Wewantsounds Records maintains its impressive track record of high-quality reissues with its latest release. This time, they feature the music of Hitomi “Penny” Tohyama, a Japanese pop and funk singer whose style beautifully blends City Pop, funk, and catchy pop grooves, resulting in a fun listening experience. As always, the Continue Reading
Pop
Various Artists – Vampisoul: Rangarang
From the Bandcamp site of the consistently solid record label Vampisoul: “”Rangarang” is a compilation of forgotten jewels from pre-revolutionary Iran. These songs tell the stories of an artisan community that flourished during the 1960s and 1970s before vanishing into oblivion. The pop stars who stayed in Iran were summonsed Continue Reading
Hiroshi Wada & His Mahina Stars – Yoru No Komori Uta (1964)
No review today due to having some foot problems, but I will leave you with a tune by Hiroshi Wada & His Mahina Stars. Hiroshi was a Japanese bandleader who worked with Hawaiian music. I came across him on accident thanks to Facebook and the lounge band Pink Martini, and Continue Reading
Al Massrieen – Modern Music
One of Egypt’s greatest bands, Al Massrieen, gets the reissue treatment from the phenomenal Habibi Funk Records! From the label’s Bandcamp site: “We’re happy to present a reissue of “Modern Music”, the last album by the iconic Egyptian band Al Massrieen, originally released in 1984. This was the final installment Continue Reading
Margo Guryan – Words And Music
This has to be some of the sunniest psychedelic pop that I’ve heard since childhood! Margo Guryan is a Los Angeles-based singer whose album sounds as if it were made during the 1960s or 1970s with airy production and a soft psychedelic pop sound. As it turns out, this is Continue Reading
Various Artists – Los Angeles Rising
Though California has an utterly repellent governor whose incompetence seems boundless, the citizens, rich or poor, are resilient. In honor of the California spirit which has been bruised thanks to the horrible wildfires that destroyed parts of my former home, some fine artists have contributed tracks for this compilation of Continue Reading
David Sylvian – Late Night (Atom™ Remix)
For you who are fans of the new wave band Japan and their lead singer David Sylvian, this will be a treat. David offers a one-track release of a song that did not make it onto the album entitled The Good Soon vs the Only Daughter. The track was remixed Continue Reading
Peter Sinfield – Eulogy by Andrew Keeling
Many thanks to Mariana Scaravilli at Discipline Global Mobile for sharing this eulogy for the English poet Peter Sinfield. Why a poet on these pages, when I could have put this at my other website? Because Peter’s work was intimately tied to progressive rock and beyond. Not only did he Continue Reading
Tribal People React to A-ha Take On Me For The First Time
It’s rather charming to see cultures like this clash. These folks from Sindh, Pakistan, give their takes on everything from music to technology, usually with a calm, relaxed and jovial insight. In this episode, they listen to a-ha’s classic tune, “Take On Me,” and it seems they really enjoy not Continue Reading
Bô’vel – Changes
I had no idea who Mancunian soul singer Bô’vel was until our esteemed friends over at Athens Of The North released this album of long-forgotten tracks recently. Bô’vel was a darling of pirate radio during the mid-1990s, and judging by how soulful and funky these tracks are, she deserved a Continue Reading