Carmen – “Isle of Love”
Carmen “Isle of Love” Inferno – 1959 By Don Ralke’s fortieth birthday he had become a force in the Los Angeles music world. Having rRead More…
Tag: Exotica
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…
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…
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…
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…
Russ Garcia – Sounds in the Night
Russ Garcia’s genre-defying 1957 release Sounds of the Night is an enveloping classic; one begging for rediscovery, but also content to stand aRead More…
An Introduction to Exotica
In terms of “kitsch-factor,” few – if any – genres in the history of popular music can compare to exotica. Arriving at the peak of post-war affluRead More…