The irresistible sound in this particular variation on the theme is the fusion of Algerian rai (pronounced rye) and Western rap and European pop into a sensual but lyrically pointed trance music that is extremely catchy and rhythmically sophisticated.
When moderator Anderson asked the panelists what made them feel patriotic as a Black person in Britain, most pointed to music itself.
A previous generation thrilled to the pointed and poignant music of Cui Jian, whom many consider the godfather of Chinese rock, but Young China still seems to be waiting for its Woody Guthrie, its Pete Seeger, its Bruce Springsteen.
It offered music as pointed as the songs' titles: Hit Me, Shut Up, Strife, I Am Here.
The electronic songs the article champions pay homage not to unique sounds coming out of the electronic underground which usually does portend the "future of music," as pointed out in THUMP's analysis last year but instead to songs that exemplify the perception of electronic music as a crowd-sourced medium.
At the Kennedy Center, the emphasis on new and native music seemed more pointed, emphasizing connections between allegedly élite institutions and modern life.
Dance is plentiful (another touch of French influence), and the rich vocal writing is a balance of Gallic fluidity and Italianate lyricism, with adventurous chromatic touches that keep the music both emotionally pointed and surprising.
In the United States folk rock acts like the Mamas and the Papas, Buffalo Springfield, the Lovin' Spoonful, Sonny and Cher, Simon and Garfunkel, and Janis Ian personified a generalized, often self-righteous youthful rebellion that in its more pointed songs was labeled "protest" music.
He had already been on the radio at KFVD, in Los Angeles, where he began to make the transition from traditional country and folk music to more pointed political material, and the Library of Congress sessions reveal that he had a broadcaster's sense of how to lead into a song, or trail out of one.
The music is lean and pointed.
