Living in Portugal

For a time, composer Joly Braga Santos occupied a space in Estado Novo Portugal similar to that of Joaquín Rodrigo in Spain, writing attractive tonal works in a style somewhat insulated from contemporary developments.

Paul Orta born in Port Arthur, Texas (hometown of Janice Joplin) was first influenced by Louis Armstrong at the age of 7. After 9 years of playing the coronet in the school band, Paul Orta quit because the band never played blues or Jazz. Within a half a year he picked up the Harmonica and in three months, he was in his first professional band (The Bayou Boogie Band) when he was 16. They played in Golden Triangle (southeast Texas) and Louisiana for three years.

Although they didn't fare nearly as well as fellow Teutonic thrashers like Kreator and Sodom in terms of career longevity or commercial success, Würzburg, Germany's Paradox certainly seemed, on the surface, to have a better shot at the big time with their more melodic and accessible style. Formed in February of 1986 by vocalist and rhythm guitarist Charly Steinhauer, lead guitarist Markus Spyth, bassist Roland Stahl, and drummer Axel Blaha, the group was heavily influenced by the biggest of all thrash bands – Metallica – and quickly parlayed a few impressive demos into a deal with Roadrunner Records and a very impressive debut album, Product of Imagination, the following year…

This album is a collection of singles. Ambient pop collective Cigarettes After Sex grew out of an experimental sound project by songwriter Greg Gonzalez. The band's hushed, dreamy music earned a devoted international fan base in the mid-2010s with a combination of elegantly crafted singles, EPs, and viral YouTube videos, which led up to their 2017 eponymous debut. A second album, Cry, appeared in 2019, building on their success. After a collaborative EP credited to Gonzalez and Daniele Luppi (Charm of Pleasure), Cigarettes After Sex re-emerged in 2022 with the single "Pistol," with two more cuts, "Bubblegum" and "Stop Waiting," arrived in 2023.