Thursday, April 04, 2013

"Lullabies From Outer​-​Space": The Casiotone Orchestra of Carton Sonore

An entire 20-track album performed on nothing but the much-maligned keyboards made by Casio (a company that previously had been more famous for manufacturing things like watches) might not sound too promising, but in the hands of France's master of toy- and naive-pop, Carton Sonore, the Casio is not used as a joke, or for '80s nostalgia, but is overdubbed into an orchestra of widely varying moods and textures. The Casio, of course, has a "little" sound, so Carton Sonore wisely works within its parameters to create lovely instrumental miniatures that do indeed suggest the album's name. Listen/purchase:

Carton Sonore: "Lullabies From Outer​-​Space"

This gorgeous tune, filled with all kinds of Space-Age magic, is a free download:

Carton Sonore: "Berceuse 07"

The beautiful "Berceuse 13" is another fave, as is the round-like "Berceuse 6." None of which are funny or gimmicky (not that there's anything wrong with that!) See, Cage was right - anything can be music. Nighty-night...

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