Fast Forward: An Indie Music Companion to South Africa 2010 will help you prepare for the World Cup. However, it’s not so much about charged up, stadium rockers. This music is more for highlight films, team/player profiles, retrospectives, and ultimately getting in the zone by listening to the album on your headphones.
Comprised of 32-songs and a digital scrapbook, Indiecater Records asked indie artists to contribute a song about each country in the World Cup with the songs highlighting that country and most also talking about football (soccer). The indie selection here is more than ample for discovering new artists. The songs beg you to find out more about the stories behind each country (and football)—which is especially needful here in the United States.
However, I don’t know that picking favorites from Fast Forward will equate to favorites for the World Cup. Risking the confusion, though, here are my picks:
Cops on the Edge from London sends up “Bafana Bafana” for South Africa. While namechecking famous South Africans to a slight calypso beat rock, they declare that “we’re gonna win the cup for Charlize Theron.” Belgium’s Showstar sings one for Uruguay, a great indie rock with the chant, “Come on, come on, Uruguay.”
With Sufjan Stevens-like orchestrations, Ireland’s Grand Pocket Orchestra offers, “Nigeria,” which is mainly instrumental except for singing, “Nigeria.” Ireland’s Pearse McGloughlin continues the Sufjan sound with “Jongmyo Shrine,” dedicated to South Korea. It’s a gorgeous tune to carry a tale of reminiscence and coming of age.
London’s Detox Cute records “St. George’s Day,” a beautiful anthem of reminiscence about England’s glory years. The indie dance pop “Game Without a Name” by the U.S.’s Echo Orbiter bounces along on melody and samples.
On the piano-led interlude instrumental during Ireland’s Lightholler and their “Slovenia’s Dream,” you can imagine NBC’s Bob Costas’ voiceover: “Slovenia’s hopes of a World Cup title may have been far-fetched, but everyone misjudged their passionate heart.”
Goatboy (Ireland) leads with shining keys and crisp beats for “Japanese City Nights,” a track that plants a garden of images. “Field Way (A Song for Cameroon)” by Spirit Spine (USA) puts up fat Casio keys/beats to create a march of sorts through the sunny streets headed toward evening parties.
“Don’t Get Fooled By The Football Players’ Summery Outfit” by Le Man Avec Les Lunettes sing one for their home country of Italy, although it’s more like an indie music kid’s reaction to football players. Spain’s Harry Bird offers “Pesadilla No.7” a Dylanesque pub song for Paraguay.
Adam & Darcie (USA) have the indie rock “Aotearoa” with its breathy vocals supporting New Zealand. Escape Act (Northern Ireland) has a sing along of sorts to celebrate Slovakia’s (Czechoslovakia) European Championship win in 1976 along with a chorus that points to the 2010 Cup: “Slovakia, Slovakia, South Africa.”
Francis Bacon’s Ghost (Canada) sings for North Korea on “Kim Jung Il,” although I’m not sure the foreboding tune is a gesture towards peace talks even though the song overall is a plea for peace.
On “Côte d’Ivoire,” Storkboy Choons (Ireland) offer a subdued club mix of something like the keyboard chords of a Simple Minds song. Singing for Portugal, Tap Tap’s (UK) “Dry Dry Land” has a Camper van Beethoven-like guitar line with a bit of Adam Green thrown in. There’s a disco march with a bit of the Clash feel to “Vamos A Ganar El Mundial,” the song by the Yellow Melodies for their home country of Spain.
Fast Forward (includes links to all artists)
Indiecater Records
