Maria Bethania - A Arte Maior de Maria Bethania

Maria Bethania is one of Brazil's best loved singers.  She is the sister of Caetano Veloso and one of the leading lights of the Tropicalia movement.

What we have here is the first record of a two disc compilation of songs recorded between 1978 and 1982, and these tracks are smooth and slick; they ooze like syrup out of the speakers, sultry, torrid and redolent of romance and hot nights.

Might be your bag, or it might not:


Tracklist:

01         Explode Coração        
02         Negue        
03         Alguém Me Avisou        
04         Maravida        
05         De Todas As Maneiras        
06         Mel        
07         Começaria Tudo Outra Vez        
08         Olhos Nos Olhos        
09         Grito De Alerta        
10         Ronda        
11         Talismã        
12         O Lado Quente Do Ser        
13         Mentira De Amor        
14         Da Cor Brasileira

Get it HERE.

Marjono & his Boys - Salina VII

Can't find much info about Marjono or his boys, other than Marjono was/possibly is an Indonesian flautist and saxophonist who appeared to be active throughout the '60s and '70s. I think I really like this album, although I haven't quite made up my mind. Marjono's sax playing is like treacle, thick and sweet and sugar-coating all of the other sounds, but when you listen deeper, there are these beautiful keyboard and bass things bubbling away in the background. In my fevered imaginings, I see Marjono and his boys playing underneath the lights and glitterballs of the basement bars of expensive Kuala Lumpur hotels, while disinterested ex-colonels sip cocktails and try to ignore their extravagantly coiffured wives.

Tracklist:

01 Es Lilin
02 Ani - Ani
03 Sapu Tangan
04 Renunganku
05 Midnite Serenade
06 Djali Djali
07 Tidurlah Intan
08 Sapu Lida
09 Djauh Di Mata
10 Selalu Disampingmu
11 Derita Tjinta
12 Selendang Sutra

Get it HERE.

The Peddlers - Three in a Cell (1968)

Excellent bit of Hammond driven jazz-pop-lounge sounds from this band of Manchester hipsters. Here's some great footage of the band in action in the early '70s. Check the drummer!:

Tracklist:

01		Comin' Home Baby
02		On A Clear Day You Can See Forever
03		Basin Street Blue
04		Nobody Likes Me
05		I'm A Boy In Love
06		People
01		In The Still Of The Night
02		Ebb Tide
03		Just A Pretty Song
04		Lost Continent
05		Prime Of My Life

Get it HERE.

Louie Austen - Consequences (Cheap 1999)

This is a strange thing. Sinatra obsessed middle aged rat-pack wannabe crooning over sci-fi lounge sounds and messed up electronica. Notes of a dirty old man and heartbroken whisky soaked tales of loneliness and regret. Louie Austen still makes music, but what I've heard has had smoother, more polished sound. This, his debut album on Patrick Pulsinger's Cheap label, is an all together darker affair, all crunchy beats and Blade Runner-esque retro futurism.

Tracklist:

01 Hear My Song
02 My Life in 3 40
03 When You Walked Away
04 Remember
05 Holdin' On
06 I'm a Star
07 Northern Sunrise
08 u're an Alien
09 Where is Love
10 Sinatra 3000

Check it out!