Summer is the time for everything to slow down. While many of you are enjoying the warmth and summer festivals, cold beverages and roof parties, Saravah Soul will provide you with that kind of perfect Afro-meets-Brazilian vibe for the ultimate summer soundtrack. In their recently released album Cultura Impura (2010), Saravah Soul blends together West African melodies, 60’s funk and Brazilian rhythms. Their richly intense compositions are build around horn arrangements, vibrant bass, Pifano (bamboo flutes) and Berimbau, interweaving with hypnotic choruses.
Scotch & Sofa is comprised of a Miss Chloé Monin and Sir Romain Preuss. Chloe went to the jazz school of Montpellier; and then sought a bandmate. On the walls of the school, she passed an ad: “seeks guitar”. As a self-taught musician, Romain developed the “finger picking” technique while listening to Joe Tex, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding or Thelonious Monk. He saw Chloe’s post. Months and months later and we can now enjoy this video. (thx Christophe!)
So much music from the Netherlands and Sweden stays landlocked and never breaks past political borders. Luckily, a member of the Aurgasm community tipped us off to the incredible Caro Emerald, a singer, with a full jazz band, from Amsterdam. Her music has a nostalgic 40’s feel to it, but is infused with an energy that drives the melody, and your feet, to the beat. (thx zeno van der kist)
The cinematic aural experience that post-rock can create is really quite unique to the genre. Arms and Sleepers have previously toured with Aurgasm favorite, The American Dollar, but they were spotted back when I went to an event called Split/Signal. There, bands performed live, providing score to silent short films. Unquestionably, Arms and Sleepers’ performance was the most stunning. The songs below come from their older work; vocals fans may enjoy their newest release, Matador.
Belfast artist Duke Special, a.k.a. Peter Wilson, is a de-facto Vaudeville revivalist. Duke’s songwriting is highly theatrical and colourful, somewhat recalling the aching beauty of such artists as Rufus Wainwright and Antony Hegarty as well as the Dresden Dolls’ cabaret extravaganza. In “Our Love Goes Deeper Than This” Duke merges a variety of inspirations such as melodramatic Vaudeville, big band and Bebop with rich and bouncy piano, clarinet, trumpet, drums and quirky sound effects. “Wanda, darling of the Jockey Club”, taken from his latest release The Stage, The Book And The Silver Screen (2010), parades the jaunty and retro swinging side of Duke’s song crafting.
Aurgasm seeks to bring you an eclectic menagerie of aural pleasures. We scout out music you've never heard and deliver only the finest. Expect music curiously different, yet simply enjoyable...
Paul Irish is a music-loving, web geek in San Francisco.
You can download all the music on aurgasm – right-click the song names and select Save Target As. These files will be removed at some indefinite point.
All files on aurgasm are online with permission of the copyright holder.
This music is here for evaluation purposes ONLY.
That's what I want you to do: eval-u-ate: try on this music for size, see if it fits you. If you enjoy it, learn more. Explore the artist, delve into the genre.
Take an active approach in finding music you love. Only you can find what you love. Immerse yourself in it. Buy the CD. Go to the show and meet your favorite artist afterwards. Tell them their music changed you. Support the artists whose work you adore.
Be passionate about music.
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