Aka b

On the third album by AKA, the leading Indonesian rock band of the ’70s, there was a slight change concerning the overall direction. With three exceptions - the powerful funk-rock of the opening title-track, the dirty garage beat of the B-side opener “Skip Away,” and the energetic up-tempo soul-pop of “Raja Jalan” the band turns to soft rock and Indo-pop ballads on this LP. And guess what - these folks really knew how to pull it off, even with lush pop harmonies that often touch the borders of the tear-jerker field. Crazy Joe, originally released in 1972 and reissued here for the first time, is a rather courageous album, with those three rawer and more energetic tunes alongside the gentle plush of the pop tunes. All those who dare to listen between the notes will find a massive load of delicate arrangements and rather striking melodies…

AKA's 1970 debut album Do What You Like combines earthy, heavily buzzing, and fuzzed-out rock monuments in the vein of classic UK and US bands with a few tunes in the Continental European heavy rock style, with big chorus lines and a bit of a pop thrown in for good measure, plus great melodic ballads and pop tunes in their native Indonesian language. The Indonesian band carried their trademark sound through whole recording career, including Reflection, their second album, originally released in 1971 and reissued here for the first time. Different melodies and titles but the same wild crossover of styles, with a change between each and every song. Lush epic ballads, powerful heavy rock, a great beat tune with a flowery feel that drags you straight to the dancehall, and another epic and utterly heavy blues rock and psych freak-out…

Terence Trent D'Arby had a difficult 1990s, the nadir of which was probably the desperate mating call Supermodel Sandwich with Cheese from his 1995 album Vibrator. But he has started the new century with a clean slate, changing his name to Sananda Maitreya and launching his own label. The artful blend of soul, rock and funk is reassuringly familiar, though. D'Arby/ Maitreya still exercises a Prince-like control over songwriting, arrangement and production, rendering it a one-man show, but that's no bad thing with an artist of his ability. Drivin' Me Crazy packs enough lust into three funky minutes to satiate his most ardent fans (or "lightbeings", as he calls them), and the outstanding Suga Free pairs dark balladry with an operatic choir. Even the banjo-plinking O Divina comes good in the end, swelling into a Motownesque chorus. A snazzy comeback.

"The question of the quality of joy seems to me today to be increasingly vital — it is intrinsically linked to the way in which humour can find its full expression in a world that constantly limits access to lighter moods." Fabrizio Cassol

Universally hailed as the king of the blues, the legendary B.B. King was without a doubt the single most important electric guitarist of the last half of the 20th century. His bent notes and staccato picking style influenced legions of contemporary bluesmen, while his gritty and confident voice – capable of wringing every nuance from any lyric – provided a worthy match for his passionate playing.

L'Ekumen, vaste confédération à laquelle appartient la Terre, envoie Sutty, une femme d'origine indienne, enquêter sur le passé des cultures de la planète Aka où le pouvoir en place, autoritaire et progressiste, a entrepris d'éradiquer les traditions par des méthodes musclées. La deuxième histoire met en scène l'attaque de la planète forestière Athshe, pacifiste et matriarcale, par les Terriens.
Prix Locus - Roman (Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horreur, Jeunes Adultes) - 2001, Prix Hugo. …

"The question of the quality of joy seems to me today to be increasingly vital — it is intrinsically linked to the way in which humour can find its full expression in a world that constantly limits access to lighter moods." Fabrizio Cassol