sunday productions, vol. 103: hol pha moung khmer

artists: various
album: sunday productions, vol. 103; hol pha moung khmer
tracklist:
01. hol pha moung khmer
sung by keammorak sayraymoun
02. shdie sreay kor min phor
sung by keammorak sayraymoun
03. chnam thmie sreay min phor
sung by keammorak sayraymoun
04. chorng touv na noun lorng
sung by meas saly
05. srear khrong chit khnear
sung by molika
06. mom phrie chor
sung by keammorak sayraymoun & keammorak sreaypovkhor
07. songsha khgnom eruy
sung by meas saly & molikaour
08. ouk dog long sneh kom phog cham
sung by keammorak sayraymoun
09. chom reang chun por kashi kor khmer
sung by meas saly
10. chagn neang luk prohok
sung by molika
11. bong khmer phun khmer
sung by meas saly

every now and then, i get requests for certain artists or styles that people are interested in hearing more from. over anything else, i'd say music in the kantruem style is the most requested, so when i came across this album recently (despite it being released across the border in cambodia) i couldn't resist sharing.  kantruem is a music associated with the khmer people in the southern edge of thailand's northeast, and much like contemporary molam, modern kantruem is characterized by elements of the minority's folksong superimposed upon thai popular song structure.  this album, featuring various singers from phnom penh's "sunday productions" group, is quite good.  if you can look past the slick production, there are some very interesting instrumental flourishes (whether from the classic fiddle or the synths), and the whole thing has a great energy that's tough to deny.  enjoy!

phuean: sawatdi pi mai

artist: เพื่อน (phuean)
album: สวัสดีปีใหม่ (sawatdi pi mai)
tracklist:
01. สวัสดีปีใหม่ (sawatdi pi mai)
02. หยุดใจไว้กับเธอ (yut chai wai kap thoe)
03. รักเนี้ยบๆ (rak niap niap)
04. ป่านฉะนี้ (pan chani)
05. แก้วตา (kaew ta)
06. ใจคนคอย (chai khon khoi)
07. ดูดูดูดูแสนเศร้า (du du du du saen sao)
08. รักบึงเก่า (rak bueng kao)
09. ปุ๊น... ปั๊น (pun... pan)
10. งานวัด (ngan wat)
11. ป้ากะปู่ (pa ka pu)
12. ว้าเหว่ (wa we)
13. พรุ่งนี้ (phrung ni)
14. เพียงเอ่ยคำลา (phiang oei kham la)
15. สักกะติ๊ด (sak ka tit)
16. ผิดนัด (phit nat)
17. ตี๋ดอยตุง (ti doi tung)
18. อะโห... ชีวิต (aho... chiwit)

what better way to ring in the new year than with warm wishes from thailand's most dapper dogs & cats?  courtesy of alexandra, we have the album "happy new year!" from a band identified only as "friends" (although individual songwriters are credited within the gatefold)  i don't have a great deal to say about this tape that the cover art doesn't say on its own.  the music?  well, the opportunity to hear a thai take on the characteristically technophilic production values of 1986 might interest some people, but it also might not.. either way, happy 2012!

sangkhit prayuk: thai classical music

artist: สังคีตประยุกต์ (sangkhit prayuk)
album: เพลงไทยเดิม (thai classical music)
tracklist:
01. ลาวเจริญศรี (lao charoen si)
02. ลาวกระแซ (lao krasae)
03. ลาวกระทบไม้ (lao krathop mai)
04. ลาวเสี่ยงเทียน (lao siang thian)
05. กระแต (kratae)
06. มโนห์รา (manora)
07. แขกต่อยหม้อ (khaek toi mo)
08. จำปาทอง (champa thong)
09. สายสวาท (sai sawat)
10. สร้อยแสงแดง (soi saeng daeng)
11. เขมรไทรโยค (khmer sai yok)
12. เขมรเป่าใบไม้ (khmer pao bai mai)
13. เสเลเมา (se le mao)
14. บังใบ (bangbai)
15. มอญดูดาว (mon du dao)
16. ทะเลบ้า (thale ba)
17. ลาวดำเนินทราย (lao damnoen sai)
18. ลาวดวงเดือน (lao duang duean)

this week, "classic goes modern dance"! pleng thai prayuk is an umbrella term for the many attempts, occurring roughly from the 60's until the 80's, to update thai classical & folk melodies with western instruments and song styles. this movement gave birth to shadow prayuk along with any number of modernized versions of molam, lam tat, isaew, etc. this cassette features what i assume to be one of the earlier attempts at such fusion, probably immediately predating the shadow trend. pieces from the classical canon are re-figured into thai-style latin jazz & lounge music settings. unfortunately, i have very little info to share about the ensemble.. though it wouldn't surprise me to learn that either mr. phayong mukda or the suntharaphon collective were involved. enjoy!!

somprasong phinsayam: phinsayam klom nong

artist: สมประสงค์ พิณสยาม (somprasong phinsayam)
album: พิณสยามกล่อมน้อง (phinsayam klom nong)
tracklist:
01. ลำแคน (lam khaen)
02. ลายสร้อย (lai soi)
03. สุดสะแนน (sut sanaen)
04. ลาวเจริญศรี (lao charoen si)
05. สร้อยแสงแดง (soi saeng daeng)
06. ลาวดวงเดือน (lao duang duean)
07. สุดสงวนนางครวญ (sut sanguan nang khruan)
08. ทะแยมอญ (tha yae mon)
09. แขกขาว (khaek khao)
10. แขกมอญบางขุนพรหม (khaek mon bang khun phrom)

this week, some great phin work from somprasong phinsayam! the plucked lute is a vital part of isaan's folk music tradition.. to most listeners, the instrument is instantly evocative of the region and its inclusion is unavoidable in any isaan-styled pop music. today's tape features a complete unknown, mr. somprasong, doing runs through the thai/lao classical canon. despite the showmanship implicit in the double-headed phin on the gate-fold photo, this tape is largely without the sort of virtuoso shredding that we've come to associate with the phin. nonetheless, mr. somprasong is a competent instrumentalist, and his acoustic phin work with light organ & click-track backing is quite nice. hope you enjoy!

banyen kaewsiangthong + phensi phongsi

artist: บัญเย็น แก้วเสียงทอง + เพ็ญศรี ผ่องศรี (banyen kaewsiangthong + phensi phongsi)
album: คู่ขวัญ ซอเงินล้าน ชุด 4 (khu khwan so ngoen lan, vol. 4)
tracklist:
01. ผัวก๊ายเมีย (phua kai mia)
02. ฮักอย่าฮู้ก๊าย (hak ya hu kai)
03. คนซึงตึง (khon sueng tueng)
04. นางงามตกรอบ (nang ngam tok rop)
05. บ่าวเฒ่าง๋อมใจ (bao thao ngom chai)
06. เสี่ยงดวง (siang duang)
07. เมียหาย (mia hai)
08. หัวอกแม่ค้า (hua ok mae kha)
09. ยิ่งแก่ยิ่งมัน (ying kae ying man)
10. น้ำตาตกใน (nam ta tok nai)

some great northern songs this week, brought to us by the fantastic duo of banyen kaewsiangthong & phensi phongsi! we have heard from phensi here before.. she and banyen are probably the two biggest names in chiang mai-style thai country song. they sing to a standard early 90's sax & synth-driven molam luk thung with influences from local lanna culture; melodic sensibilities and lyrics evocative of the region, sprinkled with words from the local kham mueang language. very nice and rather unique sound, hope you enjoy!!

phraiwan lukphet: sao ban na thi na rak

artist: ไพรวัลย์ ลูกเพชร (phraiwan lukphet)
album: สาวบ้านนาที่น่ารัก (sao ban na thi na rak)
tracklist:
01. สาวบ้านนาที่น่ารัก (sao ban na thi na rak)
02. กลิ่นธูปควันเทียน (klin thup khwan thian)
03. สุดจาบัลย์ (sut chaban)
04. หน้าฝนอันแสนเศร้า (na fon an saen sao)
05. รักเธอ รักเธอ (rak thoe rak thoe)
06. เหมันต์ครวญ (heman khruan)
07. แผ่นดินไทย (phaen din thai)
08. เพลงรักเพลงคิดถึง (pleng rak pleng khit thueng)
09. ไร้ญาติเมื่อขาดเงิน (rai yat muea khat ngoen)
10. ลูก (luk)
11. เห็นใจแล้ว (hen chai laeo)
12. ห้ามใจรักไม่ได้ (ham chai rak mai dai)
13. บ่รักไผเท่านาง (bo rak phai thao nang)
14. คิดถึงอารีดัง (khit thueng aridang)
15. ข้าวคอยเคียว (khao khoi khieow)
16. เทพีของผม (thephi khong phom)
17. คาถารัก (khatha rak)

this week, another outstanding album from one of my favorite singers, mr. phraiwan lukphet! born in phetchaburi province, phraiwan was sent by his parents at an early age to join a local liké theatre troupe, but it was the world of popular music which called to him, and in time he left to join somphong wongrakthai's "bangkok cha cha cha" band. after this group dissolved, phraiwan was entrusted to suraphon sombatcharoen, in whose company he recorded his earliest hits (collected here). eventually he left suraphon's collective to persue a solo venture and with the aid of songwriter phaibun butkhan won massive reknown. his singing resonated through the film world especially, where he provided themes to many of the biggest motion pictures, two of which (mon rak luk thung and phlae kao) have been featured on this site. please enjoy the slow sweet sounds of phraiwan lukphet!!

khana phet ubon: sai naen na kaen

artist: คณะ เพชรอุบล (khana phet ubon)
abum: สายแนน นาแก่น (sai naen na kaen)
tracklist:
01. สายแนน นาแก่น ตอน 1 (sai naen na kaen, pt. 1)
02. สายแนน นาแก่น ตอน 1 (sai naen na kaen, pt. 2)

this week, a great album featuring the players of khana phet ubon! led by molam chalatnoi songsoem, the group is rounded out by leading lady chomsawai saenthawisuk & the lesser-known duangchannoi chianklon, all capable lam practitioners from ubon ratchathani province. this is an album of lam in strict voice & khaen configuration... the style featured is lam rueang to klon, a traditionally theatrical genre where the emphasis is on storytelling. needless to say, the story itself will be lost on non-isaan speakers (myself included).. but the music & voices should have little trouble holding the fascination of those unable to comprehend the words. enjoy!!

phongsi woranut: khon sut thai

artist: ผ่องศรี วรนุช (phongsi woranut)
album: คนสุดท้าย (khon sut thai)
tracklist:
01. คนสุดท้าย (khon sut thai)
02. บาร์หัวใจ (bar hua chai)
03. ฝากดิน (fak din)
04. ผิดหวังยังคอย (phit wang yang khoi)
05. ชั่วโมงสุดท้าย (chua mong su thai)
06. หญิงขายตัว (ying khai tua)
07. ปัญหาหัวใจ (panha hua chai)
08. น้องเป็นคนรักที่เท่าไหร่ (nong pen khon rak thi thao rai)
09. รักจ๋ารัก (rak cha rak)
10. คนเลวที่ฉันรัก (khon leo thi chan rak)
11. คนสำรอง (khon samrong)
12. น้ำตาหยดสุดท้าย (nam ta yot sut thai)

hope everyone will forgive the length between posts; due to a massive hard drive failure, the blog was out of commission for a little while.. but after a month's absence, all has been recovered and we're ready to go! to make up for time lost, let's get back into things with a real gem from the incomparable phongsi woranut! if you're a regular here, you probably know of phongsi by now; luk thung's first female star and rival to the genre's king, suraphon sombatcharoen. this album is from a bit later in her career (the 1970's, i think), and features one of her most beautiful and enduring singles, "fak din" (track 3). while the brass-laden ballads may be light of atmosphere, the subject matter of these songs is heavy; the lyrics tell tales of death, prostitution and love gone wrong. classic luk thung from an timeless star.. enjoy!

khana kaeotalai: so ham nam thuam wang lung

artist: คณะ แก้วตาไหล (khana kaeotalai)
album: ซอฮ่ำน้ำท่วมวังลุง (so ham nam thuam wang lung)
tracklist:
01. ซอฮ่ำน้ำท่วมวังลุง (so ham nam thuam wang lung)
02. ซอปอยเข้าสังข์ (so poi khao sang)

this week, kaeotalai nonglong & his ensemble bring us some beautiful sounds of lanna! alexandra picked this one up for me on one of her trips to the north, and it's almost certainly my favorite recording of northern thai folk music. the recording is very intimate & raw; alot more engaging than much of the over-produced lanna music on the market. mr. kaeotalai (a.k.a. talai kanthachan) is from lamphun province and leads his ensemble on so fiddle & vocals. he is joined on side two by fellow singer ms. buanchan lintong, and together they are supported by a pi koy (small free-reed flute) and sueng (northern-style lute). a really exceptional recording, hope you enjoy!

sabaithong phaophuri: lam phloen choen mong

 
artist: สะใบทอง เผ่าภูรี (sabaithong phaophuri)
album: ลำเพลินเชิญมอง (lam phloen choen mong)
tracklist:
01. ลำเพลินรำวงสลับเกี้ยว (lam phloen ramwong salap kieow)
02. ลำเพลินพี่อย่าแสนงาน (lam phloen phi ya saen ngan)
03. ลำเพลินคอยอ้าย (lam phloen khoi ai)
04. ลำเพลินเดินนิทาน (lam phloen doen nithan)
05. ลำเพลินอวยพรทาน (lam phloen uai phon than)
06. ลำล่องยาวข่าวทหาร (lam long yao khao thahan)
07. ลำเพลินเชิญมอง (lam phloen choen mong)
08. ลำเพลินเตือนคนขี้เมา (lam phloen tuean khon khi mao)
09. ลำเพลินเชิญชวน (lam phloen choen chuan)
10. ลำเพลินร้องเกี้ยวอาลัยรัก (lam phloen rong kieow alai rak)
11. ลำเพลินเตือนทหารไทย (lam phloen tuean thahan thai)
12. ลำเพลินชวนสามัคคี (lam phloen chuan samakkhi)
13. ลำเพลินฮักอ้ายคนเดียว (lam phloen hak ai khon dieow)
14. ลำเพลินรักไม่สมหวัง (lam phloen rak mai som wang)
15. ลำกลอนเงาะป่ารจนา (lam klon ngo pa rotchana)
16. ลำเพลินเอิ้นอ้าน (lam phloen oen an)
17. ลำเพลินฮักอ้ายแต่ยังเด็ก (lam phloen hak ai tae yang dek)
18. ลำล่องสวรรค์เมืองไทย (lam long sawan mueang thai)

this week, fantastic molam sounds from sabaithong phaophuri! i really haven't been able to find out much at all about ms. sabaithong (although 3 of her songs appear on vol. 1 of sublime frequencies' molam: thai country groove from isan). but what more do you need to know, besides that this tape is full of great, lo-fi, roots-rock molam? long, improvisatory khaen solos, overdriven hand drums & finger cymbals and isan's trademark basslines all come together in a flurry of musical activity beneath sabaithong's capable lam recitations... enjoy! (and if you know anything about our singer, please share!)