Video debut: Swahili Blonde's 'Le Mampatee'

SWAHILI BLONDE - LE MAMPATEE from Burke Roberts on Vimeo.

Swahili Blonde, the warped brainchild of vocalist-drummer Nicole Turley, sounds like what would happen if a bunch of cool-kid records melted together in a fire pit and were then doused with acid rain. It's an inspired goop of funk, post-punk and no wave that could only be held together by the ridiculous, raunchy title, "Man Meat." Like fellow Angeleno Ariel Pink, Turley seems to view the radio landscape as a surrealist's playground, something like Salvador Dali in the studio.

What sets this further apart is Turley's guest players: ex-Chili Pepper John Frusciante on guitar, violinist Laena Myers-Ionita from The Like, bassist John Taylor of shock-haired Duran Duran fame, and multi-instrumentalists Stella Mozgawa from Rough Trade signees Warpaint and Michael Quinn of Corridor.

It's been plastered around the Web that this is Frusciante's band -- and while it's true that he plays guitar on the lion's share of "Man Meat," he's no longer a part of Swahili Blonde; word is that he quit last month, something he did a couple of times with the Chili Peppers too. I guess these are the kinds of inexplicable mash-ups that happen in Los Angeles: One moment John Frusciante is sending out blasts of guitar skronk in your quasi-experimental band and then the next, he's gone with the pink sunset.

All the same, Turley will trot out an enviable lineup for her show on Sunday at Bootleg Theater with Gangi and Lucky Dragons. Myers-Ionita, Dante from Dante vs. Zombies, Quinn on guitar, and drummer Alan Myers from Devo will fill out the stage.

In the meantime, you can check out their video, a Pop & Hiss exclusive, for "Le Mampatee," which looks like a tribe of art school kids depicting their favorite tales of Greco-Roman mythology without much use for fidelity but with plenty of saturated neon color and costumes left over from "Princess of the Nile." If only they'd gotten directors Adam Harding and Burke Roberts on that "Clash of the Titans" remake instead of Louis Leterrier.

-- Margaret Wappler

Swahili Blonde plays the Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd. (213)389-3856. Music starts at 9 p.m.; $8.

Comments

[Meghan]

Good. I'm glad he quit 'cause this band sucks. The only thing that makes it bearable to listen to is John's guitar playing. How anyone can listen to this and act like it's awesome and compare it to actual art is truly remarkable, not to mention laughable.

And go easy on John, he may have never even planned on becoming a full-time member. He may have just wanted to play guitar on this album and that's it.

All those articles were wrong about it being his creation, when it was really Nicole's (and thank God too, that way she can sink with the Swahili Blonde ship when it tanks and not John).

From what I've seen and heard about this whole deal was that it sounds like Miss Turley was using her boyfriend to get more people to the first show. The publicity on this band and its first event was very shady. First John is explicitly stated as being in the band and then all of a sudden closer to showtime, it becomes hazy on who is in the band when it's announced that John would only be playing one song. Also, it appears as though John wasn't even planning on playing at all during the show but then realized that his name was used to rope fans into coming to the show so he felt obligated to play a song.

[Julie]

Wow. Can't believe I just caught this. I recently was in Los Angeles and caught one of their shows.

Fair enough, you don't like the music. I happen to love it. I applaud it's uniqueness, originality, and courage to create sound that isn't necessarily written for the main stream, but rather for the pure enjoyment of manifesting noise and pressing record. Documenting sound in a room with your friends, doesn't get much better than that.

When I purchased the album and gave it a listen, it moved me. Like physically. I just want to dance and find it completely joyous. The time signatures endearing, the melodies enduring. I often find myself humming the tunes in my head throughout the day.

Whether you appreciate the music or not- that is fine. Your choice.

However, it seems as if you primarily want to attack a situation that you nor I really have any firm actual data on. Until there is a concrete interview on the matter from the direct source, being the band members and/or John, I don't really think that it is any of our business.

That being said-
Swahili Blonde, rock on!