Tastemaker: The Sounds of Disneyland
Tastemaker is a recurring feature in which Strange Currencies contributors share stories of the events, experiences, and cultural artifacts that helpRead More…
Category: Mid-Century Kitsch Month
An Introduction to Space Age Pop
It’s the mid-twentieth century, and America is locked in an existential Cold War with the Soviet Union. At the center of this conflict of superpoRead More…
Pinup Girls and Their Influence on Mid-Century Album Art
It would be a sorely missed opportunity to not wrap up June’s “Mid-Century Kitsch Month” without focusing on what is possibly the kitschiest paRead More…
Ichiko Aoba – 0
Ichiko Aoba 0 Speedstar Int’l – 2013 Rating: 9.1 Ichiko Aoba’s fourth album is a minimalistic beauty: a near-masterpiece that matchRead More…
Marty Robbins – Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
Marty Robbins Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs Columbia – 1959 Rating: 9.3 Marty Robbins personified – and perfected – the “singiRead More…
Animal Collective – Feels
Animal Collective Feels FatCat – 2005 Rating: 9.3 Animal Collective’s sixth record found the Baltimore-based group striking a perfeRead More…
Joe Meek – I Hear a New World
Joe Meek & The Blue Men I Hear a New World: An Outer Space Music Fantasy Triumph – 1960 / RPM – 1991 Rating: 8.6 Though it wasnRead More…
Martin Denny – Hypnotique
Martin Denny Hypnotique Liberty – 1958 Rating: 8.8 Martin Denny’s fifth LP synthesizes the novel stylistic elements of his 1957 lanRead More…
Julie London – Julie Is Her Name
Julie London Julie Is Her Name Liberty – 1955 Rating: 8.7 Julie London’s 1955 debut is a stark and intimate recording. Though fittiRead More…
Episode 12 – Defining “Kitsch”
In this episode of the Strange Currencies Podcast, Matt and Glenn discuss the concept of musical “kitsch.” Join them as they talk about exotica, Read More…