#Aftab Records

[donospl]

Europe Jazz Media Chart - Wrzesień 2023

Wybór nowości muzycznych, które pojawiły się w bieżącym miesiącu, dokonany przez grupę czołowych europejskich magazynów i witryn jazzowych. A selection of the hot new music surfacing across the continent this month by the top European jazz magazines and websites. Kris Davis Diatom Ribbons “Live at the Village Vanguard“ (Pyroclastic Records) Jan Granlie, salt-peanuts.eu, Norwegia High Pulp…

[mywifeleftme]

39: Arooj Aftab // Vulture Prince

Vulture Prince Arooj Aftab 2021, New Amsterdam (Bandcamp)

In 2021 Arooj Aftab’s third LP Vulture Prince unexpectedly blew up, at least in the way that sedate music for adults can be said to blow up—rapturous reviews, a quarter of a million listeners on Spotify, and a spot on Barack Obama’s annual focus-tested-to-hell year-end playlist. (Did you know he was listening to tUnE-yArDs when they finally compromised Osama Bin Laden to a permanent end?) An unusual outcome for a predominantly Urdu-language release with an average track length of 6:30, to be sure, but Vulture Prince was the right album at the right time.

Vulture Prince’s languid, melancholy, exquisitely arranged sound will be legible to a broad coalition of listeners, from fans of jazz, to post-rock, to New Age, to indie folk. Despite receiving a Grammy nod for Best New Artist, Aftab is a seasoned composer in her mid-30s, working here with sensitive musicians in various small combos (mostly harp, double bass, and violin, occasionally augmented by guitar, percussion, flugelhorn, and additional strings). She trusts the players to bring their own sensibilities to her songs, resulting in performances that are rich with subtle instrumental flourishes and embellishments.

This is neither precisely an ‘eastern’ nor ‘western’ album. Though Aftab’s voice evokes the passionate, melismatic runs of great ghazal singers like Abida Parveen or Nashenas, she sings these traditional poems with the intimate, smoky hush of a Leslie Feist or even a Norah Jones. Though her slow-developing melodies often have the flavour and cadence of Sufi music, she composes for western chamber instruments. This makes sense: Aftab grew up in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, but received her musical education in Boston and seasoning in New York’s jazz scene. This is precisely what makes Vulture Prince such a prime candidate for crossover success: its language and mood mark it as ostensibly ‘foreign,’ but not in such a way that it challenges western audiences’ notions of what is pleasant or beautiful.

Mounting that sort of challenge isn’t the ‘job’ of an artist—their job is to make something distinctive out of the materials experience has provided them. Vulture Prince is a beguiling product of Aftab’s diverse influences and marks the emergence of a songwriter of great promise. If it also serves as an enticement for listeners to stray further still from their cultural comfort zone, that’s a healthy bonus.

39/365

[tomorrowhittoday]

Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Shahzad Ismaily, ascolta "To Remain/To Return"

24 Marzo Verve Records pubblicherà “Love In Exile” disco frutto della collaborazione fra Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer e Shahzad Ismaily. In anteprima potete ascoltare “To Remain / To Return”:

[defjux]

Here's 100 of the albums from 2024 that i''ve enjoyed the most: 50 hip hop records, and 50 albums in other genres. There's still a ton of stuff I haven't gotten to yet or need to revisit, but i'm feeling pretty good about this and don't think too much would change aside from the order. Insane year for music overall, and surely there will still be some big releases in the next two months. Biggest surprise for me was definitely The Cure making a comeback after almost two decades and putting out their best album since Wish. I'm also convinced that Robert Smith is an actual vampire. he still sounds great after all this time. Charts with album titles included Again, i'm sure there's plenty of stuff that has gone under the radar for me so as always i'm open to recommendations. Let me know what your favorite records are, i'd genuinely like to know. I'll post the list of albums below, and maybe at the end of the year will do some kind of spotify playlist with one or two songs from each. Peace.

Hip hop:

ELUCID - REVELATOR

Ka - The Thief Next To Jesus

AKAI SOLO - DREAMDROPDRAGON

Mach-Hommy- #RICHAXXHAITIAN

Cavalier - Different Type Time

The Fortunate Ones - RESIN

Armand Hammer - BLK LBL

Dead Players - Faster Than the Speed of Death

ShrapKnel - Nobody Planning To Leave

Sunmundi & klwn cat - Lived and Born

Desert Camo - Desert Camo

Nakama - EMBERGO_

Lee Scott - To Tame A Dead Horse

Joshua Virtue - Black Box: JOSHUA IS DEAD

Freddie Gibbs - You Only Die ince

Navy Blue - Memoirs in Armour

Phiik & Lungs - Carrot Season

Nickelus F - MMCHT

Nuse Tyrant - Juxtaposed Echoes

Mary Sue - Voice Memos From A Winter In China

DJ Muggs & Raz Fresco - The Eternal Now

Revival Season - Golden Age of Self Snitching

Midnight Sons - Money Has No Owners

Tyler, the Creator - Chromakopia

Sasco - The Hottest Year on Record

Boldy James & Conductor Williams - Across The Tracks

Hester Valentine - Valenta

Mavi - Shadowbox

Serengeti - KDIV

JPEGMAFIA - I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU

Rap Man Gavin & postureless - Memories, Dreams, Reflections

yungmorpheus - WAKING UP AND CHOOSING VIOLENCE

Sadistik & Maulskull - Oblivion Theater

Roc Marciano - MARCIOLOGY

R.A.P. Ferreira - the First Fist to Make Contact When We Dap

Deca & Dealz - Bough

Nxworries - WHY LAWD?

Oddisee - And Yet Still

Rich Jones & SINAI. - Sour Dub

Lupe Fiasco - Samurai

Noveliss & Hir-O - Cyberpunk Rhapsody

Cavalier & Quelle Chris - Death Tape 2: We Gon' Need Each Other

Killah Priest - Abraxas Rebis Simha Pleroma

Vince Staples - Dark Times

Kooley High & Tuamie - All Infinite

MIKE & Tony Seltzer - Pinball

Daniel Son & Futurewave - BUSHMAN BODEGA

Vic Spencer & August Fanon - Psychological Cheat Sheet 5

Jack Jetson & Illinformed - Winter Forever

bromethugzine - THUG ZINE issue 002: WORLD-SPIRIT

Everything else:

Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She

Iglooghost - Tidal Memory Exo

chat pile - Cool World

Frail Body - Artificial Bouquet

The Cure - Songs Of A Lost World

Trauma Ray - Chameleon

Terry Green - PROVISIONAL LIVING

Gouge Away - Deep Sage

Thou - Umbilical

ØKSE - ØKSE

Tenue - Arcos, bóvedas, pórticos

Krallice - Inorganic Rites

Nala Sinephro - Endlessness

Punchlove - Channels

Milton Nascimento & Esperanza Spalding - Milton + esperanza

Arooj Aftab - Night Reign

Hammok - Look How Long Lasting Everything Is Moving Forward For Once

Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere

Crumb - AMAMA

Kamasi Washington - Fearless Novement

Fievel Is Glauque - Rong Weicknes

Camila Bañados - Viento 1.

julie - my anti-aircraft friend

Oranssi Pazuzu - Muuntautuja

Skee Mask - Resort

Mary Halvorson - Cloudward

Infant Island - Obsidian wreath

Blushing - Sugarcoat

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD

MAGDALENA BAY - Imaginal Disk

Leaving Time - Angel in the Sand

Joel Ross - nublues

Both Gibbons - Lives Outgrown

geordie greep - The New Sound

Nilüfer Yanya - My Method Actor

Nails - Every Bridge Burning

Hiatus Kaiyote Love Heart Cheat Code

Liana Flores Flower of the soul

Babii - Daredeviil2000

Blind Girls - An Exit Exists

HERIOT - Devoured by the Mouth of Hell

Julia Holter - Something in the Room She Moves

Cindy Lee - Diamond Jubilee

Melt-Banana - 3+5

Ulcerate - Cutting The Throat Of God

Spirit of the Beehive - YOU'LL HAVE TO LOSE SOMETHING

Hannah Frances - Keeper of the Shepherd

Ginger Root -Shinbanguni

Martha Skye Murphy - Um

Pluma - Não Leve a Mal

[astrangetorpedo]

boygenius: “This is the time we finally get to be around each other – we’re gonna enjoy it”

As they release The Record, one of the year's most anticipated and acclaimed debut albums, we meet Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker in New York City to discuss their unique creative bond

by Gemma Samways

Tonight, the room is playing host to the 36th annual Tibet House US Benefit. Curated by Philip Glass – and featuring Laurie Anderson, Arooj Aftab and Bernard Sumner and Tom Chapman of New Order – the line-up reads like a particularly A-list episode of Later with… Jools Holland. It soon transpires its staging is similarly chaotic, with the event running approximately an hour behind schedule and artists often walking onstage unannounced.

boygenius are one of the few acts to enjoy a proper introduction. Added to the bill just 24 hours ago, their first public appearance in almost half a decade has prompted a frenzied, last minute scramble for seats, with $35 tickets exchanging hands for ten times that amount. A day later, in a photo studio in the East Village following our shoot at Jane’s Carousel in Brooklyn, the trio admit to having felt a little freaked out in the build-up.

“I was really emotional because I’ve been obsessed with Nina Simone’s Carnegie Hall album of late,” Lucy Dacus confides, sat on the sofa, sandwiched between her bandmates. Julien Baker nods, confessing to having been “so stressed about doing my job that I couldn’t fully absorb that I was playing alongside living legends.” Meanwhile, Phoebe Bridgers was still semi-delirious with jetlag, having recently landed back in the US from Japan.

“Look at this photo,” she laughs, extending her phone to me. Taken pre-gig, it shows her passed out on the dressing room floor while Lucy smirks in the foreground. “With full make-up, I look like I’m in an open casket. And because Julien was playing piano, I was having Julien-fuelled dreams.”

Certainly there were no visible signs of unease as they stepped out onstage to play stripped-back versions of ‘Not Strong Enough’ and ‘Cool About It’ – taken from their long-awaited debut album The Record – for the first time. And despite the all-star bill, the supergroup proved one of the night’s biggest draws, eliciting excited whoops from an audience who had greeted every other performer with respectfully restrained applause. Ultimately, once they started playing, they enjoyed the experience.

Less gratifying was the discovery that a group of particularly intrusive fans had tracked down their hotel after the show. “They were like, ‘Don’t worry, you’re safe’,” Lucy shudders. “And it’s like, ‘No, we aren’t: how’d you find out where we are? That’s stalking. Don’t do this.

Phoebe continues: “I mean, interactions with fans can be really sweet, especially when it’s a show like Carnegie Hall which might’ve been hard to get tickets to. But often there’s this weird thing where the rudest people bubble to the top, and the poor kid who just wants their record signed is too nice to ask. And so, while I’m trying to escape the fucking full-grown man who just grabbed me, I’m ignoring the sweet kid.

It’s fair to say a certain level of hysteria has surrounded boygenius ever since their formation. Five years ago they were all ascendant stars of the alternative scene, with the Tennessee-born Baker and Richmond, Virginia-raised Dacus being the most established, with two acclaimed albums each. By the end of 2018, the trio were being breathlessly billed by Vogue as “the Infinity War of female-led indie-rock outfits,” while their self-titled EP received widespread praise.

Objectively, it’s a collaboration that made – and still makes – total sense. Despite outgrowing their respective DIY scenes, they had each retained a fiercely independent outlook and an emotional authenticity, and that struck a chord with similarly principled, serotonin-starved audiences. Just as tantalisingly, interviews and social media interactions revealed that they didn’t take themselves especially seriously and seemed keen to distance themselves from the pedestal that fans were so intent on putting them on.

“It’s probably refreshing that we’re not character artists,” Lucy says when asked to summarise the appeal of boygenius. “Because ultimately we’re talking to you now how we usually talk to each other. Even when I’m doing my own [solo] stuff, I present a curated version of myself – like, I pick one aspect of my character per album to share. But with this band it’s totally artless.”

It’s not hyperbolic to suggest that The Record is one of the most anticipated albums of the year. To some degree that demand can be explained by Baker and Dacus expanding their fanbases further off the back of their 2021 solo records Little Oblivions and Home Video. But the real responsibility for the band’s reach surely lies at the feet of Bridgers, whose second album was nothing short of a cultural phenomenon.

Unanimously agreed to be one of 2020’s standout records, Punisher propelled the Pasadena-raised artist into music’s A-list, resulting in four Grammy nominations, an offer to found her own label (Saddest Factory, home to MUNA) and invites to collaborate with household names like Paul McCartney, SZA, Lorde and The 1975. Just days after our interview Phoebe is named one of Time’s 2023 Women of the Year, alongside Cate Blanchett and Megan Rapinoe. This coming May she will open for Taylor Swift in Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and New Jersey.

Despite the difference in their public profiles, the power dynamic in boygenius appears impressively balanced. A friendship first and foremost, they’ve signed the contract by acquiring matching tattoos of a tooth and of a cluster of goblets, the latter inspired by the tarot card the three of cups.

“That’s based on the first tarot reading Julien ever got,” Lucy – the band’s resident tarot expert – recalls fondly. “We were all together and that’s the first card she pulled. Plus it’s three women partying. Friendship is the highest form of love and that felt like a sweet entry into that world.”

Having been raised in the world of evangelical Christianity, Julien was initially resistant to the idea of tarot. “When you started doing a reading, I got up and sat in the tour van by myself because I thought God was gonna steal my soul,” she explains, totally serious.

“Does God do that?!” Phoebe laughs, incredulous.

“Yes! In [the book of] Samuel! But then I was like, ‘Alright, I trust you guys. I guess you can guide me through this.’ That was a fear that you guys helped me dismantle. Because by watching you engage with it, I realised that this was a tool for self-interrogation, not for summoning the devil.”

Within the band, all decisions are made democratically and affectionate ribbings are a big part of their social currency. “Roasting each other is an act of love,” Julien reasons, to the others’ approval. “If your friends aren’t talking shit about you, I don’t think they care about you.”

With Phoebe based in Los Angeles, Lucy in Philadelphia and Julien in Memphis, they largely stay in touch via group chat and FaceTime – a support network they all clearly cherish. “I can text cold something horrible that happened to me and not feel the pressure to look at my phone for hours,” says Phoebe. “But when I do I’ll see a bunch of validation.”

Julien concurs: “It’s neat that we can confide in each other. Because sometimes my sense of imposter syndrome makes me not want to talk about how excited I am about this with friends who don’t work in music. I’m talking to them like, ‘You gotta get on a plane super early and carry all this heavy equipment, so it’s not all fun.’ And having people understand it’s a job and that I’m dedicated to it is very important. But equally, with y’all I get to be like, ‘Shit’s so fucking sick!’ Like, in this band I get to be the type of excited and thankful that lacks decorum, especially when there are so many talented people in my life where our roles could have been switched in an alternate timeline.”

The roots of boygenius were laid in 2016, when Julien and Lucy performed on the same bill in Washington, D.C., followed by Julien meeting Phoebe a month later. When a canny promoter booked all three to tour together in 2018, they decided to record a collaborative seven-inch, a creative experiment that proved so fruitful they emerged with their eponymous EP.

By all accounts, the story behind The Record is similarly stress-free. Phoebe kickstarted the creative process just a week after releasing Punisher, sending a demo of ‘Emily, I’m Sorry’ to Lucy and Julien with the words, “Can we be a band again?” From there, the floodgates opened, with all three uploading demos to a shared drive, followed by two in-person writing trips – one in Healdsburg, California in April 2021 and another in Malibu in August of the same year.

Though carefully scheduled due to their individual work commitments, Lucy describes these retreats as anything but regimented. “We didn’t intend to work that hard,” she insists. “If anything, the regimen would have included breaks and we didn’t allow ourselves those.” Julien expands, “We’d be like, ‘Okay, today is a chill day,” but then we could not stop thinking about the record. And it’s just nice to be around a bunch of people who are passionate about the exact same thing.”

After whittling down the demos from a pool of 25, the final 12 were recorded at Rick Rubin’s Shangri-La studio in January 2022, with the help of co-producer Catherine Marks (Wolf Alice, Foals, PJ Harvey). Lucy specifically cites Marks’ work with Manchester Orchestra as a motivating factor for them initially reaching out, and Phoebe enthuses about her hands-on approach. “She’s the kind of producer that immediately kicks off their shoes. Wait, I’m gonna text her and tell her we’re talking about her.” She takes a group selfie of them all grinning, flicking Vs, and hits send.

Other key contributors included engineer and producer Sarah Tudzin (Slowdive, Weyes Blood), plus Jay Som’s Melina Duterte on bass. Melina will also appear as part of Boygenius’ seven-strong touring line-up, set to be unveiled at Coachella in April. Given that their band name specifically mocks society’s tendency to unfairly exalt male creatives, the idea of boygenius assembling a largely female team for this album feels satisfyingly utopian. Today, they insist it was purely circumstantial.

“They are the best people we could think of,” says Lucy. “Some days I’m like, ten-year-old me would feel that this is very important. But also there are days where I’m like, we’re doing press right now and it’s completely uninteresting that we’re women. Why are we talking about this?”

“Plus, it’s not a given that if you work with women you’re not also working with a bunch of assholes,” Phoebe grins. “Fortunately, we picked a bunch of people who aren’t assholes.” Lucy laughs. “Women can be assholes: there’s your pull quote.”

Sonically, The Record is a much richer, more ambitious collection than anything boygenius have produced previously, taking in widescreen folk-rock (‘Not Strong Enough’) and low-slung punk (‘Satanist’, ‘$20’), campfire folk (‘Cool About It’, ‘Leonard Cohen’) and string-flecked dream-pop (‘Revolution 0’), plus a swooning a cappella piece shaped around a lush three-part harmony (‘Without You Without Them’).

Though written by Lucy, Phoebe can take full credit for unearthing the latter. “I was like, ‘I want a song that’s like ‘Blue Velvet’.’ And Lucy’s like, ‘Oh… Actually I might have a song…’ And I’m like, ‘What the fuck are you talking about?!’”

“It was a washing the dishes song.” Lucy protests, smiling. “There’s, like, this whole category of songs that I don’t show people. And I didn’t think of that as a ‘me’ song because it doesn’t sound like what I do, you know? But Phoebe was like, ‘We have to do it.’ Plus, I like that it kind of picks up where we left off with ‘Ketchum, ID’ [from their 2018 EP]. So I’m glad you made us do that.”

This process of mutual encouragement is integral to the band. They’re the first to admit they’re one another’s fiercest supporters, to the extent they accidentally plagiarise each other on a regular basis. “I totally wrote ‘Garden Song’ the other day,” Julien tells Phoebe, who cheerfully bats back. “‘Revolution 0’ is basically me ripping off ‘Good News.’”

Jokes aside, all three songwriters boast instantly recognisable styles, as demonstrated by the triumvirate of singles with which they announced The Record. ‘Emily, I’m Sorry’ is quintessential Phoebe Bridgers, a slice of folky introspection that wouldn’t sound out of place on Punisher, while ‘True Blue’ showcases the quietly anthemic indie-rock that Lucy has made her calling card. Meanwhile, the buoyant ‘$20’ sees former hardcore kid Julien leaning into her love of riffing.

With most structures initially emanating from one particular songwriter, it does beg the question, what makes a track right for the band rather than remaining a solo endeavour? According to Phoebe, she relies on a type of benign Spidey-Sense. “I always know when I’m writing a boygenius song. Even with ‘Me And My Dog’ I was like, ‘I don’t think this is a solo record song.’”

Lucy is more specific. “A lot of times I’ll write a song for us in a different frame of mind, so you can be harmonising with me and saying something that’s still true for you. I don’t want to make either of you sing lyrics that don’t resonate with you.”

“I really struggle with that,” Phoebe says. “So much of my music is directly my point of view and so specific.”

“Totally,” Lucy nods, “I feel like on a lot of your songs we’re supporting…”

“…like a chorus in a Greek play,” replies Julien, finishing Lucy’s thought. “We’re not a part of the action: we’re standing behind, commenting on or observing it. But these songs only exist because we made The Record. They’re an article of the endeavour rather than a pre-planned thing.”

Lucy takes the final word on the subject. “These aren’t solo songs that we donated to each other: we had to be together to make it.”

Lyrically, The Record treads a tightrope between deadpan humour and quiet devastation. The opening line of ‘We’re In Love’ sees Lucy resolutely opting for the latter, singing, “You could absolutely break my heart / That’s how I know that we’re in love.” ‘Leonard Cohen’ falls firmly into the former camp, delivering a frontrunner for lyric of the year in: “Leonard Cohen once said there’s a crack in everything / That’s how the light gets in / And I am not an old man having an existential crisis / In a Buddhist monastery / Writing horny poetry / But I agree.”

“I think my songs have a theme of being known and feeling present,” Lucy reflects. “Because I don’t feel that at all points in my life, I’m expressing my gratitude for that.” Phoebe sees her contributions as aspirational; evidence of the very process of self-improvement. “Each of the songs I contributed have a vibe of me trying my absolute hardest to not float ten inches above my body at all times. And you guys have helped me with that, so it makes sense that it would make the album.”

‘Not Strong Enough’ is perhaps their most collaborative song: a patchwork of ideas in which each band member takes a verse, as Julien jokes, “boyband-style”. Musically, it’s also the album’s most uplifting moment, its bright melody providing a smokescreen for lyrics exploring panic attacks and low self-esteem. When I point out the deception, Phoebe laughs. “You know the meme of the pink house and the black house next to each other, where it’s like one is the music and the other is the lyrics? That’s literally a couple miles from where we recorded our album. We’ve been talking about taking a photo in front of it for years.”

After an hour in their company, it’s not difficult to see why boygenius are inspiring such levels of adoration. A tight-knit gang of smart, talented, young songwriters, they’re the sort of band I wish had existed when I was growing up, even if I am battling to resist the urge to cast them as role models. After all, why should the men of rock be lauded for chaos while women have to be figures of unimpeachable virtue? When I mention the double standard, Lucy rolls her eyes.

“I remember when Phoebe did that Playboy article [in 2020]. People were texting me like, ‘I thought she was a role model for young girls?’ And I was like, 1. You can pose in Playboy and be a role model, and 2. When exactly did she sign up for that?”

“It is tight to me that you got texts and I did not,” Phoebe smiles. “I want to be scary. Like, as women or as queer people, we’re taught that anger is not useful and that forgiveness is the highest form of enlightenment. But I don’t think so. I think that I’ve spent a lot of my life trying to make everybody in a room feel ok when I don’t feel ok. It’s great to have boundaries. And as a band we’re all really good at protecting each other.”

Staying loyal to their DIY roots, boygenius are ultimately motivated by creating a community and enjoying the process of a shared endeavour. “Writing songs for this band is the opposite of saving your darlings for yourself,” Julien explains. “I want to bring the best possible offering to the band because it’s my favourite thing. It feels good to give the songs away.”

“Seriously, we have been looking forward to this time together for years,” says Phoebe. “This is the time we finally get to be around each other so we’re gonna enjoy it.”

(x) 4/5/23

[endicottorangegrove]

🍊The Orange Grove Pilot - 09/17/24

Recorded a test show today during my time slot! The file is too large to embed here, but you can listen to it with this google drive link!

Here's the track list:

Alvvays - Dreams Tonite Japanese Breakfast - The Woman That Loves You Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru - Mother's Love As the Sparrow - Dark Moon Bluhm - Honey I'm Afraid Honey. - Somebody To Melody's Echo Chamber - Where the Water Clears the Illusion Bears - Please Don't Gabby's World - A Hug Too Long Otto Benson - Mr. Sunday Night Magdalena Bay - Dawning of the Season Draumr - In a Daze Raveena - Still Dreaming Japanese Breakfast - Be Sweet - Korean Version The Marías - Over the Moon Havet - Joaquin Phoenix vill ta sitt liv Japanese Breakfast - Here Come the Tubular Bells Arooj Aftab, Shahzad Ismaily, and Vijay Iyer - Sajni

Thanks for listening!

[mixamorphosis]

Blog post and linked up tracklist [HERE]

Tracklist

01. Luftrum - Dawn Chorus (Self Released) 02. Andrew Wasylyk - Blossomness #2 (Clay Pipe Music) 03. D. Rothon - The Ghost We Bring (Clay Pipe Music) 04. Trigg & Gusset - Blue Shades (Preserved Sound) 05. Amanda Whiting - After Dark (Jazzman) 06. Nat Birchall - Mirror Mind (Ancient Archive Of Sound) 07. Ishmael Ensemble - The River (Reprise) (Severn Songs) 08. Dwight Trible ft. Matthew Halsall - Deep River (Gondwana) 09. Yusef Lateef - Like It Is (Music On Vinyl) 10. Chip Wickham - Pushed Too Far (Lovemonk) 11. Katya Yonder - Mood (Meteron) 12. Arooj Aftab - Last Night (New Amsterdam Records) 13. Warren Hampshire - Eye Of The Deluge (Athens Of The North) 14. Luke Howard Trio - Phases (Hobbledehoy)

Download available via [Hearthis]

[sinceileftyoublog]

SILY's Top Albums of 2023

BY JORDAN MAINZER

Another year of settling into "the new normal" in the music world, for better or for worse, still brought us great records. The underground NYC hip hop scene burst with creativity. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers reinvented old songs. Stalwarts of experimental music, contemporary jazz, and modern-day blues released their career bests. Even archivists had their day. Below are 16 great albums released last year and 6 more honorable mentions no less worthy of inclusion--I just didn't have time to write about them.

Armand Hammer - We Buy Diabetic Test Strips (Fat Possum)

It's all in the title: on their sixth album, billy woods and E L U C I D navigate through a society where not only is shit that should be free, expensive, but a secondhand market encourages hustlers to make a profit. Amidst capitalist corruption and individualism, the threat of an AI takeover and close calls getting caught with drugs, both emcees face the bleakness while occasionally imagining a better world. As always, the victories are small, but mighty: good weed ("Woke Up And Asked Siri How I'm Gonna Die"), morally righteous laundromat owners ("When It Doesn't Start With A Kiss"), the freedom to bask in schadenfreude ("Niggardly (Blocked Call)"). And yes, it takes a lot for two slow lurching wordsmiths to rise above production from the likes of JPEGMAFIA, DJ Haram, and EL-P, always-inspired samples ranging from E-40 to Sun Ra and Japanese rock band Ghost, and features from Pink Siifu, Junglepussy, and Moor Mother. But they deftly connect the dots from centuries ago to now, presenting societal dysfunction as a core component of our country and world. "George Washington's heart a frozen river, boy / Opps in the backwoods, slave teeth in the mouth when he say ni**a," woods raps, as if to shock you out of complacency and make you numb to the horrors at the same time.

Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, & Shahzad Ismaily - Love In Exile (Verve)

It's hard to believe that Love In Exile, the first collaboration between singer Arooj Aftab, legendary jazz pianist Vijay Iyer, and multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily, was recorded live with minimal overdubs. Then again, it's clear there's something special brewing within the trio, who first performed together in 2018. That is, the way in which each performer enters and exits and weaves within another is as natural as it is stunning. On Love In Exile, Aftab sings in Urdu--the sound of her words mattering just as much if not more than their meaning--and Iyer plays piano and electronics, Ismaily bass and Moog. The result is an interplay between beauty and dissonance, minimalism and swells of noise, intimacy and grandiosity. Iyer's piano seems like it's increasingly sure of itself on opener "To Remain/To Return" as Aftab's smoky voice resembles a soulful, mournful reed. Ismaily's bass is slow-lurching and rounded throughout, the steady presence that only so much ripples on songs like "Eye of the Endless" as Aftab and Iyer provide contrast in timbre. Love In Exile is the type of album born out of a moment; yet, it gives seemingly endless pathways in which to get lost.

Arthur Russell - Picture of Bunny Rabbit (Audika)

Throughout Picture of Bunny Rabbit, Arthur Russell’s voice is as much of an instrument as his bowed cello, fading in and out on “Not Checking Up”, “Telling No On”, and “Very Reason”. The mysterious aura of Russell comes from both not knowing what’s out there and, on the music we do know exists, being unable to tell what he’s saying or what instruments he’s using. A rubbery whooshing pervades “The Boy With a Smile” and “In The Light of a Miracle”. The 8-minute title track sees dissonant cello disintegrating in real time, unfurling like tape over feedback squalls to the point where it sounds like a MIDI version of a guitar solo. At the same time, Russell always knew when to surface. The harmonica on “The Boy With a Smile” creates a rootsy tactility, the controlled chaos of his string playing yielding free percussion. Russell’s vocals rapidly shuffle on “In The Light of a Miracle”, though they’re as clear as ever, contrasting his sticky cello, plainly borrowing rhythms from Indian classical music.

Read the rest of our review here.

billy woods & Kenny Segal - Maps (BackwoodzStudioz)

The prolific billy woods’ second album with beat mastermind Kenny Segal is centered around touring, inspired by the idea that the road–or the lack of home–is, in itself, home. On Maps, places where people reside are as constantly changing as the landscapes that pass as you’re on the highway. It’s the perfect fodder for woods’ neuroses and pessimism, the low thoughts that occur when you have too much time on your hands but still can’t make sense of your surroundings. He’s constantly searching for stimuli–weed, food, drinks–to distract himself from the human condition. Like the titular “Houdini”, Woods escapes, even if temporarily.

Read the rest of our review of Maps here.

Bob Dylan - Shadow Kingdom (Columbia)

It wasn't just Taylor Swift rerecording their own catalog in 2023. As part of the soundtrack to Alma Har'el's 2021 film Shadow Kingdom: The Early Songs of Bob Dylan, the Bard himself gave us his new versions of old tracks, mostly his Dylan's 60s heyday, save for a new instrumental. Notably, it's his Dylan's record with a band with no drums or percussion, and it's a mystery who played on it, as there are no official credits. It's also his first album of new studio recordings since 2020 opus Rough and Rowdy Ways, so naturally, he leads off with a reflective "When I Paint My Masterpiece". In general, his arrangements are more gentle, from the swirling harmonicas and trailing strums of "Queen Jane Aproximately" to the bluesy, tempo-changing "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight". "Tombstone Blues" comes across like a spooky tale, slowed down, as opposed to the ramshackle stream of consciousness of the original, while the eerie and mournful "What Was It You Wanted" is a revelatory adaptation of the late 80's classic. And "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" shuffles along with a calypso groove, almost as if it's a tribute to the late Jimmy Buffett. He may not be doing it to regain the rights to his own songs, but on Shadow Kingdom, Dylan asserts that there's value in revisiting old friends.

Drive-By Truckers - The Complete Dirty South (New West)

The Complete Dirty South is us an opportunity to listen with 2023 ears to a 2004 album that’s truer than ever. The rich still get away with doing illegal things (“Where the Devil Don’t Stay”), increasingly intense weather patterns still devastate the poorest of communities (“Tornadoes”), and government austerity policies still force people to work longer hours, for lower pay (the incendiary “Putting People on the Moon”.) When Patterson Hood sings, “Motherfucker in the White House said a change was comin’ round / But I’m workin’ at the Walmart, Mary Alice in the ground,” it’s the much more realistic, downtrodden version of “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss,” a sharpshooting lyricist’s analysis of the devastating consequences of incrementalism, let alone inaction.

Read our preview of two Drive-By Truckers solo shows from December.

GOLD DIME - No More Blue Skies (No-Gold)

With No More Blue Skies, Andrya Ambro, the former half of No Wave-inspired Brooklyn indie rock duo Talk Normal has delivered the most distilled statement of her artistry to date. Combining her classical training and ethnomusicological studies as a drummer with the hammering intensity of her live performance, the album is a examination of contrast, an exercise in presenting ambiguous questions and smashing them to see if any answers lie within.

Read our review of GOLD DIME's career-best.

jaimie branch - Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die (​(​world war​)​) (International Anthem)

Though the late trumpeter and composer jaimie branch’s third album Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)) is a final statement, it’s even more effective as an eternal one. It begins with keyboards that sound like church organs, an eerily somber sonic manifestation of irrevocability. As Chad Taylor’s rolling drums enter, branch gives us one of her trademark trumpet blares, as if to announce, “I’m here.” She wasn’t one to spend much more time announcing her presence, though–the track segues into an Afro-Latin style jam, clacking percussion and horns in line with Lester St. Louis’ nervy bowed cello. ((world war)) from then on spends most of its runtime just the way branch liked it, in a groove, with some breaks along the way to remind us of the urgency of the moment.

Read our review of Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war)).

Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - Weathervanes (Southeastern/Thirty Tigers)

Over the past few years, Jason Isbell’s had a lot of time to think. Pandemic and lockdown-induced isolation made us all spend a bit more time between our ears, and for Isbell, it was his experience on set for Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon that yielded even more alone time. These spaces in between catalyzed the creation of Weathervanes. Like Isbell’s best records, Weathervanes tackles many areas of life, from getting older and grappling with regret and depression to existing in an increasingly fraught and vulnerable world. What makes it succeed most is the extent to which he relied on his collaborators to make it, purportedly inspired by watching none other than Scorsese seek out the opinions of others while filming Flower Moon.

Read our preview of Isbell & the 400 Unit's show in Joliet last March.

JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown - Scaring the Hoes (AWAL)

JPEGMAFIA's called SCARING THE HOES a “practice album,” made with the SP-404–no Pro Tools–after learning it for a year. It certainly has that loose quality you’d think, alongside the exact amount of chaos you’d expect from the debut full-length join-up from him and Danny Brown. Of course, Peggy finds kinship in the deep cuts and the underground, from the underappreciated Bun B to old soul and funk, Japanese pop, and gospel. The samples and production are inspired. At the same time, Peggy knows he’s your favorite Twitter follow’s favorite rapper, so the title itself, referring to something a Very Online Man would say who thinks his taste is too esoteric for women, is tongue-in-cheek. “How the fuck we supposed to make money of this shit?” Peggy asks on the title track. “You wanna be an MC? What the fuck you think, it’s 1993?” The only thing better than effortless tempo changes, switches on a dime from maximalism to dreamy instrumentation, is self-awareness of his own idiosyncrasies. Bonus points for “God Loves You”, which juxtaposes a guttural, spirited gospel sample with the filthiest lyrics on the album.

Read our preview of Pitchfork Music Festival 2023, containing JPEGMAFIA, here.

Matana Roberts - Coin Coin Chapter Five: In The Garden... (Constellation)

On the 5th of their 12 planned Coin Coin albums, saxophone master Matana Roberts tells the story of an ancestor who died after complications from a self-inflicted abortion. Though it's a tragic story, Roberts reclaims the narrative and casts it as part of a wider tale of institutional racism, sexism, and classism. Songs with spoken word are interspersed throughout instrumental expressions of sounds as tangible as tin whistle and as abstract as synth, structures at times free and at times delving even into rock, let alone jazz bops. Each detail of story included is clearly intentional, meant to paint a picture of Roberts' ancestor while portraying their story as not unique. Roberts' spoken word--closer to voice acting, even--is incredible, as they repeat in varying levels of genuineness, "Well, they didn't know I was electric, alive, spirited, fired and free / My spirit overshadowing, my dreams to bombastic / My eyes too sparkling, my laughter too true." Their saxophone is expressive, yet mournful, providing motifs of lamentation and hope at once. On the penultimate "for they do not know", Roberts layers and repeats the album's main refrain, "My name is your name, our name is their name / We are named / We remember, they forget," as if to emphasize the prevalence of their ancestor's story throughout history. And closer "...ain't i...your mystery is our history" juxtaposes Western and African traditions, pointedly demonstrating that the evils brought upon their ancestor are rooted in colonialism and Western hegemony rather than a standalone calamity.

Robert Finley - Black Bayou (Easy Eye Sound)

Seven years into his improbable comeback, Robert Finley views his role as a singer and entertainer as twofold: meeting the audience at the heart while simultaneously giving them advice, telling them the barebones truth when other authority figures won’t. On Black Bayou, he reckons with ideas of homesickness and loneliness, lust and love, selflessness and salvation. Buoyed by longtime collaborator Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, Finley wrote all of the songs in the studio, and his familiarity with his supporting cast of musicians resulted in songs that were both efficiently recorded and emotionally acute. Kenny Brown’s guitar winces with longing on “Livin’ Out A Suitcase” as Finley’s tired of traveling. On “Waste Of Time”, a song that sees Finley taking pride in rural living even if it means missing out on opportunities provided by cities, the buzz-saw guitars and Jeffrey Clemens’ clattering percussion yield a perfect maximalism to go along with Finley’s claims that, yes, there’s still a lot to digest right outside your doorstep.

Read our interview with Finley about Black Bayou here.

Sunny War - Anarchist Gospel (New West)

Sunny War battles self-destruction throughout Anarchist Gospel; in the lead-up to its release, she spoke about her music representing a battle between that side of herself and the one trying to make things better. On “New Day”, she uses the language of addiction to wax on love, hurt, and obsession: “Believing in magic can be tragic / I’m love’s junkie, I’m love’s addict.” One of the record’s true standouts is “I Got No Fight”, where pained guitars and screaming organs exemplify Sunny’s desire for the days to end, depression that buzzes like a fly in her ear. On the gorgeous country tune “His Love”, she sings of an unhealthy relationship, “His love fades, my love grows,” and the timbres of her voice and the instruments similarly diverge, her lurking deep vocal register contrasting the spryness of the backing vocals, guitars, and pattering drums.

Read our review of Anarchist Gospel.

Various Artists - Tell Everybody! (21st Century Juke Joint Blues From Easy Eye Sound) (Easy Eye Sound)

For the better part of the past decade, Dan Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound recording studio and record label has showcased some of the best in contemporary blues music, from various regions across the country and spanning sub-genres. Tell Everybody!, the label's latest compilation, makes the case that a current crop of songwriters, vocalists, and instrumentalists are making essential wartime-style juke joint blues numbers. It's comprised of alternate versions of songs from past Easy Eye Sound albums (Jimmy "Duck" Holmes' version of "Catfish Blues", Leo Bud Welch's glistening "Don't Let the Devil Ride"), posthumously released offerings from idiosyncratic legends like James Gang/Pacific Gas & Electric/All Saved Freak Band guitarist Glenn Schwartz, and strong statements from up and comers like Detroit Dobro-drummer duo Moonrisers, Chicago's Gabe Carter, and Kentucky picker Nat Myers. Auerbach even finds room for new songs from himself and The Black Keys, who sound better than they have in years by embracing the drippy psychedelia of their early material on "No Lovin'". And performing the title track (and baring teeth on the cover) is Robert Finley, whose daughter Christy Johnson delivers smooth gospel backing vocals to contrast Auerbach and Kenny Brown's searing guitars, the multi-generational sound of past, present, and future.

Wednesday - Rat Saw God (Dead Oceans)

“Hot Rotten Grass Smell”, the opening track to Wednesday's incredible Rat Saw God, immediately juxtaposes country guitars with shoegaze squall. Songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Karly Hartzman references Smog’s “The Well” before turning inward to a bleak vision: “Your closet froze after you left / Except the people who took your shirts / Closed off your door with yellow tape / Saw myself dead at the end of a staircase.” The song ends with a sudden cut to field recordings of peepers. Heartbreak, anxiety, life, death, both the natural environment and the concrete depression of the South. It’s all there for Hartzman’s poetry, and no moment is too small or too ordinary for worship.

Read our review of Rat Saw God.

Willie Nelson - I Don't Know A Thing About Love: The Songs of Harlan Howard (Legacy)

Part of me thinks living legend Willie Nelson would rather continue paying tribute to his forebears than do anything else. The late Harlan Howard essentially gave Nelson his first break after hearing some original tunes, signing him to the Pamper publishing imprint in the early 60's. Of course, last year, Nelson would go on to celebrate a 90th birthday and be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, while Howard, who passed away in 2002, is still mostly known behind the scenes, writing songs that would become immortalized by Buck Owens, Waylon Jennings, Ray Charles, and Brenda Lee. So leave it to Nelson to present Howard's best songs, with minimal arrangements, to emphasize the brilliance of his songwriting, the devastating simplicity of lines like "I'm about as helpless as a leaf in a gale." Nelson leads a stellar backing band through blues stomps ("Excuse Me (I Think I've Got A Heartache)", a screaming version of "Busted") and plaintive and empathetic waltzes ("Life Turned Her That Way"), exemplifying a three chords and the truth philosophy appropriate for all moods and experiences.

Honorable Mentions:

Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series, Vol. 17: Fragments - Time Out Of Mind Sessions 1996-1997 (Columbia/Legacy)

The Clientele - I Am Not There Anymore (Merge)

Daniel Bachman - When The Roses Come Again (Three Lobed)

Danny Brown - Quaranta (Warp)

Gazelle Twin - Black Dog (Invada)

Lonnie Holley - Oh Me Oh My (Jagjaguwar)

[elogehakizimana]

BEST MUSIC 2023

Best Albums

Amaarae - Fountain Baby - (8.7)

Liv.e - Girl in the Half Pearl - (8.5)

Pangaea - Changing Channels - (8.5)

L’Rain - I Killed Your Dog - (8.5)

Sufjan Stevens - Javelin - (8.5)

billy woods / Kenny Segal - Maps - (8.5)

Sofia Kourtesis - Madres - (8.4)

MIKE - Burning Desire - (8.4)

Kelela - Raven - (8.4)

Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want To Turn Into You - (8.4)

Julie Byrne - The Greater Wings - (8.4)

Yves Tumor - Praise a Lord Who Chews... - (8.4)

Yaeji - With A Hammer - (8.4)

Fever Ray - Radical Romantics - (8.4)

Joanna Sternberg - I’ve Got Me - (8.4)

Kara Jackson - Why Does the Earth... - (8.3)

Cash Cobain - Pretty Girls Love Slizzy - (8.3)

boygenius - the record - (8.3)

Wednesday - Rat Saw God - (8.3)

Samia - Honey - (8.3)

Billy Nomates - CACTI - (8.3)

Marina Herlop - Nekkuja - (8.3)

Titanic - Vidrio - (8.3)

Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good! - (8.3)

ANOHNI and the Johnsons - My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross - (8.3)

Jamila Woods - Water Made Us - (8.3)

Priya Ragu - Santhosam - (8.2)

Veeze - Ganger - (8.2)

Armand Hammer - We Buy Diabetic Test Strips - (8.2)

Asake - Work of Art - (8.2)

Buck Meek - Haunted Mountain - (8.1)

Maxo - Even God Has a Sense of Humor - (8.1)

Kali Uchis - Red Moon in Venus - (8.1)

Noname - Sundial - (8)

RAYE - My 21st Century Blues - (8)

U.S. Girls - Bless This Mess - (8)

Arooj Aftab / Vijay Iyer / Shahzad Ismaily - Love in Exile - (8)

Margo Price - Strays - (8)

RP Boo - Legacy Volume 2 - (8)

J Hus - Beautiful and Brutal Yard - (8)

Earl Sweatshirt & The Alchemist - Voir Dire - (8)

Victoria Monét - Jaguar II - (8)

Tirzah - trip9love…??? - (8)

Jaimie Branch - Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die (World War) - (8)

Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We - (8)

Yeule - Softscars - (8)

Jlin - Perspective EP - (8)

Sampha - Lahai - (8)

Ryuichi Sakamoto - 12 - (7.9)

Lonnie Holley - Oh Me Oh My - (7.9)

Best Tracks

Amaarae - Angels In Tibet

Julie Byrne - Moonless

billy woods / Kenny Segal - Soundcheck

The Murder Capitol - A Thousand Lives

Yaeji - Submerge FM

Pangaea - If

L'Rain - I Killed Your Dog

Jai Paul - So Long (Live)

Liv.e - Gardetto

Kelela - Raven

Fever Ray - Kandy

Amaarae - Princess Going Digital

Julie Byrne - The Greater Wings

J Hus - Who Told You

Yves Tumor - God Is a Circle

Amaarae - Counterfeit

Kara Jackson - rat

Sufjan Stevens - So You Are Tired

Sofia Kourtesis - Funkhaus

Amaarae - Desguise

Priya Ragu - Adalam Va!

BAMBII - Slip Slide

Cah Cobain - So Fire

Rema - Smooth Criminal

Priya Ragu - Black Goose

Sampha - Only

Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar - The Hillbillies

Kali Uchis - I Wish you Roses

boygenius - Cool About It

Joanna Sternberg - I’ve Got Me

Fabiana Palladino - I Care

Jorja Smith - She Feels

James Blake - Fall Back

Billy Nomates - same gun

Mitski - Heaven

RP Boo - B.O.T.O

Marina Herlop - Busa

Victoria Monét - Alright

Earl Sweatshirt - Making The Band (Danity Kane)

Tinashe - Talk To Me Nice

Alex Lahey - You’ll Never Get Your Money Back

Buck Meek - Haunted Mountain

billy woods / Kenny Segal - Year Zero

Margo Price - County Road

Jamila Woods - Bugs

Titanic - Anónima

MIKE - African Sex Freak Fantasy

 Marina Herlop - Cosset

Sequence - Healing Sounds

Samia - Kill Her Freak Out

Line Of The Year

“it's not like you love me, I know you don't love me” -  Amaarae

[sonmelier]

Avant-cuvée 2024 : 4/8

Oyez, oh yeah, c'est le retour des avant-cuvées ! On reprend les choses là où on les avait laissées à la fin du mois de mai. Ce quatrième article de la série a lui aussi pour objet de mettre en lumière quelques unes des œuvres les plus marquantes de l'année en cours. Une sélection de rentrée un peu plus généreuse cette fois-ci, avec non pas 6 mais 8 disques (un peu de rab pour affronter la reprise !).

Comme d'habitude, les horizons sont divers (tant dans le style que dans la géographie), mais ils convergent tous vers une même évidence : la capacité universelle de la musique à dialoguer avec l'âme humaine et à y laisser une empreinte durable.

Actress | Statik

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Angleterre | Smalltown Supersound | 48 minutes | 11 morceaux

Changement de label pour Darren Cunningham, dont le dixième album débarque chez les osloïtes de Smalltown Supersound. Un mariage auquel nous n’avions pas pensé, mais qui tombe pourtant sous le sens. Cette maison norvégienne est un acteur de tout premier plan dans les nouvelles formes de jazz et de musique électronique et on a justement affaire ici à un des projets electro les plus captivants et novateurs des quinze dernières années. Les influences jazz qui étaient à l’œuvre dans le fantastique LXXXVIII sont paradoxalement un peu moins à l’œuvre, mais la profondeur onirique de la musique d’Actress s’abreuve subtilement à d’autres sources tout aussi fertiles (on pense à l’univers sonore de Drexciya ou encore aux mélodies obliques de l’expérimentateur portugais Nuno Canavarro).

🎧 Cafe del Mars

Arooj Aftab | Night Reign

🇵🇰 Pakistan | Verve Records | 49 minutes | 9 morceaux

Night Reign est une toile sonore nocturne absolument somptueuse, tissée des plus beaux fils issus du jazz, du ghazal, du folk et du qawwalî. Le chant en ourdu d’Arooj Aftab est loin d’avoir épuisé son pouvoir d’envoûtement, malgré les nombreuses heures passées à écouter les magnifiques Vulture Prince et Love in Exile. Plus expérimentale et en même temps plus dynamique que jamais, sa musique explore ici des territoires imprégnés d’un romantisme mélancolique enivrant.

🎧 Aey Nehin

Bab L' Bluz | Swaken

🇲🇦 Maroc | Real World Records | 45 minutes | 11 morceaux

Fondé en 2018 à Marrakech et signé par le prestigieux label Real World, ce power quartet propose une potion musicale très personnelle, survoltée et spirituelle, mêlant traditions gnawa, rock, expérimentations psychédéliques et chaâbi. Swaken (qui signifie « possession et transcendance » en darija, dialecte marocain) est son deuxième album. Le premier (Nayda !, sorti en 2020) lui avait valu une belle reconnaissance critique, et lui avait ouvert les portes d’une longue tournée mondiale riche en enseignements. Mené par la chanteuse et joueuse de guembri Yousra Mansour, il aborde de manière intense et conquérante de nombreux thèmes politiques et sociétaux avec la volonté de faire bouger les lignes, particulièrement pour l'émancipation des femmes. De la révolte, de la transe mais aussi de la magie irriguent ce disque, à l’image des prestations live du groupe.

🎧 AmmA

Camera Obscura | Look to the East, Look to the West

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Ecosse | Merge Records | 45 minutes | 11 morceaux

On ne l’attendait plus, ce sixième album du si délectable groupe indie pop de Glasgow. En pause depuis 2015, après un Desire Lines (2013) assez décevant et suite au décès de la claviériste Carey Lander, Camera Obscura a repris son parcours discographique sur les meilleures bases. On retrouve ici tous les ingrédients qui font la magie de sa musique (mélodies délicates et entêtantes, textes qui touchent et qui font mouche, sans parler du chant magnétique de Tracyanne Campbell, le tout dans un subtil mélange de chaleur et de nostalgie, de spleen et d’énergie) mais on découvre aussi quelques pistes nouvelles (textures électroniques par ci, influences country plus marquées par là). Sans prétendre égaler les deux albums phares que sont  Let's Get Out of This Country et My Maudlin Career (mais on parle ici de deux des tous meilleurs disques d’indie pop des vingt dernières années), Look to the East, Look to the West nous offrent des retrouvailles réjouissantes avec un groupe irremplaçable dans son genre.

🎧 Liberty Print

Charli XCX | brat

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Angleterre | Atlantic | 41 minutes | 15 morceaux

Un ou une « brat », c’est littéralement un ou une sale gosse. Une jeune personne dont le manque d’éducation peut susciter chez autrui un certain degré d’hostilité. Dans une des chansons de leur premier album (en 1976), les pionniers du punk Ramones suggéraient d’ailleurs de réserver à ce type d'individu un traitement bien peu amène. Mais ça, c’était avant. Avant que ne déboule dans un tourbillon festif, déluré et touchant de sincérité, un été 2024 marqué au fer vert fluo de Charli XCX. L’artiste britannique, plus confiante et conquérante que jamais (sans pour autant avoir dissimulé ses vulnérabilités), a semble-t-il arraché des mains toutes les battes de baseball qui cherchaient à la tenir en respect. Pas tant pour les retourner contre leurs porteurs (même si elle ne se prive pas toujours de rendre quelques coups bien sentis) que pour inviter tout ce petit monde à une célébration jubilatoire. La fête est toujours plus belle quand on est désarmé. Plus de dix ans après ses débuts, et tout en conservant une esthétique audacieuse faisant penser au label hyperpop PC Music (sur lequel elle n’a jamais rien publié malgré sa collaboration artistique au long cours avec A.G. Cook), Charli XCX tient avec « BRAT » l’album frontal et extatique qui la propulse au rang de phénomène de société.

🎧 Von Dutch

Cindy Lee | Diamond Jubilee

🇨🇦 Canada | Realistik Studios | 122 minutes | 32 morceaux

Ses 32 morceaux et ses 122 minutes pourraient conférer à Diamond Jubilee une image de mastodonte tentaculaire et écrasant. Mais il suffit de lever le nez de la tracklist et d’entamer l’exploration de l’œuvre avec les oreilles pour ne ressentir que douceur et légèreté, comme en lévitation entre plusieurs époques étrangement familières qui s’entremêlent et se répondent. Profondément habité par la pop music des girls bands sixties, Patrick Flegel campe à travers son personnage drag queen Cindy Lee un groupe féminin réduit à une seule fille, rescapée mystérieuse et nostalgique plongée dans une brume d’échos lointains. Les expérimentations vénéneuses et autres assauts bruitistes entendus dans le génialissime What's Tonight to Eternity ? ne sont plus de la partie, mais il résulte de ce flot ininterrompu de chansons immédiates et accueillantes, presque dépourvues d'aspérité, un doux et troublant sentiment de vertige.

🎧 Kingdom Come

Meridian Brothers | Mi Latinoamérica sufre

🇨🇴 Colombie | Ansonia | 48 minutes | 11 morceaux

Chaque nouvel album du projet Meridian Brothers d’Eblis Álvarez s’accompagne d’une certitude absolue : l’auditeur va être plongé de manière irrésistible dans une joie bizarre et endiablée, emporté par des flots musicaux tropicalement décalés. Pour le reste, rien n’est absolument prévisible avec notre énergumène colombien, à commencer par les histoires abracadabrantesques racontées dans ses chansons. Un univers sonore unique en son genre, qui relève d’une alchimie miraculeuse entre avant-garde psychédélique et sons afro / latino-américains traditionnels (ceux de la salsa, comme sur son brillant disque précédent, ceux de la champeta et de la rumba sur le présent opus et bien sûr ceux de la cumbia, qui ont toujours irrigué l’ensemble).

🎧 Mandala

Pomme | Saisons

🇫🇷 France | Virgin | 36 minutes | 12 morceaux

Le quatrième album de Claire Pommet est un accomplissement esthétique et conceptuel captivant. Epaulée par l’artiste pluridisciplinaire Malvina (qui habille les douze chansons du disque d’orchestrations et d’arrangements absolument sublimes) ou encore par Aaron Dessner (The National) et Flavien Berger, cette lyonnaise de naissance brille de mille feux dans ce monde sonore envoûtant qu’elle a composé puis magnifiquement façonné de sa voix et par ses textes. Une ode d’une douceur infinie à la nature, au vivant qui nous entoure et aux sentiments humains.

🎧 _jun perseides

[snackpointcharlie]

The very air itself crackles with excitement as Snackpoint Charlie prepares for an all-new radio broadcast. Tune in for more of the music from elsewhere and beyond that you brain, body and spirit have been thirsting for, 10pm to midnight July 3 on WGXC 90.7-FM in New York’s Hudson Valley and streaming live 24/7 on WGXC.org or download at the link below

Snackpoint Charlie - Transmission 140 - 2024.07.03 https://wavefarm.org/wf/archive/j1kxzx [ ^ click for download ^ ]

PLAYLIST

1) あがた森魚 [Agata Morio] - “女の友情 > 大道芸人 [Female Friendship > Street Performer]” from 乙女の儚夢 [A MAIDEN'S FLEETING DREAM] https://www.discogs.com/master/250286-%E3%81%82%E3%81%8C%E3%81%9F%E6%A3%AE%E9%AD%9A-%E4%B9%99%E5%A5%B3%E3%81%AE%E5%84%9A%E5%A4%A2

2) Hajj Belaid with a New Rhythm - “(B Side 1)” from SILENT MUSIC

3) Tom Zé Fabrication Defect - “Defect 6: Esteticar” from COM DEFEITO DE FABRICAÇÃO https://www.discogs.com/master/54552-Tom-Z%C3%A9-Fabrication-Defect-Com-Defeito-De-Fabrica%C3%A7%C3%A3o/image/SW1hZ2U6MTE4NjczMDI=

(underbed throughout:) Pinchas Gurevich - “Spittledripping”

4) Hermanos Gutiérrez - “El Fantasma” from SONIDO CÓSMICO https://hermanosgutierrez.bandcamp.com/album/sonido-c-smico

5) Meril Wubslin - “La main” from FAIRE ÇA https://merilwubslin.bandcamp.com/album/faire-a

6) Rochereau with Orch. African Fiesta - “Madina” from THE SOUND OF KINSHASA - GUITAR CLASSICS FROM ZAIRE https://www.discogs.com/master/638357-Various-The-Sound-Of-Kinshasa-Guitar-Classics-From-Zaire

7) Arooj Aftab - “Bolo Na (feat. Moor Mother)” from NIGHT REIGN https://www.aroojaftab.com/

8) Laila Sakini - “Like a Gun” from LIKE A GUN https://futuraresistenza.bandcamp.com/album/like-a-gun

9) 愛麗 [Ellie (Alice Choy)] w/The Stylers – “相思湖 [Acacia Lake]” from 送你一朵勿忘我 + 珍重離別 [GIVE YOU A FORGET-ME-NOT + CHERISH THE FAREWELL] https://www.discogs.com/release/12622415-%E6%84%9B%E9%BA%97-%E9%80%81%E4%BD%A0%E4%B8%80%E6%9C%B5%E5%8B%BF%E5%BF%98%E6%88%91-%E7%8F%8D%E9%87%8D%E9%9B%A2%E5%88%A5

10) Scott Tuma - “Gone to Turin” from A WEST BOUND BROOK / GONE TO TURIN https://profaneilluminations.bandcamp.com/album/a-west-bound-brook-gone-to-turin

11) Souled American - “Two of You” from FROZEN https://souledamerican.bandcamp.com/album/frozen

12) Landless - “My Lagan Love” from LÚIREACH https://landless.bandcamp.com/album/l-ireach

13) Bhutan Balladeers - “The Day You Were Born” from YOUR FACE IS LIKE THE MOON, YOUR EYES ARE STARS https://bhutanballadeers.bandcamp.com/album/your-face-is-like-the-moon-your-eyes-are-stars

14) Alastair Galbraith - “Lockdown in Lagash” from LAGASH https://nicemusiclabel.bandcamp.com/album/060-lagash

15) "Blue" Gene Tyranny - “The White Night Riot (1979)” from REAL LIFE AND THE MOVIES: VOLUME 1 https://bluegenetyranny.bandcamp.com/album/real-life-and-the-movies-volume-1

16) Carl Michael von Hausswolff & Chandra Shukla - “Kecak! (Sanghyang)” from TRAVELOGUE [BALI] https://cmvonhausswolffreleases.bandcamp.com/album/travelogue-bali

17) Songs: Ohia - “United or Lost Alone” from JOURNEY ON: COLLECTED SINGLES https://secretlycanadian.com/record/journey-on-collected-singles/

[parkerbombshell]

Rules Free Radio June 25

Tuesdays 2pm - 5pm  EST Rules Free Radio With Steve  Caplan bombshellradio.com On the next Rules Free Radio with Steve Caplan, we’ve got plenty of new ones to catch up on including Mark Rogers, Mark Bacino, sparklejets u.k., ex-Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers member Mike Campbell with is band the Dirty Knobs, The Shang Hi Los, ROBOTOM, Ltd., Sugaray Rayford, Moby, Goat Girl, Marina Allen, Julius Rodriguez, and a few more. Classics and in-betweens by Van, Morrison, The Dollyrots, The Anderson Council, Buena Vista Social Club, The Turtles, Insect Surfers, The James Hunter Six, The Specials, Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings, June Christy and more! Later in the second hour, it’s an album spotlight on the new one by the guitar duo Hermanos Gutierrez. They have a very cool sound with elements of Latin, surf, and the kind of music in spaghetti westerns. At the top of the third hour, we’ll do a little birthday tribute to Nick Drake who would have turned 76 on June 19th. Unfortunately, he was quite young when he passed away in 1974 and over the decades he has gone from near complete obscurity to an avid cult following. We’ll revisit a few of his songs including a rather rare one from a live recording for the BBC’s John Peel. Mark Rogers - Natalie Secret Postcards - Far Away The Weather Prophets - Why Does The Rain! Shopfires - In A Place Mark Bacino - He Never Saw It Coming (Accidental Death of a Clown) The Turtles - Elenore sparklejets u.k. - Princess Needy Mark Bacino - Not That Guy The Anderson Council - Do You Remember Walter Mike Campbell and The Dirty Knobs - Innocent Man Jackson Browne with Bonnie Raitt - Poor Poor Pitiful Me The Shang Hi Los - Morganatic Panic L. A. Drugz - Marina The Dollyrots - Dream Lover The Ramouns - Help Me Rhonda ROBOTOM, Ltd. - Below the Sea Insect Surfers - Psychotronic Van Morrison - Real Real Gone Sugaray Rayford - Run for Cover Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings - Got A Thing On My Mind The James Hunter Six - Free Your Mind (While You Still Got Time) Selwyn Birchwood - My Own Worst Enemy The Specials - Ghost Town Waldeck - The Night Garden Moby - We’re Going Wrong Angelique Kidjo - Listening Wind Hermanos Gutiérrez - Los Navegantes - Sonido Cósmico Hermanos Gutiérrez - Cumbia Lunar - Sonido Cósmico Buena Vista Social Club - Chan Chan Hermanos Gutiérrez - Sonido Cósmico Gustavo Santaolalla - Iguazu Nick Drake - 'Cello Song Nick Drake - Time of No Reply Nick Drake - The Thoughts of Mary Jane Aurora - Pink Moon Marina Allen - Love Comes Back Margo Guyan - Love Songs Goat Girl - Words Fell Out Isobel Campbell - Om Shanti Om Dot Allison - Moon Flowers June Christy - Something Cool Julius Rodriguez - Many Times Dan Berglund & Magnus Öström -  Seven Days Of Falling Arooj Aftab - Autumn Leaves Read the full article

[hardynwa]

2024 Grammy Awards: Full list of winners

This year’s Grammy Awards was held at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, United States on Sunday. Disappointingly, no Nigerian artiste was announced as winner at the 66th edition of the awards ceremony. David Adeleke, aka, Davido; Damini Ogulu, aka Burna Boy; Ahmed Ololade, aka Asake; Olamide Adedeji, aka Baddo; and Oyinkansola Aderibigbe, aka Ayra Starr; all lost out in their combined 10 nominations across different award categories. Here is the full list of winners: Best African Music Performance Amapiano – Asake and Olamide City Boys – Burna Boy Water – Tyla WINNER Unavailable – Davido Featuring Musa Keys Rush – Ayra Starr Best Melodic Rap Performance Sittin’ On Top Of The World – Burna Boy Featuring 21 Savage Attention – Doja Cat All My Life – Lil Durk Featuring J. Cole WINNER Spin Bout U – Drake & 21 Savage Low – SZA Best Global Music Album Epifanías — Susana Baca History — Bokanté I Told Them… — Burna Boy This Moment – Shakti WINNER Timeless — Davido BEST RAP ALBUM Her Loss – Drake & 21 Savage Michael – Killer Mike WINNER Heroes & Villains – Metro Boomin King’s Disease III – Nas Utopia – Travis Scott PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II Jack Antonoff – WINNER Hit Boy Metro Boomin Daniel Nigro SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL Edgar Barrera Jessie Jo Dillon Shane McAnally Theron Thomas – WINNER Justin Tranter Best Global Music Performance Shadow Forces – Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer & Shahzad Ismaily Alone – Burna Boy Pashto – Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer & Zakir Hussain Featuring Rakesh Chaurasia WINNER FEEL – Davido Milagro Y Desastre – Silvana Estrada Abundance In Millets – Falu & Gaurav Shah (Featuring PM Narendra Modi) Best Album Notes Evenings At The Village Gate: John Coltrane With Eric Dolphy (Live) Written In Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos – WINNER I Can Almost See Houston: The Complete Howdy Glenn Mogadishu’s Finest: The Al Uruba Sessions Playing For The Man At The Door: Field Recordings From The Collection Of Mack McCormick, 1958–1971 Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package The Collected Works Of Neutral Milk Hotel Gieo For The Birds: The Birdsong Project – WINNER Inside: Deluxe Box Set Words & Music, May 1965 – Deluxe Edition Best Music Film How I’m Feeling Now -Lewis Capaldi Live From Paris, The Big Steppers Tour – Kendrick Lamar Moonage Daydream – David Bowie WINNER I Am Everything – Little Richard Dear Mama – Tupac Shakur Best Music Video In Your Love – Tyler Childers I’m Only Sleeping – The Beatles WINNER What Was I Made For – Billie Eilish Count Me Out – Kendrick Lamar Rush – Troye Sivan Best Song Written For Visual Media Barbie World What Was I Made For? – WINNER Dance The Night I’m Just Ken Lift Me Up Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media Call Of Duty®: Modern Warfare II – Sarah Schachner Hogwarts Legacy – Peter Murray, J Scott Rakozy & Chuck E. Myers “Sea”, composers Star Wars Jedi: Survivor – Stephen Barton & Gordy Haab WINNER God Of War Ragnarök – Bear McCreary, composer Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical – Montaigne, Tripod & Austin Wintory, composers Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film And Television) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever – Ludwig Göransson Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny – John Williams Oppenheimer – Ludwig Göransson WINNER Barbie – Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt The Fabelmans – John Williams Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media Aurora Barbie The Album – WINNER Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3: Awesome Mix, Vol. 3 Weird: The Al Yankovic Story Best Comedy Album I Wish You Would – Trevor Noah I’m An Entertainer – Wanda Sykes What’s In A Name? – Dave Chappelle – WINNER Selective Outrage – Chris Rock Someone You Love – Sarah Silverman Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical Desire, I Want To Turn Into You History Jaguar II – WINNER Multitudes The Record Best Immersive Audio Album God Of War Ragnarök (Original Soundtrack) Act 3 (Immersive Edition) The Diary Of Alicia Keys – WINNER Blue Clear Sky Silence Between Songs Best Historical Album Fragments – Time Out Of Mind Sessions (1996-1997): The Bootleg Series, Vol. 17 Written In Their Soul: The Stax Songwriter Demos – WINNER The Moaninest Moan Of Them All: The Jazz Saxophone of Loren McMurray, 1920-1922 Playing For The Man At The Door: Field Recordings From The Collection Of Mack McCormick, 1958–1971 Words & Music, May 1965 – Deluxe Edition Best Tropical Latin Album Voy A Ti – Luis Figueroa Siembra: 45º Aniversario (En Vivo en el Coliseo… – Rubén Blades… WINNER Niche Sinfónico – Grupo Niche Y Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia VIDA – Omara Portuondo MIMY & TONY – Tony Succar, Mimy Succar Escalona Nunca Se Había Grabado Así – Carlos Vives Best Gospel Album I Love You – Erica Campbell Hymns (Live) – Tasha Cobbs Leonard The Maverick Way – Maverick City Music All Things New: Live In Orlando – Tye Tribbett WINNER My Truth – Jonathan McReynolds Best Roots Gospel Album Tribute To The King – The Blackwood Brothers Quartet Echoes Of The South – Blind Boys Of Alabama WINNER Songs That Pulled Me Through The Tough Times – Becky Isaacs Bowman Meet Me At The Cross – Brian Free & Assurance Shine: The Darker The Night The Brighter The Light �� Gaither Vocal Band Best Rap Album Her Loss – Drake & 21 Savage MICHAEL – Killer Mike WINNER HEROES & VILLIANS – Metro Boomin King’s Disease III – Nas UTOPIA – Travis Scott Best R&B Album Girls Night Out – Babyface JAGUAR II – Victoria Monét WINNER What I Didn’t Tell You (Deluxe) – Coco Jones Special Occasion – Emily King CLEAR 2: SOFT LIFE EP – Summer Walke Best Remixed Recording Alien Love Call New Gold (Dom Dolla Remix) Reviver (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Remix) Wagging Tongue (Wet Leg Remix) – WINNER Workin’ Hard (Terry Hunter Remix) Read the full article

[jiggyraps]

Best Music, 2023

1. Amaarae - Fountain Baby

2. Sampha - Lahai

3. Youth Lagoon - Heaven is a Junkyard

4. billy woods & kenny segal - maps

5. Fever Ray - Radical Romantics

6. Jessie Ware - That! Feels Good!

7. Avelino - God Save the Streets

8. Feist - Multitudes

9. noname - Sundial

10. L'Rain - I Killed Your Dog

11. jaimie branch - Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die (World War)

12. JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown - Scaring the Hoes

13. Kali Uchis - Red Moon in Venus

14. Lana Del Rey - Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd

15. Róisín Murphy - Hit Parade

16. Aesop Rock - Integrated Tech Solutions

17. Kelela - Raven

18. Sufjan Stevens - Javelin

19. Corinne Bailey Rae - Black Rainbows

20. Mon Laferte - Autopoiética

21. Veeze - Ganger

22. Yves Tumor - Praise A Lord Who Chews

23. Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Shazhad Ismaily - Love in Exile

24. Nonso Amadi - When It Blooms

25. Mick Jenkins - The Patience

26. Liv.e - Girl in a Half Pearl

27. boygenius - The Record

28. Jorja Smith - Falling or Flying

29. Meshell Ndegeocello - The Omnichord Real Book

30. Squid - O Monolith

31. Julia Byrne - The Greater Wings

32. Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We

33. Lakecia Benjanim - Phoenix

34. Victoria Monet - Jaguar II

35. Avalon Emerson - & The Charm

36. Kara Jackson - Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love?

37. Danny Brown - Quaranta

38. Caroline Polachek - Desire, I Want to Turn Into You

39. Romy - Mid Air

40. Laurel Halo - Atlas

41. Iris DeMent - Workin' on a World

42. Zulu - A New Tomorrow

43. Troy Sivan - Something to Give Each Other

44. J Hus - Beautiful and Brutal Yard

45. Anthony Nalpes - Orbs

46. Lil Tecca - TEC

47. Gia Margaret - Romantic Piano

48. Clea Sol - Heaven

49. Gunna - a Gift & a Curse

50. Wesley Joseph - GLOW

[daviddarn]

Favourite records of 2023

Jerry David Decicca - New Shadows

King Tuff - Smalltown Stardust

Andy Shauf - Norm

Le Cri du Caire - Le Cri du Caire

Yo La Tengo - This Stupid World

Sluice - Radial Gate

Brendan Eder Ensemble - Therapy

Doug Paisley - Say what you like

Arooj Aftab, Vijay Iyer, Shahzad Ismaily - Love In Exile

Damien Jurado - Sometimes You Hurt the Ones You Hate

Rose City Band - Garden Party

Kassi Valazza - Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing

Julie Byrne - The Greater Wings

Blake Mills - Jelly Road

Jaimie Branch - Fly or Die Fly or Die Fly or Die ((world war))

Stephen Steinbrink - Disappearing Coin

Setting - Shone a Rainbow Light On

Resavoir - Resavoir

Animal Collective - Isn’t it Now?

Woods - Perennial