B-Side of Life

  Soft and delicate acoustic guitar tapestries by musician Don Bikoff that manages to create some really magical moments. In the vein of musicians like John Fahey and Sandy Bull, this american primitivism is woven with some really solid and beautiful folk.   

  Lo¬fi and raw garage.punk from Japan. Filled with teenage angst and rebellion, it grabs you by the throat and won t let you go. Teengenerate has a couple of recordings and 2 major lenght albums, since they were only active between 1993¬1995. This is their debut and it is filled with short, hellish fast and noisy songs. As sincere as it can be. 

  Solid compilation of punk and new wave songs from bands like The Ramones, The Pretenders, Feelies, Madness and a couple others. An 80s edition released in Portugal, double vynil of red and green colors. 

  Four songs sung by Maria de Fátima Bravo for the classic portuguese film "O Tarzan do 5º esquerdo" released in 1958 and directed by Augusto Fraga. The movie is an early incarnation of a romantic comedy and is quite playful and entertaining. The songs here also symphonic goodies led by the charismatic voice of Maria de Fátima and the lyrics tend to be as bittersweet as the movie itself. The music was composed by João Nobre, the main composer for this feature lenght film.  The cover is also delightful, featuring the singer herself sat by a record player and we can notice that some of the records are french, which makes sense given the popularity of chanson at that particular time. 

  Indie pop by Tiago Guillul. Recorded in a studio and with guests like Rui Reininho, Tiago Guillul moves from his lo-fi days to a well produced and clean cut album. "A Febre em 1993" is a really adorable and catchy song that is one of the highlights of this album, using dancing and funky samples with some playful arrangements. "Nabucodonosor" named after one of the kings in the bible, is a really jangley song with collaborations from Rui Reininho in the vocals. Released by Florcaveira, this album has some religious inspired lyrics and most songs were built upon evangelical songs from all over the world, but that isn't exactly a surprise since it's Tiago Guillul. Overall, a candy bomb of an album of enjoyable and clever indie pop. 

  A compilation of songs by Aparecida. My first foray into candomblé and afoxé music with a strong base of samba, so I was really impressed with the rhytms and the powerful voice of Aparecida. This peculiar rhythm is called ijexá and was invented by the yoruba people, originating in the states of Pernanbumco and Bahia. The lyrics are deeply religious or spiritual based on candomblé religion. First time listener and a bit of a fan already. 

  A compilation of songs by writer-inventor-musician-extradinaire Boris Vian. Includes some of his best known songs such as "Je Boi", "Je Suis Snob" and "Fais-moi mal Johnny". Vocal jazz with some swing and jazz inspired moments and the usual caustic and bittersweet words by Boris Vian. Amusing and heartfelt from one of the most interesting writers ever to grace this planet.

  Soundtrack for the beautiful yet grim film "Last Exit to Brooklyn" directed by Uli Edel and adapted from the novel by Hubert Selby Jr. The novel is brutal and uncompromising in its depiction of violence on the seedy underside of Brooklyn, yet beautiful and with wonderful prose and memorable characters.  This soundtrack by Mark Knopfler has some flairy moments like in the instrumental "Tralala", jazzy swing vibes that illuminate the melancholic and longing tone of the remaining compositions. It's a better fit after having watched the film. 

  Brilliant compilation of lost rock classic directly from Midwest America in the 60's straight to your turntable. A bombastic mix of garage pop and fuzz that manages to be both energetic and quite mellow at times.  Classic rock that could be heard in the teenage halls in the 60's America and made everybody crazy about dancing and rock 'n' roll. Catchy and rare to find gems by bands like The Wild Things, The Monuments, The Imposters, Teardrops among others. 

  Conceptual album by The Weeknd that intends to emulate a radio station. The vibe here is 80's all the way and most songs are highlights in themselves, my favorite being "Less than Zero". Very synth-pop driven and with beautiful production, it stands out as an amazing album and proves that The Weeknd is not afraid to explore and reinvent his sound. 

  Funky pop soul by Michael Jackson and his brothers. It was released in 1970, following up the huge success of their debut album and the iconic song "I want you back". Michael Jackson was only 11 years old when this album was recorded but his voice and delivery are top notch, proving that he had a real pop sensibility.  An album that is pure pop on one hand and pure soul on the other. Amazing all around. 

  Fourth volume of the truly inspired series Brazilian Nuggets released by portuguese label and record store, Groovie Records.  A set of psychedelic and fuzzy songs that dwell on about lost loves, new ones and a whole mood of a surreal kind of mellow. Wonderful compilation of not so well known brazilian musicians. 

  Live album compiling a series of shows when the musician was invited to perform across Beijing and Shangai. The audience is so quiet at times that we forget we are listening to a live album. Amazing progressive electronica with some old and new compositions in the mix. 

 A bombastic and fierce display of pure hardcore punk by my favorite US PUNK band. An awesome display of anti-reaganism, anti-nazism and anti-evangelism infused with the sarcastic and powerful delivery of Jello Biafra. Raw and true anarcho-punk with short and fast songs and a very harsh production. The lyrics are clever, witty and sarcastic as per usual with Dead Kennedys. Brilliant. 

 Warm and psychedelic greatness by UK band Caravan. Their debut album that showcases a lot of promise for the future. Very keyboard driven and mellow,with the flute helping out to create some a relaxing mood, this debut album flirts with prog rock and psych, creating a fusion that is both sublime and sincere. 

  Emotional soundtrack for the masterpiece of horror cinema, Carrie. The beautiful instrumentals by Pino Donnagio intertwine with the songs sung by Katie Irving and guide us through the inner turmoil of the movie's main character. Innocence shattered and brutal vengeance. 

  Debut album by the amazing Sinead O'Connor which was only 21 years old when it was released. Bittersweet lyrics and enchanting melodies make up a beautiful album that remains fresh up to this day. Spiritual themes mingle freely with 80's pop that is unconventional and melodic at the same time. 

  The Gladiators are a roots reggae band that released a couple of amazing records during the 70's. This single features two great bangers that get that summer feeling going. The name was inspired by the idea of men who fought for their liberty against Babylon and issued one of the main concepts of the genre, freedom of mind and spirit, the eternal struggle for our place on the world. 

  Heartfelt soul from singer Lea Roberts. Born in 1946 in Ohio (USA) , Lea Roberts began recording in the late 60's/early 70's. Having been signed to United Artists in 1970, Lea Roberts recorded several singles for them. This is a single that contains "I know" and "Ivory", both powerful songs that are catchy and engaging. Beautiful soul. Unfortunately, there is not much information online about this singer, hopefully more info will pop up soon and people will get to hear her beautiful voice.