the ann steel album

• LP+CD
• insert with lyrics

So who are Roberto Cacciapaglia and Ann Steel? The former is an Italian musician who specialized in electronic composition after starting his career in the early 1970s on the edges of the krautrock scene. The latter is a Michigan bred singer who spun into Cacciapaglia’s orbit during a trip to Italy in the 1970s to do some modeling. The Ann Steel Album is the one-off result of that happy accident, a record so full of joy that it’s a surprise they weren’t tempted to go back for another bite once it was in the can. But it’s a credit to both of them that they knew when to stop, perhaps feeling that the sugary pop perfection of these recordings could never be replicated. There’s a clunky charm to many of the synth sounds, most of which influenced bands like Stereolab and the perennially underrated Pram in future years; Steel even has a strain to her voice that’s reminiscent of Pram singer Rosie Cuckston (...)

Track Listing:

Side A:

• My Time
• Find Your Way
• Quite Still
• Sport Et Divertissement
• Southafternoon

Side B:

• Sparkling World
• Portrait
• Measurable Joys
• Media *
• Sweet Life *
* = bonus track