Category: good to hear

End of the Road
Noga Erez
Singer, songwriter and producer Noga Erez, born 1989, grew up in Jewish family in Caesarea, in Israel. Attracted to music, she played and tried out various instruments and styles, feeling drawn to jazz. She collaborated with different groups as a vocalist, keyboardist and percussionist. During her active service in the Israeli army, she played in a military band. According to Wikipedia: Erez’s musical style draws influences from alternative, electronic music, and sample-based hip hop, but is also strongly influenced by political circumstances both in her country and globally, though she has been reticent to describe her work as political… She makes music in collaboration with her partner and co-writer, composer and producer Ori Rousso.
City Slang | April 2021

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Djourou
Ballaké Sissoko
The kora is a musical instrument widely played in West Africa that fits into no category. It has twenty-one strings and is built from a large calabash, cut in half and covered with cow skin to create a resonance body. A cross between a lute and a harp, the kora is plucked. Ballaké Sissoko’s father was also a famous kora player and had a world hit with Ancient Strings. Ballaké is widely recognized as the best contemporary kora player, other than Toumani Diabatu. Ten fingers for twenty-one strings, and magic takes place, that how the variegated sounds to come out of the kora are best described: Ballaké Sissoko enlaces us in his suave and crystalline sonority and his kora, magnified by his talent as a melodist and an improviser.
Mad Minute Music | April 2021

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Oriom – Healing Source
Rainer von Vielen
«For a long time now, Rainer has discovered the depth of throat singing for himself and has come to know a fulfilling and moving power in this singing. The controlling breath, which he found mainly in meditation, is here the source to the sound. The Healing Source. Each song is written in a special planetary tuning. The frequency of the rotation of the planets around the sun, octaved into an audible range. Beats that resonate with these frequencies. This is the core of this album. So the journey begins on Mars, continues to the platonic year of the Earth, flies there to Venus, goes on an Earth day to then 28 minutes the year tone of our home planet (432 Hz) along. Finally, the album ends on the gravitational length of the sun.”
Klangwirkstoff Records | April 2021

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Chasing Birds
Foo Fighters
This imaginative psychedelic cartoon is reminiscent of the eighties and fun to watch. The Foo Fighters, around the ubiquitous ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, float through dissolving and re-forming landscapes and fall headlong into moving perceptual layers. They float through lazily flowing worlds, quoting William Blake, following giant birds or perhaps being birds themselves. The US band from Seattle has existed with founding members Grohl (rhythm guitar, vocals) and Nate Mendel (bass) since 1995, but Taylor Hawkin (drums) and Chris Shilett have also been with the band since before the turn of the millennium, later joined by Pat Smear (lead guitar) and Rami Jaffee (keyboards). (sgs)
RCA | April 2021

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Listen
Melanie Durrant
With her upcoming album Where I am At, the Canadian urban-contemporary singer/songwriter Melanie Durant, who studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, releases her third album. Melanie Durrant has received multiple accolades throughout her career. Durrant has also been involved with numerous educational initiatives, such as headlining the ‘HipHop4Africa’ Mandela Children’s Fund Canada and CapAids February 2006 Toronto benefit which was hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos. Deejay Ra, who interviewed Melanie for the event’s DVD, also did a live reading at the sold-out event as part of his ‘Hip-Hop Literacy’ program, promoting Mandela and Tupac books to the students in attendance.
(Wikipedia)
CBG Music | April 2021

Let Us Dance
Beverley Glenn Copeland
It is rare to see someone sing with as much joy as the legendary seventy-seven-year-old Beverley Glenn Copeland, an American song and songwriter of the extraordinary kind who has spent most of his life in Canada as a black trans-man. The New Age composer is surrounded by musicians two generations his junior, it took a lifetime before he found a large audience, and when he was about to take off and had scheduled a world tour, the pandemic happened, and that was that. Beverley was born into a musical family, in Philadelphia. His father played classical piano, his mother loved spirituals and sang in church. Beverley started her career as a folk singer, integrating blues, jazz and classical elements into her music and had a role in a Canadian tv show for children called Mr. Dressup for many yeary. He was also politically active in Montreal, where he lives. (sgs)
Find it here |released January 2021

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Live at Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne, Australia
King Gizzard and the Lizzard Wizzard
The versatile rock band was founded in Melbourne in 2010 and has released twelve studio albums since, of which five in 2017 alone! They are «Stu Mackenzie (vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, flute, sitar), Ambrose Kenny-Smith (vocals, harmonica, keyboards), Cook Craig (guitar, bass, keyboards, vocals, sitar), Joey Walker (guitar, bass, keyboards, vocal), Lucas Harwood (bass, keyboards), and Michael Cavanagh (drums, percussion).» Drawing on fusion jazz and psychedelia, they are rather heavily into hard rock, but have also dropped acoustic albums with a more folkloristic sound. In these dreary times, their spectacle awakens, surprises and sometimes shocks – just what some of us might need. It is therefore my pleasure to introduce more than two hours of a respectable genre of music not often found here. (sgs)
Suga Records | February 2021

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Pay Your Way in Pain
St. Vincent
If you ask me, St. Vincent is the new Blondie. Born Annie Erin Clark in Tulsa, Oklahoma, she, her mother and two sisters moved to Houston when she was three. Annie began practicing the guitar when she was twelve and evolved into a mysterious mezzo-soprano and songwriter who plays multiple instruments. She attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston for three years before dropping out and has had a successful career with seven published albums to date, many of which won awards such as the Grammy for Best Alternative Album 2018. Her videos are original, humorous and often colorful, and she has been on stage with artists such as David Byrne or Sufian and contributed back-up vocals for many others. (sgs)
Loma Vista Recordings | March 2021

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Muima
Neta Elkayam
The New York recently featured Neta Elkayam, an expressive singe and visual artist with an extraordinary voice, reminding us why Arabic and Pakistani singers are considered to be among the best in the world. She uses her talent to keep the memory of her heritage alive while living in Jerusalem as an Israeli, descended from Moroccan Amazhigs. Jewish Berber tribes have been around since biblical times and spoke Amazhig, the language of their culture. It is to this heritage as well as to the Moroccan Jews living in Israel as well as in the diaspora at large that Neta addresses herself. It is a work of healing she is undertaking with the help of her husband, Neta’s website

If I could only remember my name
David Crosby, 1971
Read Erik Davis on Crosby’s quintessential album here. 

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Sus Grandes Exitos
Selena Quintanilla Pérez
(16 April 1971 – 31 March 1995)
Selena «was an American singer, songwriter, spokesperson, businesswoman, model, actress, and fashion designer. Referred to as the “Queen of Tejano music” (the music of Texan Latinos), her contributions to music and fashion made one of the most celebrated Mexican-American entertainers of the late 20th century. She was shot and killed shortly before her 24th birthday, by Yolanda Saldívar, her friend, and the former manager of her Elena Etc. boutiques Saldívar was cornered by police when she attempted to flee, and threatened to kill herself, but was convinced to give herself up and was sentenced to life in prison with possible parole after 30 years. Two weeks later, Texas Governor (and future US President) George W. Bush declared Selena’s birthday Selena Day in Texas.» (Wikipedia)
EMI Latin | June 2020

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Bico
Playing for Change | Songs Around the World
Peter Gabriel
Here’s a song about a man the world is not to forget, and one of my political heroes: Steve Biko, cowardly murdered in his prison cell in South Africa. The perpetrators of this hideous crime, two South African police officers, are the only people who were not forgiven in the country’s long process of truth and reconciliation. The series Playing for Change «is a movement created to inspire and connect the world through music, born from the shared belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. Our primary focus is to record and film musicians performing in their natural environments and combine their talents and cultural power in innovative videos we call Songs Around the World.» Lots of great stuff to explore.
Available here
| February 2021

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Medicine at Midnight
Foo Fighters
The tenth studio album of the Foo Fighters had to be rescheduled and appeared only recently instead of 2020. Music critics don’t like it, they say its sounds is interchangeable, but everybody like’s Dave Grohl and his bandmates «who have this wonderful shabby chic Venice dad look now» (Jeremy D. Larson, Pitchfork) «A certain dependability might be the point – Dave Grohl presumably having had enough surprises to last him a lifetime while he was a member of Nirvana.» (Alexis Petridis, The Guardian) «Launched as a solo project in 1995 when Mr. Grohl was still shaken by the death of Kurt Cobain, his bandmate in Nirvana, Foo Fighters turned into a reliable outfit that, across nine studio albums, has never veered far from the post-grunge alternative template.» (Mark Richardson, Wall Street Journal)
RCA | February 2021

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Pà Pá Pà
Femi Kuti
Taken from the album Legacy+, this political song convinces with its urgency and drive. Femi Anikulapo Kuti is the oldest song of Fela Kuti, the «King of Afrobeat», whose musical legacy he continues. It is characterized by a large horn section and a driving beat, as well as criticism of the lack of perspective and corruption in African politics. Femi Kuti was born in Lagos, Nigeria, sings and play the saxophone. To support his political resistance, he opened the New African Shrine club in Lagos in October 2000, the successor to his father’s legendary club African Shrine. Femi despises drugs and rejects his father’s sexist attitude towards women. After differences with his family, he founded his own band «The Positive Force» in 1985, with which he has also performed in Europe since 1988.
Knitting Factory | February 2021

Bank Alert
PSquare
If you are looking for fun and happiness, you’ve come to the right place! Full of self-irony, wit and vivid sounds, this is African dance music at its best. PSquare may history be as a duo, made up of the twin brothers Peter and Paul Okoye, but their music lives on. Hailing from Nigeria their music grants them virtually equal fame all over black Africa. After a dramatic year for the power duo, overshadowed by legal fights and hassles, Square Records superstars Psquare have decided to bury the hatchet by sharing this new super hit titled Bank Alert. In their usual style, they harnessed their musical energy to unleash this mainstream anthem by combining a popular story (Local boy does good) with stunning visuals, amazing costumes and a wholesome choreography. Was this made in Lagos, New York or London? (sgs)
Square Records | September 2016

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Lala Belu
Hailu Mergia
The Ethiopian keyboardist Haile Mergia is a master of the accordion, as well as playing the organ and the synthesizer, who started performing professionally as a teenager. He manifested a talent for modernizing folk songs, giving them a more contemporary beat, as well as blending in funk, soul and jazz tunes, lending his music its own unique style. He was one of the leaders of the musical revolution in his country and decided to stop singing in order to forego political censorship during dictatorship that stifled Ethiopian life in the Sixties. His group, the Walias Band, ended up getting the best job in Addis Abeba, become the house band of the Hilton Hotel. Having to respond to the wishes of the hotel guests gave Mergia a wide repertoire. In 1981, he and his band were invited to the United States, and the rest is history. This video tells his story.
Awesome Tapes from Africa | February 2018

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Magic – feat. Lili M and Gaba cannal
Da Kruk
South African dance music and house DJ, radio personality and producer Kutloano «Da Kruk» Nhlapo has had an impressive career that includes time spent on the University of South Africa’s UJ FM as sports presenter, as the co-host of the Weekend Breakfast Show and of a saucy sex show called «The Dip». He’s now at YFM where he produces the drive time show and has been voted YFM’s top producer for the Flava in the Morning breakfast show for three years running. «Da Kruk’s long experience in the media and dance music world make his sets an eclectic experience on the dance floor. Combining hard-hitting afro bangers and hypnotizing sing-along and tribal sounds, he is always delivering a perfect blend of both mainstream and underground tunes.» (Apkpure)
Mamba Productions | March 2019

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Bashiri
Moonchild Sanelly
Psychedelic, kaleidoscopoic, innovative, this video in a genre she calls «Future ghetto punk» was written and is performed by Sanelisiwe Twisha, the South African musician and dancer known as Moonchild Sanelli. She was born in Port Elisaeth on the Eastern Cape and is South Africa’s «Queen of Gqom», a genre of electronic dance music that emerged in the early 2010s from Durban typified by minimal, raw and repetitive sound with heavy bass beats but without the regular rhythm pattern. (Wikipedia) She is a superstar with a flow so unique it’s earned her recent collaborations with Beyoncé, Die Antwoord, Gorillaz, Diplo and Wizkid. Moonchild Sanelly is excited to have the global spotlight on her and take her electrifying music and unique style to an International audience.
Trangressive Records | October 2020

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I am Gqom
Griffit Vigo
From Durban, Griffit Vigo is a real innovator of the Gqom sound. Starting out in 2004 his journey as a musician has produced releases such as the timeless ‘DJ’ EP and global anthem ‘Ree’s Vibe’ on the label GQOM. He is credited with introducing the ‘sweep’ sound to the genre, which he describes as sounding like «the sound of a broom.» «This mix is a fantastic selection of songs, that best describe my process when DJing,» Vigo says. «Taking the listener on a musical journey from the intro, the body of the mix until it finally reaches its climax at my Gqom anthem ‘Ree’s Vibe’!»
«When I was in Durban the first time I noticed that Griffit Vigo was a kind of legendary figure, he’d been inspiring all the Gqom Durban artists for a long time. Nobody knew where he was, but everybody was playing him…» (Nan Kolè)
Gqomq12 | October 2020

Ta Habibi Ta’aia
Lynn Adib & Zeid Hamdan
The voice of Lyn Adib, a musician and singer based in Paris, France, is as pure as it is seductive, and she uses it to bring a new flavor to the traditional and classical music of  Syria. She grew up in Damascus where she was initiated into Byzantine chant. «Later on and during her flute studies at the National Conservatory of Damascus, she discovered jazz and was seduced by the freedom and complexity of it. Thus begins for Lynn a musical adventure where she seeks to meet the traditional Arabic music (Maqâm), the religious songs of ancient Syria, and jazz. In 2009, Lynn moved to Paris where she enrolled at the American School of Modern Music, before pursuing studies in vocal jazz at the conservatory of Paris (CRR de Paris).» (http://lynnadib.com/) Lyn Adib stands in the tradition of singers like Oum Khalsoum or Nusrath Fateh Ali Khan; she is an exceptional talent. (sgs)
Mediterranean Project | June 2019

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The Bewlay Brothers
David Bowie
This ballad was written in 1971 and was intended for Bowie’s first album Hunky Dory, released in 1972. In this remastered version, the young Bowie already shows the charisma, talent and expressiveness that would make him a big star. His sometimes touching, sometimes emphatic voice and inscrutable lyrics paved the way for a whole generation of musicians in just one song. Bowie rarely performed it because, as he said, «There are more words in it than in Tolstoy’s War and Peace.» When asked what the cryptic song lyrics meant, he offered as an explanation that people should imagine that there were various ghosts hidden in the song. The Bewlay Brothers consist of David Bowie, Iggy Pop and David Thurston. In honor of this collaboration, the singer also named his publishing company Bewlay Bros. and often used the name as a pseudonym. (sgs)
BBC2 | London 2020

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Café Exil: New adventures in European music 1972-1980
Various Artists
When David Bowie and Iggy Pop escaped LA to go Interrailing in the mid-70s, they heard a new European music that was largely devoid of Anglo-American rock influence: the German motorik sound, flashes of jazz, experimentation and electronica. In West Berlin, one of their favourite haunts was Kreuzberg’s Cafe Exil, a smoky hang-out for beats and intellectuals. This is its imaginary soundtrack. There is a balance that leans quite naturally towards German artists and the inclusion of a track by Eno that acknowledges both his role as a sonic alchemist and his ability to act as a conduit and conductor for all music that is dictated by mood but not constrained by boundaries. Pretty sensational, actually, with contributions by Rubba, Amon Düül II, Annette Peacock, Brian Eno, Soft Machine, Popol Vuh and others.
Ace Records | December 2020

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Time Outtakes. Previously Unreleased Takes from the Original 1959 Session
Dave Brubeck
«While researching books written to celebrate jazz legend Dave Brubeck’s Centennial, a fascinating discovery was made; there were brilliant alternate takes for most of the tunes released on Time Out, the first jazz LP to sell over a million copies. These newly discovered recordings feature wonderful performances that are every bit as compelling as their famous counterparts!» (Chris Brubeck) Includes previously unreleased takes of: ‘Blue Rondo a la Turk,’ ‘Strange Meadowlark,’ ‘Take Five,’ ‘Three To Get Ready,’ ‘Cathy’s Waltz,’ ‘I’m In A Dancing Mood,’ ‘Watusi Jam’ and ‘Band Banter.’ «Listening to the alternate takes and behind-the-scenes recordings of any classic album will unravel some of its timelessness. But there’s something especially startling about hearing what went into the making of Time Out,» the Dave Brubeck Quartet’s masterpiece, and maybe the ultimate example of a live art form being carved down and mapped out into an impeccably finished product.» (New York Times)
Brubeck Editions | December 2020

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The Lost Chord
Gorillaz ft. Leee John (Episode Nine)
Gorillaz have recently completed their Song Machine Season One: Strange Timez series of videos with ‘The Lost Chord’, inspired by old technicolor monster movies. The colorful animation starts with band members being washed up on an alien shore, where their guest star morphs into a scaly sea monster in chains with as sweet a voice as any. The band tweeted upon its release: «2020 – one of the most challenging years in human history… But somehow, against all odds, with the help of you and the extended Gorillaz family, we still managed to make our own little piece of history. Thanks for your patience, and for believing in Gorillaz.» Gorillaz sound urgent, in a melodious, symphonic and sometimes vaguely threatening way. Fortunately, their furiously unreal sense of humor saves the day, and the ethereal voice of Leee John transports us from chaos to a raptured new dawn. (sgs)
Plastic Beach | December 2020

Make It Rain (Tom Waits Cover)
Spinifex Gum
Spinifex Gum is a musical collaboration between The Cat Empire’s Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill, and Marliya Choir, an all-female, all-Indigenous group from Cairns conducted by Lyn Williams (AM) and choreographed by Deborah Brown. Part protest, part celebration, Spinifex Gum is a deep and affecting musical experience. From Cairns, Queensland, Australia, Spinifex Gum performed this gorgeous rendition of “Make It Rain”, sung partly in the tradition al Aboriginal Yindjibarndi language. It was registered at the Sydney Opera House in January last year. “Musical snapshots of life in the Pilbara, north Western Australia, performed by the voices of Marliya from Gondwana Choirs, singing in English and Yindjibarndi. Joining the choir are Felix Reibl and Ollie McGill and special guests Briggs, Emma Donovan and Peter Garrett.
Released 27 October 2020

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Comida
Elza Soares e Titãs
This must be the funkiest group I have seen in ages! Everybody in Brazil knows Elza da Conceição Soares. With Clara Nunes and Beth Carvalho, she ranks among the best of the country’s samba signer. Here Elza Soares, as she is known professionally, appears in a new video, this time alongside the group Titãs. She sings “Gomido,” by Arnaldo Antunes, Marcelo Fromer and Sérgio Britto, one of the band’s most emblematic songs. In a clip directed by photographer Marcos Hermes, she sings alongside the trio made up of Sérgio Britto, Branco Mello and Tony Bellotto. Stay tuned, and you’ll hear some of the most amazing samba you’ve ever heard. Elza proves again and again that she is a singer for every generation. In 1999, along with Tina Turner she was named “Singer of the Millennium” by the BBC Radio. (sgs)
Odeon, October 2020

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Kali Uchis
Telepatia
We’ll staying with the Latin touch: Kali Uchis, born in 1994 in Alexandria (near Washington) as Karly-Marina Loaiza, is an American singer, known as an indie pop singer, songwriter, music producer, video director and designer. Kali has Colombian roots and grew up both in her country of origin and in the States, singing her lyrical songs half English half Spanish. Her musical breakthrough came in 2012, her first EP was released in 2015, followed by her first studio album, Isolation, in April 2018. Her musical visions condense into a streamlined, smooth and crystal-clearly produced sound, somewhere between Gospel and Avantgarde. Whether Hip Hop, Soul or Reggaeton, this woman has it all. (sgs)
Universal, November 2020

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Because of a Flower
Ana Roxanne
New York-based musician Ana Roxanne’s second record, Because Of A Flower, germinated gradually across five years. She describes her process as beginning with “a drone element and a mood,” then intuiting melody, syllables, and lyrics incrementally, like sacred shapes materializing from mist. Despite a background studying at the prestigious Mills College in Oakland, Roxanne’s music rarely feels conceptual, instead radiating an immediate and emotive aura, rooted in the present tense of her personal journey. She speaks of the flower in the title as a body, singular and sunlit, as many petals as thorns, an enigma beholden only to itself. Because an artist in the spring of their ascension.
Kranky Records, November 2020

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The Sound of DMT – A Sonic Ayahuasca Journey
B. Ashra
“B. Ashra kidnapped us with his new album, The Sound of DMT, into a sonic, shamanic, magical world. Field recordings mixed with shamanic chants, ritual sounds, and traditional instruments meet synthesizer drones and glitches, in this sonic ayahuasca journey. The album is tuned to the DMT molecule according to calculations by the German cosmic sound specialist Hans Cousto. DMT is part of the Ayahuasca brew or tea. Because some players take pauses between the tracks, but it’s actually a 62 minute mix without pauses. Bandcamp offers the entire mix exclusively in a file as a bonus track so that you can enjoy the album without interruptions. The label Klangwirkstoff (Berlin) can be understood as a catalyst in music theory and it deals with the influence of deduced rhythms, resonances and frequencies in nature.
Klangwirkstoff Records, November 2020

Wakeup Calls
Cosmo Sheldrake
London based Cosmo Sheldrake’s music reminds me of the legendary Incredible String Band, and that’s certainly a compliment. I have been waiting for musicians to turn to natural sounds to change the way music is perceived – not just as something man-made but as a feat once taught us by the environment – singing birds, rushing rivers, whistling winds, whispering trees, the thundering sky… Each track is dedicated to a different bird, and we have ample occasion to hear them in the wild. Cosmo is just as radical in his approach to nature as his famous father, Rupert. Nine years in the making, Wakeup Calls has thirteen track and directs us to the wonderful sounds of nature as well as providing a testimony to the vanishing of the natural world. Cosmo Sheldrake lives in a musical cosmos of his own (sgs).
Tardigrade, September 2020

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Cantus, Descant
Sarah Davachi
Sarah Davachi (born 1987 in Calgary, Canada) has released a new album, consisting of live works, realized between 2018 and 2919, for solo electronics, solo organ and organ and chamber orchestra. As a composer and performer of electroacoustic music, Sara Davachi’s work is concerned with the close intricacies of intimate aural space, utilizing extended durations and simple harmonic structures that emphasize subtle variations in texture, overtone complexity, psychoacoustic phenomena, and temperament and intonation. The instrumentation she employs is varied. Next to those mentioned, voice, early Western strings and keyboards, and orchestral strings, brass, and woodwinds, with mutual idioms often layered in tonal counterpoint. Her sound manifests an experience that lessens apprehension of consonance and dissonance in likeness of the familiar and the distant.
Late Music, September 2020

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Ella – The Lost Berlin Tapes
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald (1917 – 1996) needs no introduction. Luck hast it that the lost tapes of the great jazz singer’s concert in Berlin’s Sportpalast on March 25, 1962, recently turned up in the estate of Verve founder Norman Granz, who was also Ella’s manager. Hearing the audience’s enthusiastic reception of her gives me goosebumps, and it is a worthy testimonial to the love and admiration her singing and person garnered around the world. Seventeen standards show Ella at her best, her unique voice and modulation, her charisma, her swing – never to be forgotten. Many songs sound like they could have been the best theme song of any Bond movie ever, and the warmth and devotion of Ella’s public in Berlin testify to an unusual love story. This recording marks one of the sublime highlights in the singer’s career. (sgs)
Universal, October 2020

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Dvergmál
Sigur Rós – with Steindór Andersen, Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson & María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir
«Dvergmál» is the first track to be released from the new Sigur Rós album Odin’s Raven Magic. The Islandic rock band, founded in 1994 in Reykjavik, is here seen playing with an entire symphonic orchestra to produce a dense etheric sound. In the fourth season of the U.S. fantasy series Game of Thrones, Sigur Rós has a guest appearance as a musician at the wedding of King Joffrey Baratheon in the second episode of the original title, ‘The Lion and the Rose.’ There they play an excerpt of their modified version of the song The Rains of Castamere. Composed in the 14th or 15th century Odin’s Raven Music is an Icelandic poem in the tradition of the Edda. The poem recounts a great banquet held by the gods in Valhalla. While they were absorbed in their feasting ominous sings appeared that foretold the end of the worlds of gods and men. Sigur Rós are also producers of their own brand of CBD.
Limited & standard editions, October 2020 (sigurros.com)

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Redemption Song (The Carnival of the Animals)
The Kanneh-Masons
This family orchestra were first discovered on Britain’s Got Talent, and they are truly special. On this album Sheku Kanneh-Mason, who gained greater notoriety for playing at Harry & Meagan’s wedding, collaborates with his six his siblings, all of which play either violin, cello or piano. They are between ten and twenty years old. Sheku, Kadiata, Isata, Braimah, Konya, Jeneba, Amitata and Mariatu were raised in Nottingham, England, by parents Stuart Mason, a business executive, and Dr. Kianatu Kanneh, a former university lecturer. Sehku and his family have been portrayed in a number of documentaries. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b083d749 Young, Gifted and Classical made by BBC Four, will be shown again twice in November.
Decca, October 2020

Deep Dark South
Bendrix Littleton
«Bendrix Littleton is the writing and recording project of Nashville-via-Dallas musician Bennett Littlejohn. The project’s namesake, Maurice Bendrix—the protagonist of Graham Greene’s 1951 novel The End of the Affair—is described by enotes.com as «sometimes an unreliable narrator, for he is so consumed by jealousy, self-pity, self-hatred, and bitterness, that he measures everyone else by himself…[and] confesses that from time to time ‘a demon’ takes possession of his brain. It’s an appropriate moniker for the self-aware, malaise-filled songs of Bendrix Littleton’s debut, Deep Dark South. While in the album is imbued with the contradictions and painful beauty of the modern American South (as opposed to Greene’s WWII-era London), the hazy, solitary narrative voice remains.»
NNA Tapes, September 2020

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Hyper Romance
Jadu Heart
«Jadu Heart, otherwise known as Bristol-based duo Alex Headford and Diva Jeffrey, have always been a bit of an elusive proposition. Last year’s debut album Melt Away moved from trippy-pop one minute to experimental bedroom electronica the next, their sound as hard to pin down as the pair themselves, who preferred to hide behind their masked alter-egos, Dina and Faro. On their second album, Hyper Romance, it’s all change. The masks and monikers have been ditched for distorted guitars and delay peddles. The result is a very grungy take on the ecstasy and tragedy of falling in – and out – of love. Jadu Heart’s romantic vision is full of pagan imagery: the object of their affection a devil with ‘snakes in her hair, rejecting heaven and dancing in the fire.» (NME)
VLF Records, September 2020

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The World is Really Fucked but This Show Will Be Pretty Good
Rachel Lark
A nice piece of trash from Oakland-based singer/songwriter Rachel Lark who is back with a presciently comedic single and video, The World’s Really Fucked But This Show will Be Pretty Good. Featuring toilet paper thrones and an upbeat soundtrack to the apocalypse, it follows the release of ‘The Unicorn Song’ and is the second offering from Lark’s new EP Sex and Balances. She says about herself: «I’m Rachel Lark, and I’m a multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter who has made a name for herself amongst perverts, psychedelic party throwers, festival attendees, and college students. My music is weird, disruptive to the patriarchy, and sexually explicit. That’s why all of my support has come from badass weirdos like yourselves. You’ve given me love, loyalty, and occasionally, your money!»
DU Rec, September 2020

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The Ascension
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens grows on you. On and his first album in five years, the art he works with is alluring, the sound somewhat like a later day version of Jon & Vangelis. There’s an invitation to escape the woes of the world but it also beckons us to relax and let ourselves sink into the day. Just as we do, the tone becomes more urgent so that we soon think we understand that we are being led to some kind of cosmic cataclysm. That’s when things become playful, and the beat goes on to rock us before taking on a more sacral turn. Stevens was born in Detroit. He plays a large number of instruments and has been the recipient of a number of music awards. His eight’s album is positively psychedelic. (sgs)
Sufjan Stevens, October 2020

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Something More Live Performance (Ibiza Lockdown)
Roisin Murphy
Murphy’s distinctive voice and style first rose to fame in the late nineties as a part of the trip hop duo Moloko, together with partner Mark Brydon. She’s originally from County Wicklow in Ireland but moved to Manchester as a teenager. Roisin Machine, the new album this song is taken from, is her fifth as a solo artist. It seems less raw than her former work despite Roisin running around in a sheer green nighty, reminding me of dancing to glam rock in a discotheque, but in soulful way. «The clip for ‘Something More’ is part of a whole series of innovative ‘Live at Home’ videos created in recent months. In ‘Something More’ a camera follows Murphy on her way through the splendor of an empty Italian villa before finally diving into the pool.» (sgs)
Skint/BMG, October 2020

I Know the End
Phoebe Bridgers
In her latest release, the final track of her new album Punisher, LA singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers triumphantly kisses an older version of herself. «Bridgers has rocked the skeleton suit several times over the last few months, but now we’re gifted with an entire room of them, hung up neatly with gray hoodies — dripping wet. A child rolls an apple Bridgers’ way; she takes a bite and drops it to the floor as strangers usher her out. She runs during the song’s chaotic crescendo, picking up a guitar to join her band – including drummer Marshall Vore –at an empty stadium. ‘No, I’m not afraid to disappear,’ she sings over swirling instrumentation. ‘The billboard said the end is near.’» (Rolling Stone) Whatever she sings, she has an incredible voice.
Opaque Red, July 2020

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Hate for Sale
Pretenders
Hate for Sale is the eleventh album of the British-American band. Singer Chrissie Hynde, with her distinctive voice and style, has been the only permanent band member behind this punky rock group ever since the 1980ies, rejoined by her former drummer Martin Chambers in 1994. Produced by Stephen Street, the typical combination of drums, guitar and bass sound like Chrissie has gone back to basics. «She’s sanded its edges to glide onto adult contemporary radio, and she’s flirted with passing trends, but she’s always centered herself with those ringing guitars. Street gives six strings plenty of room on Hate for Sale. Hynde is back playing rhythm guitar, weaving between the leads of James Walbourne, who also co-wrote the album’s ten songs.» (Pitchfork) Most of the tracks are familiar but have been cleverly remastered.
BMG, July 2020

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My Future
Billie Eilish
In this cartoon visualization of her latest song, Billie Eilish brings out her crooner voice to tell us about the future she visualizes for herself – though she does not know where it is going to lead her. She presented ‘My Future’ at the Democratic Convention where she endorsed Joe Biden and encouraged her young fans to vote seeing she is a first-time voter herself. Billie wrote and produced this R&B based ballad together with her brother Finneas O’Conell. It is her first release since the theme song for the new James Bond movie No Time to Die. Having gone through a difficult time, it is encouraging to hear her strike a more positive note here, having somewhat come to terms with the problems of early fame and the fact that it robs her of an ordinary life. (sgs)
Universal, July 2020

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Wonderful
Burna Boy
Born in Port Harcourt as Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, Burna Boy quickly rose to fame after the release of his first single, Like to Party, in 2012. «His grandfather was Fela Kuti’s first manager, and he appears to be following in that legend’s footsteps, as Fela grafted funk on to conventional Nigerian music to become the country’s biggest international superstar. The result is songs that are intricate but still tricky, in the way African rhythms can be, but there’s a comforting palm wine-y warmth – regardless of his almost perpetual fury or often tedious boasting, Twice as Tall is usually more urbane than urban.» (The Guardian) The spectacular video for ‘Wonderful World’ was shot in Nigeria. Superstar Burna Boy’s fifth studio album, Twice as Tall, from which this track was taken, was produced by Diddy and Mana Burna Bose.
Atlantic, August 2020

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Source
Nubya Garcia – ft. Ms Maurice, Cassie Kinoshi, Richie Seivright
Nubya Nyasha Garcia is a British jazz musician, saxophonist, flautist, composer and bandleader. It is a well-known fact that the best of jazz is produced in London these days, and this excellent debut album proves it. Born and raised in North London, Nubya Garcia began playing saxophone at the age of ten. Nine years later, she feels that she has come to accept herself more completely. «There’s that everyday feeling that you get as a Black woman that sometimes people don’t fully see you», she says. «I haven’t always been able to be myself because I’ve been worried about how people will respond to me. But now I feel more empowered—there’s been a really positive movement within myself towards accepting who I am.»
Apple Music, August 2020

Spécial Fête de la musique
Ibrahim Malouf
For this 6th episode of Livestreams and on the occasion of the Fête de la Musique, Ibrahim Maalouf was live from his studio, accompanied by his faithful companion the guitarist François Delporte! «Franco-Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf is also a composer best known for film scores, and an arranger, producer and teacher of improvisation and trumpet. He has achieved success in a wide range of genres, and counts jazz, oriental music and rock among his diverse sources of inspiration. In 2017, he received the César Award for Best Original Music for the film In the Forests of Siberia. His father is trumpeter Nassim Maalouf and his mother is pianist Nada Maalouf. His uncle is the writer Amin Maalouf and his grandfather was the journalist, poet, and musicologist Rushdi Maalouf.» (Wikipedia)
Self-published, June 2020

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Angels and Demons at Play
Sun Ra Arkestra
Saxophone player Marshall Allen is the current leader of the Arkestra, a jazz collective founded by Sun Ra in the 1950s. Le Sony’r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, cosmic philosophy, prolific output, and theatrical performances. Allen assisted in producing, mixing, and engineering of their new album Swirling, which the group recorded in Philadelphia with Jim Hamilton. The band’s longtime baritone sax player and manager Danny Ray Thompson, who died in March at age 72, also appears on Swirling. The album will only be out in October but this is a taste that proves that Sun Ra’s cosmic jazz lives on. (Pitchfork and Wikipedia)
Strut, July 2020

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since i was young
Wrabel featuring Kesha
L.A. singer-songwriter Wrabel has asked Kesha, a frequent partner in crime, to sing on this fabulous nostalgic summer hit. «In the standalone single, Wrabel tells the story of how he became the person he is today, starting from his first cigarette at 16, ‘trying to impress some guy or some girl.’ Kesha sings backup on the song’s chorus. The two friends worked together on multiple tracks featured on Kesha’s 2017 album Rainbow and her latest LP, High Road, released this past January. Wrabel released the extended play One of Those Happy People in September 2019.» (Rolling Stone) Stephen Wrabel (born 1989) went from being a back-stage writer to being one of pop’s unsung talents. His songwriting credits include releases by Pink, Kesha, Louis the Child, Kygo, Backstreet Boys or Ruel.
Pulse, July 2020

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Burnt Umber
Brian and Roger Eno
On their new album Mixing Colours, Brian and younger brother Roger, also a well-known figure in ambient music, «invite listeners to immerse themselves in the infinite space and calmness of their tonal meditations. Like good wine, the material on the album grew over many years. he reciprocal creative process for Mixing Colours started back in 2005 with Roger recording individual synthesizer compositions and fragments of songs he then sent to Brian, who digitally decomposed his brother’s ideas and arranged them in new ways for giving each one its individual sound world.» “The idea for a full album emerged as the number of pieces kept increasing, and the results kept being interesting. It’s something that neither of us could have arrived at alone,» says Roger recapitulating the album’s birth. (Pop Matters)
Deutsche Grammophon, July 2020

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ShadowDance
Josh Rice
My old friend Josh Rice has written a couple of new songs recently. We go back to the early seventies, when we first met at a mutual friend’s house. He was self-possessed and good looking, had come up to Ottawa from New York via Philly, and he played a mean guitar in a band called Fat Fox and the Dirty Sox, accompanied by band member Michael Ziegler and a basist Bobby Finkle. Theirs was a different kind of music then, younger, lighter, less accomplished than Shadow Dance which owes its great graphics and funny storyline to Josh’s daughter Tara Rice. Acid Rock and R&B have always held a big part of Josh’s musical sway, and he was always a great singer whose voice has gained amazing power with age. His ironic play with stereotypes gives the lyrics additional appeal. (sgs)
Self-published, July 2020