a gift from me to you.

one of my favorites of the year.

The great age of democracy (a christmas carol)

I've been searching for this album for ages, and only today I finally decided to buy it -- it took quite a while for me to have a international credit card. And, boy, did I feel like a happy college student.

While mostly (totally) associated with that 90's thing called trip-hop, Bristol had its share of indie bands with the likes of You & the Atom Bomb*. And until today it's difficult to find a band that produced such quirky and adorable sounds, paced with unexpected time signatures, while maintaining its high share of glucose.

I have no idea of the whereabouts of the band, which is a shame. I figure if they first appeared a couple of years ago, when Bandcamp and other alternative mediums of distributing music were finally reliable, they would be all over the place (you can still buy their EPs trough Sink and Stove records).

pw: spooked

*BONUS: an assortment of Christmas songs composed and played by Bristol bands, compiled by these guys. Happy holidays for those who care.

Also sprach JT Meireles

What up honorable dudes? I'm in a double embarrassment here. First, I wish I could provide you with a better quality rip, as I own the vinyl (ripping equipment is way too expensive here); second, I don't know why the hell I didn't post this sooner.

The mid-60's in Brazil, pretty much like USA, were deeply into funk. Sergio Mendes and Jorge Ben were the most proeminent acts to find the perfect balance between funk and samba, while bands like Brazilian Octopus were taking it to another level. For me and many others, I figure, it was the Golden Age of Brazilian instrumental music as a whole. Besides the aforementioned bands, we had fantastic trios, like Zimbo, Tamba, Sambalanço, Milton Banana, etc.

JT Meireles' most famous work was probably the arrangement for Jorge Ben's "Mas que nada" (which is a big deal), but he has an extensive and solid discography, on which even I couldn't get a decent overview. This record, one of the last of this era, however, should motivate you to pursue it as well.

pw: spooked