Seek and Ye Shall Find
First, I want to apologize for being absent for so long. My grandmother has had a series of medical issues which required (and continue to require) continuous attention and care. Thankfully, her condition has significantly improved and I'm finally able to return my attention to music, one of the other loves of my life.
The selection this time may be a little frustrating. It's a collection of hard-to-find CDs. Some are out-of-print. Others are by artists flying so far under the radar of popular music that you may have difficulty finding their work. Whatever the case, I assure the search will be a worthwhile effort.
By the way, though there are three electronica CDs among the recommendations, diversity is not lost. Check them out and you'll understand.
Enjoy.
If the music player does not appear at the top of the panel, download Adobe Flash Player.
To move to the next or previous music track, use the green triangles.
Download Flash Player
PRESS THE PLAY BUTTON (
) TO HEAR FOUR TRACKS FROM THIS CD.
Unfortunately, there is no mp3 version of this CD available at Amazon nor iTunes. However, Amazon has several physical copies available. Trust me, this one is worth the shipping cost.
Formed and produced by DJ/musician Michael Kenneth Lopez and audio engineer/musician Herman "Soy Sos" Pearl, 3 Generations Walking has created one of the best debut electronica releases ever. If you're a lover of a fat bass line, lay back and enjoy all this jazzy house CD has to offer.
Download Flash Player
PRESS THE PLAY BUTTON () TO HEAR FOUR TRACKS FROM THIS CD.
Scandinavia is known for many things. Musically, it's the hotbed of some of the best jazz and jazz-influenced electronica around. Imagine my surprise when I discovered Abalone Dots. Who knew bluegrass country music existed in Sweden.
On Traveler, their third album, this all-female quartet continues to get better. If you're not a fan of country music, this may not be your thing. However, if you're open-minded about music (and I'm sure you are), give this one a shot. It just may make you pull that banjo out of your closet.
Download Flash Player
PRESS THE PLAY BUTTON () TO HEAR FOUR TRACKS FROM THIS CD.
This is another favorite Swedish group, one exploring the pop side of electronica. This trio of two electronica producers (Ricky Tillblad and Carl Herlöffson) and a female vocalist (Nina Ramsby formerly of the group Salt).
There were high hopes for this band when they signed to Madonna's Maverick label back in the 90s. They were expected to "blow up" much like Prodigy. Unfortunately, those dreams never materialized, despite a strong debut. Their followup CD, "About This" takes a musical turn but is equally appealing.
Download Flash Player
PRESS THE PLAY BUTTON () TO HEAR FOUR TRACKS FROM THIS CD.
It was a smart decision for the Woody Guthrie Archives to allow Jonatha Brooke access to the songwriter's collection of lyrics and poetry. The resulting CD of Guthrie's lyrics set to Brooke's music, The Works, will stand for many years as a superior work. (The CD also contains two original pieces written entirely by Brooke.)
This is Brooke's seventh solo CD and she's never sounded better. Prior to going solo, she recorded with a college friend, first as Jonatha & Jennifer, then as The Story. The group temporarily disbanded after graduation, while Brooke pursued a ballet career. Since going solo, Brooke has been steadily producing an admirable body of work.
This is one for any serious music collection.
Download Flash Player
PRESS THE PLAY BUTTON () TO HEAR FOUR TRACKS FROM THIS CD.
You're already aware of my love for innovative electronica music coming out of Scandinavia and Japan. Well, the two worlds come together in Japanese singer/songwriter Caroline Lufkin's debut CD, which was primarily produced by Boston-based Norwegian composer/producer Andreas Björck.
Lufkin (professionally known simply as Caroline) stands out with her ambient/trip-hop songs. Her ethereal, coquettish, baby-doll vocals glide on top of the chill musical sounds she created with Björck. It's no surprise she's called the "queen of the snow jams."
Like many indie artists, Caroline struggled with the conflict between her artistic desires and the industry's efforts to turn her into a pop singer. (Caroline is the sister of J-pop singer Olivia Lufkin.) Thankfully, Caroline resisted the pressure and chose to remain true to her music.
Go to the Archives for more underrated music.
