Bonham Tracy City

Nine-track compilation of Indonesian music recorded between 1979 and 1991, compiled by Munir Septiandry of the influential Indonesian DJ collective Midnight Runners.

When Light In The Attic released Pacific Breeze: Japanese City Pop, AOR & Boogie 1976-1986 in 2019, it was the first collection of its kind to be released outside Japan. It proved to be just what music fans had been waiting for—a compilation of sought-after tracks that had been nearly impossible to obtain unless you were well-connected with dealers and collectors, or traveled regularly to the countless record stores in Japan. Pacific Breeze included Minako Yoshida, Taeko Ohnuki, Hiroshi Sato and Haruomi Hosono among other key players of ‘70s-’80s Japanese City Pop, the nebulous genre that encompassed an “amalgam of AOR, R&B, jazz fusion, funk, boogie and disco, all a touch dizzy with tropical euphoria,” as we described it the first time around.

The Binelli-Ferman Duo and oboist Leanne Nicholls join City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong conducted by Germán Augusto Gutiérrez in this exhilarating compilation of tango arrangements by Daniel Binelli. Each work on this album holds a chapter in the evolution of the tango, from its waterfront roots in the night-time taverns of the Río de la Plata (Buenos Aires and Montevideo) to the concert halls of today.

Sergey Rachmaninov's All-Night Vigil, also known as the Vespers, is among his most admired works, and it was one of the composer's own favorites, along with The Bells. This 2015 Chandos release by Charles Bruffy and the combined voices of the Phoenix Chorale and the Kansas City Chorale presents the music in the super audio format, so the richness of the divisi choral parts and the depth of the basso profundo come across fully in the multichannel reproduction. Bruffy is the musical director of both groups, so his special rapport with them creates an even ensemble blend that balances the largely homophonic textures, and brings a consistency of approach to the three styles of chant Rachmaninov imitated, Kievan, Greek, and Znamenny. The beauty of the a cappella voices and the surprisingly lush harmonies make this setting immediately appealing and ultimately moving, and listeners who enjoy sacred choral music for inspiration or meditation will find the All-Night Vigil's smooth flow and expressive warmth well-suited to those purposes.

Bay City Rollers were a pop phenomenon in the mid-'70s, taking their money-in-the-bank mix of good looks, pop hooks, and just a dash of rock & roll danger from their native Scotland to the rest of Great Britain and then North America. The Rollers' biggest hits ("Bye, Bye, Baby," "Give a Little Love," "Saturday Night") were pure bubblegum in the tradition of the Partridge Family and Ohio Express…

With her marriage on the rocks and looking for a fresh start, Carole King moved to Los Angeles in 1967. More specifically, Laurel Canyon, where she fell in with the nascent singer/songwriter crowd. She and bassist/boyfriend Charles Larkey (formerly of the Myddle Class, a band she and then-husband Gerry Goffin had signed to their record label) soon formed a band, adding old friend from NYC, guitarist Danny Kortchmar. The trio spent time at King's house working on a batch of songs she had written with Goffin (some previously released by other acts, some not), plus some co-written by another member of Myddle Class, Don Palmer, and fellow Brill Building refugee Toni Stern. Thanks to their industry connections it wasn't long before they had a record deal.