Joe Cuba - 1972 - Bustin' Out

Of all the genres I think salsa and highlife are the most carefree and happy of them all. I don't know, might be just a personal preference but the moment I hear some salsa I always switch to a better mood. Joe Cuba and his sextet are one pretty intense and funky salsa band and they do not shy away from mixing genres and rhythms. There's even a pure, no frills soul ballad on here. But love songs aside most of this album is dirty loving, percussive fast salsa with a lot of 18+ rated oohs and aaahs. Pud-Da-Din is probably the most intense non-porn song I've ever heard (and, yes, I'm including all those kinky enka records from the 70s with boobies).

Do you feel it?

Carmen Maki ‎- 1969 - 真夜中詩集 ーろうそくの消えるまでー

Carmen Maki is a half American, half Japanese singer/songwriter that was mainly active during the 70s. Her first album (this one) is a common mixture of enka singing and folk-rock instrumentation. There's nothing really outstanding here aside from her voice which is heavenly as fuck. It reminds me of Meiko Kaji but a bit more softer and more nuanced. The album might be off putting due to a lot of "talking" parts where she probably delivers some kind of backstory or context for the songs (pretty sure she introduces her upbringing in the second song) but they're mostly short and not that jarring. The songs themselves go at a mainly relaxed pace with a lot of flutes, strings and harmonicas. Kinda western-ish sounding in a lot places. Nice and relaxing sunday tunes.

Get it.

How to Count Planets (album and EP)

How to Count Planets is a Japanese folk duo that started around 2010. I'll come at you straight by saying if you like Shione Yukawa you'll find plenty to like here as well. So much that you can go and download both of their releases without reading any of my dribble. The vocalist sounds so similar to her that I had to actually go and look if it's actually her or someone else. Aside from that comparison the band follows Shione's stylistic approach as well. The album and EP are both so relaxing and lowkey that they're able to calm even the wildest of days. Aside from the usual vocal-acoustic guitar combination the album features a good array of different instrumentation for various songs. Piano and vibes probably being the most effective as they only amplifies the already melancholic and autumny feeling this band conveys. If there's any difference between the EP and album I'd say it's in this: the EP is much more stripped down folk while the album tries much more to make the songs varied with added instruments. Both are equally good in what they're trying to achieve and honestly I generally play them back to back.

If you've been longing for some soft melancholic folk, look no further.

EP

Album

Martwa Aura - 2016 - Tenebrae Divine

By now everyone should be aware that Poland has some really sweet black metal bands. Over the years the scene there as a whole managed to carve its own unique feel and sound of black metal. But Poland is not just a couple of famous bands, there's quality in the lower levels of the hierarchy. Martwa Aura isn't a band that will naturally come to mind when someone mentions Poland and for good reason. They don't have that much of a buzz around them. Their album from 2015 is not really to my linking mainly because of the mix and production on the vocals. I just can't get into it; I did like everything else on it though. Lucky for me everything else but that vocal production is present on their EP which came out a year later in 2016. Their sound matured into a grisly, melodic romp filled with tempo changes and lovely old tremolo riffing. The vocals changed for the good, now being a bit more in the background. They sound subdued and raspy while the riffing blasts and rips away everything in front of them. Albeit short all three songs showcase a good intuition for melodies and all songs are packed with an array of riffs. There's some tinge of thrash metal in the breakdowns as well. It's a well packed little EP that makes me very hopeful for the eventual next album.

Get it.