"Shark Smile" by Big Thief

Song: Shark Smile
Artist: Big Thief
Album: Capacity
Commentary: Grooooved to this in summer 2k17. Some of my 15 year-olds had trouble getting over the distorted intro of the album version. Sad.

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Nickelus F & Shawn Kemp's "Bathory Motive"

Song: Bathory Motive
Artist: Nickelus F & Shawn Kemp
Album: Trick Dice
Also try:  Lil Ugly Mane, Denzel Curry, Spaceghostpurrp
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"A Mulher do Fim do Mundo" by Elza Soares

Song: A Mulher do Fim do Mundo
Artist: Elza Soares
Album: A Mulher do Fim do Mundo (The Woman at the End of the World)
Commentary: Great album. As per usual, somewhat "non-standard" vocals make me love it all the more. Elza Soares, age 79, makes a great album.

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"I Remember" by Scott Seskind

Song: I Remember
Artist: Scott Seskind
Album: Sky Girl (2016), also Chance (1991)
Also try:  the rest of the Sky Girl compilation
Commentary: A fine song from an awesome compilation by French DJs Julien Dechery and DJ Sundae. "Sarra" and "I wouldn't dream of it" also stood out musically to me (despite how creepy and rapey the latter is). But really, I like this compilation. Well-curated.

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"Frankie Sinatra" by The Avalanches

Song: Frankie Sinatra
Artist: The Avalanches
Album: Wildflower
Commentary: If you read that the Avalanches were an electronic music duo, you would not expect this album. It's heavily samples based with lots of rap, rock, and pop. I really enjoyed it. And this lead single is the most fun.

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"Ima Read" by Zebra Katz

Song: Ima Read (feat. Njena Reddd Foxxx)
Artist: Zebra Katz
Also try:  Cakes da Killa, Le1f, Mykki Blanco
Commentary: Part of the talented, radical queer rap vanguard, Zebra Katz is awesome. This music video is weird, but mostly comprehensible. I'm not sure I understand how Zebra Katz is trying to " empower " the word "bitch," but who knows. It certainly doesn't read as empowering when coupled with the space of fashion shows ... But I guess it's cool that Zebra Katz got that exposure.

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"I am Star Wars!" by Smog

Song: I am Star Wars!
Artist: Smog
Album: Julius Caesar
Also try:  Bill Callahan, Destroyer, Times New Viking
Commentary: I've posted a song by Smog before, but this one is from a different era. With "I am Star Wars!" we get more lo-fi weirdness and less of the marvelously deep voice that is Bill Callahan's. Bill Callahan is part of the Drag City cohort who I count among my favorite musicians (cf. Will Oldham, Joanna Newsom).

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"Crime" by Real Estate

Song: Crime
Artist: Real Estate
Album: Atlas
Commentary: Real Estate are pretty consistently awesome. All of Atlas is lovely.

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"On the Regular" by Shamir

Song: On the Regular
Artist: Shamir
Commentary: I'm writing my dissertation, so posts are rare this year, sorry, all. But still hearing some fresh music, some of it cool. Proof:

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"Harvey" by Alex G

Song: Harvey
Artist: Alex G
Album: DSU
Also try:  Elliott Smith, Built to Spill, Youth Lagoon, Perfume Genius, Modest Mouse
Commentary: On DSU, Alex G manages to evoke echoes of some 90s music that I quite like. Sometimes, he sounds like Elliott Smith; sometimes, the guitar shows Alex G to be a disciple of Built to Spill; and, sometimes, songs will sound like those early song scraps released by Isaac Brock as Modest Mouse. And sometimes, the Alex G take on this 90s amalgamation makes me excited to see what else they’ve got.

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"Chemirocha III" and "Chirombo Noye Nditerere"

Sorry, gang, about the absence. Summer break is now over.

Songs: Chemirocha III
Artists: Unidentified Kipsigis Performers
Albums: I heard Chemirocha song on the compilation Yeti 4
Also try:  other Yeti series, the Excavated Shellac blog, or compilations that included this song including Kenyan Songs and Strings
Commentary: Chemirocha, named for Jimmie Rodgers (half-man, half-antelope) has a good story, read it here: http://excavatedshellac.com/2012/04/04/excavated-shellac-fifth-year-anniversary/.
I've also included another recorded by Hugh Tracey because it's just. so. darn. good. Chirombo Noye Nditerere apparently means "Spirit Listen to Me."

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"Johnny and Mary" by Todd Terje

Song: Johnny and Mary feat. Bryan Ferry
Artist: Todd Terje
Album: It's Album Time
Commentary: This is the stand-out track on a decent album. It’s the best and it’s pretty different than the rest of the disco tracks. Not sure what kind of radio station would play the “radio edit” though, ha.

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"In the Beginning" by Daughn Gibson

Song: In the Beginning
Artist: Daughn Gibson
Album: All Hell
Also try:  Calvin Johnson, Headphones (with David Bazan), Bill Callahan, Kurt Vile
Commentary: I don't know what to say about this one; made my 2012 album list. This song is nice: some electronic sounds, folk influences, deep male voice crooning over pop melodies... Very late 2000s/early 2010s.

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"Hi-Five" by Angel Olsen

Song: Hi-Five
Artist: Angel Olsen
Album: Burn Your Fire For No Witness
Also try:  PJ Harvey, Joni Mitchell, Liz Phair, Julie Doiron, Hank Williams, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy
Commentary: I decided that Angel Olsen sounds alternately like PJ Harvey, Joni Mitchell, an extra in the Carter Family, Liz Phair, what’s-her-name in Portishead…, and Julie Doiron. In the spectac opener to the album, she does all this marvelous stuff with her voice and I definitely intend to practice singing like her. Her first album's great too. Hoping for more great stuff from Angel Olsen. Her Will Oldham collab is encouraging.

Also, great album title, no?

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"track 2" by Dean Blunt

Song: track 2 (feat. Inga Copeland)
Artist: Dean Blunt
Album: The Narcissist II
Commentary: Real easy to just nod your head and chill with this song. Every piece seems carefully placed and not overdone.

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"Jesus was a Crossmaker" by Frida Hyvönen

Song: "Jesus was a Crossmaker" (Judee Sill cover)
Artist: Frida Hyvönen
Album: Crayon Angel: A Tribute to the Music of Judee Sill
Commentary: The original by Judee Sill is also pretty good; she seems like a fairly interesting musician. Frida Hyvönen does a good job with it and is pretty cool herself.

Frida Hyvönen cover Version:


original Judee Sill version:

"Chidori no kyoku" by Yoshida and Kyoko Seifu

Song: 千鳥の曲 (Chidori's songs)
Artist: 吉田 晴風 and Kyoko
Commentary: I thought I had posted a song from my old Japanese song collection. This is one of my favorites. To me, they sound very... non-Western. I get the feeling it's from a different musical tradition, at least (it is). See this site on koto music for details about this recording and other nice koto and gagaku 78s.

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"Dlp 1.1" by William Basinski

Song: Disintegration Loop 1.1
Artist: William Basinski
Album: The Disintegration Loops
Also try:  Brian Eno, John Cage, Steve Reich
Commentary: This is substantially longer than anything I've posted here, but it's necessary. It takes the hour to unfold (unwind, disintegrate). But if you don't like it in the first few minutes, you won't like it any more later. I think it's beautiful, although it helps to know the story (myth?) of how he was digitizing old loops of his as the metal peeled off with each turn. It's a milestone in ambient music, but I'll let you read up on the mythos of this music and Basinski's reflection on how it associates with 9/11.

PS I've also posted this as part of the playlist so you can just let it roll on into the other disintegration loops. Wonderful.

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"Strong Hand" by Chvrches

Song: Strong Hand
Artist: Chvrches
Album: The Bones of What You Believe (bonus track)
Commentary: The choreography of this fitness show is impeccable. The whole music video is just pretty spot on. Plus Chvrches deserve some love here, even if they didn't make my year-end list.
Why don't our fans ever do anything this great for Esteban songs? Just because we don't have any originals?? Or even releases?

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CHVRCHES - Strong Hand (Unofficial Video) from Secret Powers on Vimeo.

"Cherish the Day" by Sade

Song: Cherish the Day
Artist: Sade
Album: Love Deluxe
Commentary: Shuttle driver was groovin' to Sade (shah-DAY) at 5AM. I was drawn in despite the early hour. Nice harmonies, voice. Chill.

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