sway Machinery, a New York City band that roots its songwriting style in traditional Jewish singing, traveled to Mali and made an album with her, and it is a pretty great record.
“Gewad Teriamou” is one of a handful of standout tracks—the rhythmic shift almost halfway through is almost a reward for the tension of the more tangled, choppy opening section. The Sway Machinery hit on a nice midpoint between Saharan guitar music, Afrofunk, jazz, and highlife, and Khaira Arby just wails. It’s syncretic music of the most thoroughly blended kind.
12/22/11 >> go there