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..
Ugly Babylon
Brazzaville Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Work all night long
Down in the ugly Babylon
Gone are the grandmas, poets
And baker's sons
Down in the ugly Babylon
The stars and suns
Down in the ugly Babylon
Gone are the grandmas, poets
And baker's sons
Down in the ugly Babylon
The lyrics to Brazzaville's Ugly Babylon paint a picture of a city, possibly a reference to Babylon, that has fallen from grace. The first two lines introduce us to the gritty underbelly of the city, with oil wells and call girls working all night long. The phrase "Work all night long" suggests a sense of relentlessness, as if the city never sleeps. The next two lines continue with a clear sense of loss. "Gone are the grandmas, poets, and baker's sons" implies that the city has lost its culture and history. The repetition of this line at the end of the stanza emphasizes the sadness and despair of the situation.
The next stanza continues with the theme of the city's downfall. "The lights of the city wash out the stars and suns" suggests that any beauty or light that might have once existed in the city has been drowned out by the harsh reality of modern life. The image of a polluted, smoggy city comes to mind. The final two lines of the stanza repeat the same phrase, "Gone are the grandmas, poets, and baker's sons." This repetition serves to drive home the idea that the city has lost something vital and precious.
Overall, the lyrics to Ugly Babylon use vivid imagery and repetition to paint a bleak picture of a fallen city. The loss of culture, beauty, and humanity is palpable in these words.
Line by Line Meaning
The oil wells and the call girls
The industries and vices that thrive in the city
Work all night long
The hustle and bustle never stops
Down in the ugly Babylon
In the midst of a city that has lost its charm and beauty
Gone are the grandmas, poets
The elders and artists who once brought wisdom and creativity to the city
And baker's sons
The families who once made their living through honest work and trade
The lights of the city wash out
The overabundance of artificial light drowns out
The stars and suns
The natural beauty of the world
Down in the ugly Babylon
In the city that has lost its soul to materialism and excess
Gone are the grandmas, poets
The people who once gave the city its character and heart
And baker's sons
The families who once provided sustenance and nourishment
Contributed by Jason K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.