The Best of Ernesto Lecuona

Ernesto Lecuona (1895-1963) is considered by many to be one of Cuba’s greatest composers. His style was broad, covering everything from popular songs to dances to classical pieces; from moody, stormy pictures to lilting, strolling daydreams. “Andalucia (The Breeze & I)” is one of our favorites and The Selmanaires have covered it a few times, hopefully we’ll do a recording in the future. It was also a very popular song in the late 50’s/ early 60’s and there are many versions (check out one on the THRIFT STORE MUSIC mix here on the blog).

THE BEST OF ERNESTO LECUONA

This collection has six recordings made by Alfredo Munar, whom Lecuona called “…beyond doubt…the best interpreter of my music.” Percussion is by Candido & Lenny Calderon. Five pieces are performed by Ernesto Lecuona himself and there is an orchestral version of “Gitenerias”.

We will try our best to post only old records that are out-of-print and widely unavailable. If there is an objection to any of the content please contact us and it will be promptly removed. Thank you.

Jason Dean & the Options- Snap the Drifts

Here is a collection of tape collages & chance experiments I came across while organizing my room. Click below for a download of “Snap the Drifts”. Enjoy!

SNAP THE DRIFTS

Quick Canal w/ Laetitia Sadier- Live in Portland

We’re so happy that somebody captured what is quite possibly the highlight of our musical lives so far. It came as quite a shock when we learned a day beforehand that we’ld be performing this song with Laetita. That night in Portland we shared a stage with three of our musical heroes: Laetitia Sadier, Trish Keenan (of Broadcast during the song Walkabout), and Bradford. What a dream!

SPEND NEW YEAR’S EVE WITH US! …and Atlas Sound!! …and Supercluster!!!

This year we celebrate at the 40 Watt in Athens.

We’ll begin as The Selmanaires, followed by SUPERCLUSTER, a band that features Vanessa Hay from Pylon (!!!!) and Hannah Jones from one of our favorite Athens bands and buddies The New Sound Of Numbers. Closing the night (and opening the year) we’ll morph into the Atlas Sound with Bradford Cox.

Buy Advanced Tickets HERE!

Check out Supercluster HERE!

TunnelVision

This is a peculiar 7″ from 1976. I don’t know a thing about it, and an internet search yielded no information. Side A is a parody newscast that is frighteningly accurate, considering the time it was made (Exxon oil spills, a pregnant man). Side B is the TunnelVision theme. If you know anything about this please get in touch. If not, enjoy “the best TV on TV!” (but hey, enough with the Polish jokes already!)

CLICK HERE FOR TUNNELVISION!

Selmanaires’ Aphorisms

• Hidden ash is a larger and much better film.
• Hidden borders admit the deadliest dancers.
• Friendly deaths ease back tensions.
• You cook just to eat the grill.
• Heaven is only a boiled election.
• Unhappiness is the author of fantastic airplanes.
• Pebbles turn into waterfalls.
• The public hemline moves so casually that a guide to the golden game is useless.

TT Two

Two aspects working together in a song:

TEMPO, rhythm, repetition: The elevation of the mundane by the use of markers in time. By taking possession of time it stands still and becomes bulbous. resonant. radiant.

TEMPORAL, transient, narrative: without the temporal events that occur on top, below, inside, and throughout the rhythm/tempo, it would sooner or later become mundane itself. A bird sings, a car passes, a plate breaks. Trances fluctuate and everybody loves a good story.

The tempo without the temporal becomes an exercise in will.

The temporal without the tempo becomes an eye gazing only at itself.

All tempo is temporal, and when we look back we see that the temporal itself has a tempo.

Sonchai Mekhwichian

Today we bring you songs by the Thai singer SONCHAI MEKHWICHIAN from his album On Chan. Powerful, driving tunes mixed with pretty ballads. My favorites are ”Siang So Sang Sao” and “Sao Yu Ban Dai.” Sonchai has a very nice voice, in a higher register like that of a songbird. A very special thanks to Peter who writes the MONRAKPLENGTHAI blog for his generous assistance in transliteration of the name and titles of the cassette. Check out his attractive and informative blog. 

SONCHAI MEKHWICHIAN

 

We will try our best to post only old records that are out-of-print and widely unavailable. If there is an objection to any of the content please contact us and it will be promptly removed. Thank you.

TEMPO TEMPORAL

Our new album is finally ready!  Six songs, thirty minutes: Tempo Temporal. To celebrate we’re giving away a song for download. It’s called Resonance Alright and it’s one of our favorites. Click below:

RESONANCE ALRIGHT

You can hear the entire release on our Myspace page or get one from us in person if we’re coming through your town in the coming weeks.

A few people have really gone the extra mile to help us make this self-release possible with our limited means. Mike Wright engineered five of the six songs, threw in great ideas and let us eat all of his sunflower seeds. We recorded them at New Street Studio where our practice space shares a roof with his studio and the practice space of the Black Lips. We are working on a cosmic hotspot (made entirely of cables and cigarette butts). Graham Marsh mixed four of the songs and recorded one of them at his studio behind the Crue-famous Tattletales and the bleach soaked private rooms of Cheshire Bridge Road. Jaguzzi?! It was our first time working with him and it was a blast. Graham is the master of addition-by-subtraction and many of the little things he did greatly enhanced the songs. Deisha Oliver came by and threw on some outrageous noise for a few songs with her cello. Leticia Arioli duets on Dials and really knocked us out with her sweet voice. And we were lucky enough to be in the studio when Miss Adron returned to the A after her stint in NYC. All we had to do is hit record on Resonance Alright and she knew exactly what to do, in perfect pitch. We are very lucky to have such talented and helpful friends. Thanks ya’ll.

And a very special thanks to beautiful Julia Kubica for helping me focus & get all the files together & tie up all loose ends. Couldn’t do it without you.

Thrift Store Music

 

For you, on this rain soaked day, I present a mix of what I like to call Thrift Store Music. Hidden inside of mass-produced, disposable records are some strange, wonderful songs. Hope you enjoy! 

 

THRIFT STORE MUSIC

1. Hugo Montenegro- Space Safari 

2. Franck Pourcel- Thunderball

3. Ferrante & Teicher- Taboo

4. Robert Maxwell- Nature Boy

5. Abdul Alexi Freeman- Abdul the Cool

6. Angelo di Pippo- Dio Come Ti Amo

7. Les Baxter- Mozambique

8. Sergio Perez- Enamorada de un Amigo Mio

9. Uncredited- Beatles Move

10. Robert Maxwell- The Breeze & I

11. Abdul Alexi Freeman- Oglan, Oglan

12. Lenny Dee- Calcutta

13. Les Baxter- Saturday Night On Saturn

14. Sandy Nelson- Boss Beat

15. Martin Denny- My Funny Valentine

16. Mason Williams- Generatah-Oscillatah

Most of these songs have a nice lil layer of pops and whiz, the records are pretty abused!

We will try our best to post only old records that are out-of-print and widely unavailable. If there is an objection to any of the content please contact us and it will be promptly removed. Thank you.

Abdul the Cool 2:18 Abdul Alexi Freeman Thrift Store Music Space pop 9/25/09 6:27 PM

Beatles Move 3:08 Unknown Thrift Store Music Space pop 9/25/09 6:27 PM

Boss Beat 2:00 Sandy Nelson Thrift Store Music Space pop 9/25/09 6:27 PM

The Breeze and I 2:29 Robert Maxwell Thrift Store Music Space pop 9/25/09 6:27 PM

Calcutta 1:52 Lenny Dee Thrift Store Music Space pop 9/25/09 6:27 PM

Dio Come Ti Amo 3:26 Angelo di Pippo Thrift Store Music Space pop 9/25/09 6:27 PM

Enamorada de un Amigo Mio 2:46 Sergio Perez Thrift Store Music Space pop 9/25/09 6:27 PM

Generatah-Oscillatah 2:14 Mason Williams Thrift Store Music Space pop 9/25/09 6:27 PM

Mozambique 4:03 Les Baxter Thrift Store Music Space pop 9/25/09 6:27 PM

My Funny Valentine 3:23 Martin Denny Thrift Store Music Space pop 9/25/09 6:27 PM

Nature Boy 3:09 Robert Maxwell Thrift Store Music Space pop 9/25/09 6:27 PM

Oglan, Oglan 2:04 Abdul Alexi Freeman Thrift Store Music Space pop 9/25/09 6:27 PM

Saturday Night on Saturn 1:44 Les Baxter Thrift Store Music Space pop 9/25/09 6:27 PM

Space Sufari 2:11 Hugo Montenegro Thrift Store Music Space pop 9/25/09 6:27 PM

Taboo 3:02 Ferrante & Teicher Thrift Store Music Space pop 9/25/09 6:27 PM

Thunderball 2:42 Franck Pourcel Thrift Store Music Space pop 9/25/09 6:27 PM