To listen to the report from the NPR Website (Dec 31, 2011) , go to this link then go to Minute 4:28: m=1445266http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=144444523&85
You can also follow the transcript below (NPR All Rights Reserved)
Now, to Beirut, where our local music critic Sam is on the scene.
WAHAB: The first band I'm going to talk about is Adonis. These guys are a folk rock band who sing in Arabic.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DAW L BALADIYYI")
WAHAB: They just released a video of their single called "Daw L Baladiyyi," which means streetlight. And the good thing about the video is they take black and white photos of pre-civil war Lebanon and go to those exact same locations right now and they hold up the photo, and it's a nice contrast of where we were and where we are.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DAW L BALADIYYI")
WAHAB: So the next band I'm going to talk about is a group called Zeid and the Wings. They're a band that started last year and have released an album just recently called "Asfeh," which means the storm, which is also the title track of the album which you're listening to right now.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ASFEH")
WAHAB: An interesting thing about Zeid and the Wings is when you check out their album, you'll see that it's got everything from Arabic folk to reggae to rock and to electro. And the vocal harmonies, seeing as you have three female backup vocalists, it's a really nice mix.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ASFEH")
WAHAB: The last band we're going to talk about is called Lazzy Lung. And these guys are Lebanon's new rock alternative.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ONSTANDBY")
WAHAB: So this Lazzy Lung track is called "Onstandby." Lazzy Lung is a really good radio-friendly pop band that actually has a message, and they sing in English. And that's very rare for most bands here in Lebanon.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ONSTANDBY")
LAZZY LUNG: (Singing) Well, I got this thing I can't fix, and I don't know why. Seems I can't recall any of the night, oh why. Time wasted (unintelligible) again, oh, who's this here beside me? Oh, here we go again.
WAHAB: So Lazzy Lung recently won an award, and they'll be making their way to Los Angeles to meet with Capitol Records and represent Lebanon sometime next year. And they're definitely an incredible live band that, you know, you should watch out for.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ONSTANDBY")
LUNG: (Singing) I got a girl got me going on, going on, going on...
SHEIR: That's the song "Onstandby" by Lazzy Lung, recommended to us by music writer Samir Wahab in Beirut, Lebanon.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ONSTANDBY")
LUNG: (Singing) Going on...
SHEIR: You can hear this song and more pop music from Iceland and Lebanon at our website, npr.org.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ONSTANDBY")
LUNG: (Singing) Left out again...
You can also follow the transcript below (NPR All Rights Reserved)
Now, to Beirut, where our local music critic Sam is on the scene.
WAHAB: The first band I'm going to talk about is Adonis. These guys are a folk rock band who sing in Arabic.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DAW L BALADIYYI")
WAHAB: They just released a video of their single called "Daw L Baladiyyi," which means streetlight. And the good thing about the video is they take black and white photos of pre-civil war Lebanon and go to those exact same locations right now and they hold up the photo, and it's a nice contrast of where we were and where we are.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "DAW L BALADIYYI")
WAHAB: So the next band I'm going to talk about is a group called Zeid and the Wings. They're a band that started last year and have released an album just recently called "Asfeh," which means the storm, which is also the title track of the album which you're listening to right now.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ASFEH")
WAHAB: An interesting thing about Zeid and the Wings is when you check out their album, you'll see that it's got everything from Arabic folk to reggae to rock and to electro. And the vocal harmonies, seeing as you have three female backup vocalists, it's a really nice mix.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ASFEH")
WAHAB: The last band we're going to talk about is called Lazzy Lung. And these guys are Lebanon's new rock alternative.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ONSTANDBY")
WAHAB: So this Lazzy Lung track is called "Onstandby." Lazzy Lung is a really good radio-friendly pop band that actually has a message, and they sing in English. And that's very rare for most bands here in Lebanon.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ONSTANDBY")
LAZZY LUNG: (Singing) Well, I got this thing I can't fix, and I don't know why. Seems I can't recall any of the night, oh why. Time wasted (unintelligible) again, oh, who's this here beside me? Oh, here we go again.
WAHAB: So Lazzy Lung recently won an award, and they'll be making their way to Los Angeles to meet with Capitol Records and represent Lebanon sometime next year. And they're definitely an incredible live band that, you know, you should watch out for.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ONSTANDBY")
LUNG: (Singing) I got a girl got me going on, going on, going on...
SHEIR: That's the song "Onstandby" by Lazzy Lung, recommended to us by music writer Samir Wahab in Beirut, Lebanon.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ONSTANDBY")
LUNG: (Singing) Going on...
SHEIR: You can hear this song and more pop music from Iceland and Lebanon at our website, npr.org.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ONSTANDBY")
LUNG: (Singing) Left out again...
You can read the full article on the NPR site at this link.
Copyright © 2011 National Public Radio®. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.
Copyright © 2011 National Public Radio®. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our permissions page for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by a contractor for NPR, and accuracy and availability may vary. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Please be aware that the authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio.
