1) US band
2) Belg… Read Full Bio ↴There more than one artist called Brazzaville.
1) US band
2) Belgian funk band
3) Swedish ska band
1) Brazzaville was formed by David Brown in 1998 in Los Angeles, California. While on tour playing saxophone with Beck, David bought an old guitar in Barcelona and began writing the songs for what would be the first Brazzaville album, 2002. Since then Brazzaville has recorded an additional 3 albums, Somnambulista, Rouge On Pockmarked Cheeks and Hastings Street. The original version of the band included many musicians, although the core group consisted of Kenny Lyon, Joe Zimmerman, Joel Virgel-Vierset, Mike Bolger and David Ralicke.
The band has toured the east and west coasts of the US as well as playing shows in Europe, Russia and Kazakhstan.
In 2003 David sold everything and moved to Barcelona. There he formed a new version of Brazzaville consisting of himself, two American expatriates (Ivan Knight and Brady Lynch) and two local boys (Paco Jordi and Richie Alvarez). In 2004, Mimicry Records released a greatest hits record called Welcome to Brazzaville. The band's fifth album, East L.A. Breeze, was released in June 2006, and tracks are currently streaming on their myspace page.
2) Brazzaville (Belgian band) is a 7-headed band that produces an exciting, adventurous and especially a funky sound. The music is inspired by 70's jazz & funk, afrobeat and rare grooves.
They recorded their debut album “Days of thunder, days of grace” in march 2008 featuring four special guests; Zap Mama, Mo & Grazz & Zita Swoon’s Amel Serra.
They are working on their second album that will be mixed by Ben Lamdin from Nostalgia77 (Tru Thoughts).
Brazzaville already played the warm-up concerts for artists like Al Jarreau, The Neville Brothers & Marcus Miller. Last summer they played at the biggest Belgian jazz festival; Gent Jazz Festival and toured with Jazzlab Series. In 2007 they won the ‘Young Jazz Talent Ghent’ contest. ‘Days of thunder, days of grace’ best Belgian Jazz Album of 2008 according to the Belgian newspaper ‘Le Soir’.
The band consists of keys: Jan Willems, guitar: Geert Hellings, baritone sax: Vincent Brijs, tenorsax with effects: Andrew Claes, electric bass: Nicolas Rombouts, drums: Maarten Moesen and percussion: Amel Serra.
Contact: info@brazzavillemusic.com (C) Evil Penguin (record company)
3) Brazzaville (Swedish band)
Brazzaville was formed in Sala, Sweden as Tongue Gongue. Their debute demo from 1995 was given a 4.5 (of 4) rating in SA and was named "demo of the year" by Patrik Björk of Backstage Magazine. In 1996 and 1998 they played at the Hultsfred Festival.
They were signed to Deaf & dumb Records and in 1996 they released their five track CD Introducing Brazzaville. It was followed in 1998 by the full length album The Girl Is Allright..
Samurai
Brazzaville Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the street
Where the hobos meet
Southern day dreams
I don’t know
Which way the wind blows
But I’ll tell you what comes and goes
Cold like a Samurai
Under a dim, breathtaking winter sky
Perrier c’est foux
Lonely days
By the sea
Watch the ships go by
Taiwanese
Half as old
As the sky seems
In my larger dreams
Mangosteen
People grow old and die… etc.
In Brazzaville's song Samurai, the opening lines "Lay me down on the street where the hobos meet, southern day dreams" creates a vivid image of a person feeling lost and unsure about their direction in life. The singer is grappling with the question of which way the wind blows, and is unsure about what is coming and going in their life. The repetition of the line "People grow old and die, cold like a Samurai" reinforces the feeling of angst and uncertainty, while also highlighting the fragility and fleeting nature of human life.
The next verse talks about the singer's loneliness, and their desire to escape from reality. The line "By the sea, watch the ships go by, Taiwanese, half as old as the sky seems" hints at a sense of displacement and a longing for something unknown. The use of the word "Mangosteen" in the last line adds to the sense of mystery and longing. The repeated themes of mortality and the impermanence of life reiterate the overarching theme of the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Lay me down
I want to lay down and rest
On the street
It doesn't matter where I lay down
Where the hobos meet
I am not bothered by being around homeless people
Southern day dreams
I am lost in my thoughts
I don’t know
I am uncertain
Which way the wind blows
I am clueless about the direction things are taking
But I’ll tell you what comes and goes
However, I can observe changes happening around me
People grow old and die
Life is transient and human beings age and eventually pass on
Cold like a Samurai
Death can be sudden and merciless
Under a dim, breathtaking winter sky
The environment can influence how things happen
Perrier c’est foux
Drinking Perrier is crazy
Lonely days
Spending time alone
By the sea
Next to the ocean
Watch the ships go by
Observing activity in the environment
Taiwanese
Someone from Taiwan
Half as old
Appearing younger than their age
As the sky seems
Perception of time can be relative
In my larger dreams
When I think big and expansive, anything is possible
Mangosteen
A tropical fruit
Contributed by Jacob C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.