Camino Del Sol
Originally recorded as a collection of singles and an EP, Camino Del Sol is the work of French band Antena, who made a brief impact on the electronic music scene between 1981 and 1983.  Dubbed "electro-samba" by the Pet Shop Boys' Neil Tennant, the songs here (including a nearly unrecognizable reworking of Jobim's "The Girl from Ipanema") are a combination of Latin-flavored drum-machine beats and relaxed vocals over a wash of synthesized melody.  What's remarkable is how up-to-the-minute these 20-year-old recordings sound--Antena may have arrived too early to become successful, but their resonance can be heard in a slew of modern bands, from Beck's Brazilian excursions to the mellow electronica of Zero 7.--Ben Heege