I'm crazy for a killer compilation. I make them myself to listen to while driving and always look for the rare and the interesting. And when compilations like these come your way, bringing together the cream of the crop of some of the most avant-garde musicians of France's 70's music scene, you know you cannot go wrong. And when you know that the guys behind such compilations are Dirty Sound Systems (of Dirty Edits Series fame), you know you're in for a win-win situation.

Dirty French Psychedelics is the name of today's compilation but they could've named it Escargots & Bistrots that it wouldn't change its massive appeal laying within. From the obscure to the less obscure (you won't find anything mainstream here, that's for sure), this amazing compilation takes you on an aural ride like very few I've listened to recently. Maybe it's my unabashed love for french retro kicking in, maybe it's the fact that I find the sound so recognizable in no small amount thanks to years and years of listening to bands like Air and singers like Gainsbourg, I don't know. What I do know is that this compilation is fast becoming a precious item in my aural library.

But let's hear some music. Here's Nino Ferrer's Looking For You. Which I am.

I told you I was listening to all sorts of different music, didn't I? Well, here is another example of my recent Aural Adventures into the Sound Unknown!

Birds Do It - Music From German Sex Education Movies is the title of this great little compilation and I should think it is self-explanatory! No puns here, as you can see - or maybe one or two...! If you lived in Europe some 25 to 30 years ago and had the good fortune of owning a sattelite disk in your home (remember them?), maybe you too ventured into the wild and wonderful world of late-night TV watching, surfing those euro channels up and down in search of that elusive glimpse of a, how should I put it, model for your nude painting project... (wink, wink, nudge, nudge and all that) usually found in german TV stations.

If you are lucky enough to have those kind of memories, then this compilation is really a treat from bottom to end. If not, consider yourselves lucky too and start your education per se by clicking on the play button below! This track is called Sunny Honey and it's sung by one Uschi Moser. Enjoy it!

I told you I have been listening to many different kinds of music lately, didn't I? Well, consider today's offering a small taste of things to come and a harbinger of great stuff coming your way in the next few weeks.

This compilation I'm recommending to you today is the third volume put out by Marina Records label concentrating on 60's/70's funky pop from Germany. If you thought all they did best was house music and electronica kraut rock, think again. Here is proof that the pop scene was a big market over there back in the day and not only that, they managed to merge anglo-saxon popsmithery with their own german sensibilities. Does this make sense to you? I hope it does and I trust I turned you on to this. It's really fun, in a pre-Eurovision kind of way.

I leave you with one of its best tracks: The Beat Goes On by INGA. Oh, yeah.

I guess you can view this compilation by Numero Group label as a companion piece to another one I blogged about a few weeks back called Bearded Ladies. That one was about obscure british folk singers whilst this one is more of the same but with an american flavour to it.

It is not a coincidence that this compilation is called Wayfaring Strangers: Ladies from the Canyon. Both the first and the second parts of the title refer to two Joni Mitchell compositions, the big shadow behind all striving female folk singers in the 70s. Joni did mark her territory back then and there were very few artists that managed to share a spotlight with her. These days, the only contemporary female artist that Mitchell confesses to have been influenced by is Laura Nyro, another incredible performer and songwriter the likes of which we have seldom seen since her glory days. But back to the album.

It's most likely that you won't recognize any name on Ladies from the Canyon. But it's also most likely that you'll find yourself searching for more of them by the end of the album. In this sense, it's a complete success. And in my case, I think I definitely want to hear more of Collie Ryan. Like this track here: Starbright (Song of Silence).

Compilations are a tricky thing. Some complain that they're always hit and miss affairs, whilst others like me embrace them for the chance of getting to know artists you normally wouldn't come across by.

BEARDED LADIES is such a compilation: with highs and lows but always interesting to listen to. Put together by Jane Weaver (she also features on one track) at the behest of indie label Finders Keepers Records, it's a female-singers-only record that tries to find a kind of ethereal quality both in the styles and voices of these acoustically based songs. Perfect for rainy nights like this one I'm having over here. Let Susan Christie sing you about a Rainy Day.

Hello everybody and welcome to my new blog. Maybe 4 blogs the charm? We'll see.

Anyway, if you'd like to keep up with what I'm listening (just like it says in the Aural Greetings), just watch this space. And I hope you like my first recomendation: EARLY MORNING HUSH, an acid-folk compilation that came out in 2006 riding high on the new folk revival that's been happening for a few years to this date. I, myself am a devotee of this particular genre because it conjures all sorts of memories and feelings that belong to years spent watching british children's TV shows like Brendon Chase and the like. Remember those? The word you're after here is "bucolic".

Drawing inspiration from traditional folk music, the tracks on this compilation reveal artists that brought new musical lexicons to a genre once thought old and stale. Stand-out tracks are too many to enumerate here but Shirley Collins singing Poor Murdered Woman is always a show-stopper.