| From Kinshasa | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | May 19, 2015 |
| Length | 47:30 |
| Label | World Circuit |
| Producer |
|
From Kinshasa is the debut studio album by Congolese band Mbongwana Star, released on May 19, 2015 on World Circuit.
| From Kinshasa | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | May 19, 2015 |
| Length | 47:30 |
| Label | World Circuit |
| Producer |
|
From Kinshasa is the debut studio album by Congolese band Mbongwana Star, released on May 19, 2015 on World Circuit.
The album's title was originally planned to be From Kinshasa to the Moon: "But World Circuit, with their English not being very strong, didn’t really catch that part! But a lot of the press are taking it on now, so I phoned [World Circuit] to say that they really shouldn’t have changed the title as it conveys the idea that your preconceptions about music from certain places might not be quite right. It’s from a city where you wouldn’t imagine that you’d find all these artists. The guy on the cover is a performance artist and there are tons of people in the city making incredible punky art. Kinshasa’s very good for that, there’s a big artistic subculture and people are instinctive in the way they work." [1]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 88/100 [2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Clash | 8/10 [4] |
| Drowned in Sound | 10/10 [5] |
| The Guardian | [6] |
| The Irish Times | [7] |
| musicOMH |  [8] |
| NME | 9/10 [9] |
| Record Collector | [10] |
| Spin | 9/10 [11] |
| Uncut | 8/10 [12] |
From Kinshasa received widespread critical acclaim upon its release. It holds a weighted mean of 88 out of 100 from Metacritic, based on 13 critics, [2] while on another aggregate site AnyDecentMusic?, it holds an 8.6 out of ten, also a weighted average. [13]
Alexis Petridis of The Guardian gave a five-star review of From Kinshasa, describing the album as "like arriving in a bustling, unfamiliar city, a very long way from home: a gripping mix of excitement, apprehension and sensory overload." [6] In his ten-out-of-ten review for Drowned in Sound, Tristan Bath called it "a really classic record for the ages", honoring it as a turning point for music released by African artists. [5] Spin scored the album a nine out of ten, saying that it contributes new aspects in urban music. [11]
Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Paul Simpson stated that, "Though the title is accurate, it undersells how expansive and otherworldly the group's music is; the atmospheric production and cosmic synth textures do make it seem like they're beaming their music into outer space." [3] Concluding the review for Clash Magazine , Nick Annan wrote, "This collision of worlds adds a dystopian edge to the sonic battlefield, the lilting high-life guitars chiming amidst a juggernaut of deep bass, saturated percussion and ravaged european electronics. The enforced progression from Staff Benda Bilili to Mbongwana Star might've been a loss to some but this new incarnation of Ngambali and Nzonza's muse confidently steps outside the sometimes rather cozy confines of 'world' music and into the 21st Century." [4] In the assessment of the album for Record Collector Paul Bowler wrote, "Mbongwana Star concoct an abrasive sound barrage of heavily distorted rumba grooves, here accompanied by post-punk guitar slashings. Channelled through Farrell’s electro blender on the likes of Nganshe, Masobele and the jaw-droppingly brilliant single Malukayi, it becomes a modernised, starkly original strain of dub that suggests fresh tributaries for a rapidly evolving music." [10]
From Kinshasa appeared on of End-of-Year and End-of-Decade lists for a number of publications, including NPR Music's and Rolling Stone 's favorite albums of the first half of 2015. [14] [15]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "From Kinshasa to the moon" | 2:24 |
| 2. | "Shégué" | 5:17 |
| 3. | "Nganshé" | 6:13 |
| 4. | "Masobélé" | 3:51 |
| 5. | "Coco Blues" | 5:39 |
| 6. | "Malukayi" | 6:00 |
| 7. | "Suzanna" | 4:32 |
| 8. | "Kimpala Pala" | 4:28 |
| 9. | "Kala" | 4:04 |
| 10. | "1 million c'est quoi?" | 5:02 |
Nigel Timothy Godrich is an English record producer, recording engineer and musician. He is known for his work with the English rock band Radiohead, having produced all their studio albums since OK Computer (1997) and most of singer Thom Yorke's solo work. He is a member of Atoms for Peace and Ultraísta.
Jules Shungu Wembadio Pene Kikumba, known professionally as Papa Wemba, was a Congolese singer and musician who played Congolese rumba, soukous, and ndombolo. Dubbed the "King of Rumba Rock", he was one of the most popular musicians of his time in Africa and played an important role in world music. He was also a fashion icon who popularized the Sape look and style through his musical group Viva la Musica, with whom he performed on stages throughout the world.
Ricardo Lemvo is a singer of Angolan descent who lives in Los Angeles, California. His music is a blend of African soukous, kizomba, samba and Cuban salsa.
Konono Nº1 is a musical group from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. They combine three electric likembé with voices, dancers, and percussion instruments that are made out of items salvaged from a junkyard. The group's amplification equipment is equally rudimentary, including a microphone carved out of wood fitted with a magnet from an automobile alternator and a gigantic horn-shaped amplifier. The group achieved international renown beginning in 2005, with its DIY aesthetic appealing to many fans of rock and electronic music. They played that same year at the Eurockéennes festival in France.
Tristan Paul Mack Wilds is an American actor, singer-songwriter, and record producer, credited as Tristan Wilds as an actor and Mack Wilds as a recording artist. He is known for his roles as Michael Lee on the HBO original drama series, The Wire, and as Dixon Wilson on the CW teen drama series, 90210. He was also featured in the Adele music video for "Hello". His debut album, New York: A Love Story was released on September 30, 2013 and was nominated for the Best Urban Contemporary Album at the Grammy Awards in 2014. Wilds' second album, AfterHours was released on April 7, 2017.
Carly Rae Jepsen is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actress. Born and raised in Mission, British Columbia, Jepsen pursued a musical theatre program at the Canadian College of Performing Arts in Victoria, British Columbia. After completing her studies, she relocated to Vancouver and competed on the fifth season of Canadian Idol in 2007, placing third. In 2008, Jepsen released her folk-influenced debut studio album, Tug of War, in Canada.
Staff Benda Bilili are a group of street musicians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They used to live around the grounds of the zoo in the country's capital city, Kinshasa, and play music which is rooted in soukous, with elements of old-school rhythm and blues and reggae. The core of the band consists of four senior singers/guitarists, who are paraplegic and move around in spectacularly customized tricycles. They are backed by a younger rhythm section consisting of abandoned street children who were taken under the protection of the older members of the band. The soloist is an 18-year-old boy (2009) who plays guitar-like solos on an electrified one-stringed lute he designed and built himself out of a tin can. The group's name translates roughly from Lingala as "look beyond appearances".
This Is Happening is the third studio album by American rock band LCD Soundsystem. It was released first on May 17, 2010, jointly through DFA and Virgin Records in the United States and Parlophone elsewhere. It was recorded over the course of 2009 and early 2010 in the Mansion recording studio in Los Angeles. The first single, "Drunk Girls", was released in April 2010, with a music video directed by Spike Jonze. The album is dedicated to Jerry Fuchs (1974–2009), who performed drums live with the band on occasion, as well as having a big part in associated DFA acts.
Kaputt is the ninth album by Canadian band Destroyer. It was released on January 25, 2011 by Merge Records and Dead Oceans Records. The album was leaked towards the end of 2010. The vinyl edition of the album features bonus material on side three written largely by frequent Destroyer collaborator Ted Bois. This material is also included in the European CD version of the album credited as 'The Laziest River'.
R.A.P. Music is the fifth studio album by American rapper Killer Mike. It was released through Williams Street Records on May 15, 2012. The "R.A.P." in the album's title is a backronym for "Rebellious African People". Production was handled by rapper and producer Jamie "El-P" Meline; the album was the first collaboration between Killer Mike and El-P, who would later form the critically acclaimed duo Run the Jewels.
Lonerism is the second studio album by Australian musical project Tame Impala, released on 5 October 2012 by Modular Recordings. Like the band's debut studio album, Innerspeaker (2010), Lonerism was written, recorded, performed, and produced by Kevin Parker, with live member Jay Watson contributing on two tracks. Recorded mostly in Perth, Australia, and Paris, France, Lonerism builds on the psychedelic sound of its predecessor and features fewer guitars and more synthesisers and samples. Parker attempted to incorporate his love for pop music into his songwriting for the record through catchier melodies. Many tracks feature ambient sounds recorded by Parker with a dictaphone. The album's theme of isolation is reflected in the album cover, featuring an image of a fenced-off Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris.
Sunbather is the second studio album by the American metal band Deafheaven. After the release of their debut record Roads to Judah, the then two piece group consisting of George Clarke and Kerry McCoy began work on Sunbather under the label Deathwish and recorded in several days in January 2013. The recording process brought a third member into the fold with drummer Dan Tracy who would go on to become a permanent fixture of the band. The album was recorded in The Atomic Garden Recording Studio, owned by Jack Shirley who had been a long time producer of the band.
World Peace Is None of Your Business is the tenth solo studio album by English singer Morrissey, recorded in February 2014 and released on 15 July 2014. It was produced by Joe Chiccarelli and was distributed by record label Harvest. The album entered at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart and peaked in the US at number 14 on the Billboard 200.
They Want My Soul is the eighth studio album by American indie rock band Spoon. It was released on August 5, 2014 through the band's new label, Loma Vista Recordings. It is the band's first album to feature Alex Fischel, who plays keyboards and guitar.
Abyss is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter and her eponymous band Chelsea Wolfe. The album was released on August 7, 2015 through Sargent House and was produced by John Congleton. It also features guest contributions from Mike Sullivan of Russian Circles and Dan Phillips from True Widow.
Mbongwana Star is a band from Kinshasa, the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Of the seven members of the band, two of them were among the founding members of Staff Benda Bilili.
Big Grrrl Small World is the second studio album by American singer and rapper Lizzo. It was released on her own record label BGSW on December 11, 2015. The album received "generally favorable reviews" from critics.
Atrocity Exhibition is the fourth studio album by American rapper Danny Brown. It was released on September 27, 2016, by Fool's Gold Records and Warp Records. It is primarily produced by English producer Paul White, and features guest appearances from Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul, Earl Sweatshirt, B-Real, Kelela, and Petite Noir.
Schlagenheim is the debut studio album by English rock band Black Midi, released on 21 June 2019 through Rough Trade Records. The band recorded the majority of the album over a five-day period with producer Dan Carey at his studio in South London. Throughout its recording, the band made the conscious decision not to replicate their live set, embellishing their four-piece setup with synthesizers, sequencers, drum machines, banjos and organs, whilst the music was developed organically through extensive jamming sessions.
Sounding Lines is the fourth studio album by Moritz von Oswald Trio. It was released via Honest Jon's on 9 June 2015. It is the group's first album after Vladislav Delay was replaced by Tony Allen.
