"Ana Bas Saktalak" by Nancy Mounir

Song: "Ana Bas Saktalak"
Artist: Nancy Mounir with Fatma Sherry
Album: Nozhet El Nofous (2022)
Also try:  Women of Egypt 1924-1931: Pioneers of Stardom and Fame; old 78s of Egyptian music
Commentary: So many wonderful musical traditions around the world. I'm so glad there's so much access to so much of it today. I'm grateful to the musicians and their lineages. Appreciate the musicologists and archivists preserving these histories. And I ALSO love the current artists working from and with older stuff. So this album is dope. Apparently Nancy Mounir is also in a metal band (Massive Scar Era).

Version:

"The Tragic Tale of Bisen Francisco" by Signor Benedick the Moor

Song: The Tragic Tale of Bisen Francisco
Artist: SB the Moor
Album: El Negro (2014)
Commentary: Another excellent Scaruffi find. I don't know how often I disclose in this blog that I find a lot of great material from Piero Scaruffi's lists. He's pretty good with experimental music and stuff that pushes genre boundaries. But yeah, this album is cool and SB makes stuff I'm definitely interested in.

Version:

"Nynex" by billy woods

Song: Nynex
Artist: billy woods (ft. Quelle Chris, Elucid, Denmark Vessey)
Album: Aethiopes (2022)
Also try:  Armand Hammer
Commentary: Billy Woods is great. One of my favorite rappers rapping today.

Version:

"Sister Betina" by Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit

Song: Sister Betina
Artist: Esau Mwamwaya & Radioclit
Album: Very Best Mixtape (2008)
Lyrics that resound: 🎶tibidibidibi doba in the meantime Hibiri🎶 Commentary: One of those that I can't believe didn't make it on here when I posted regularly and was spinning The Very Best like it was going out of style. "Sister Betina" popped into my head today, but they had two solid albums in a row! "Dinosaur on the Ark," "Tengazako," "Kadja Manja" -- all good times (especially if you know the originals from the 00s). I try to sing along (poorly) in Chichewa with some of the irresistible tunes.

Version:

"Siportini" by Daniel Marivate and Company

Song: Siportini
Artist: Daniel Marivate and Company
Release: (1951)
Commentary: More from the South African Music Archive Project. More info here: More info here

Version:

Saa Magni by Oumou Sangaré

Song: Saa Magni
Artist: Oumou Sangaré
Album: Ko Sira (1993)
Commentary: Excellent album. Cool version. I need to take a look at "The Songbird of Wassoulou's" latest output. She's still creating!!

Version:

"Boardwalk" by Negashi Armada

Song: Boardwalk ft. Brittnii
Artist: Negashi Armada
Album: The Silverprint (2019)
Also try: Dean Blunt & Inga Copeland
Commentary: I guess I found Negashi Armada through the Harsh Riddims label. Nice.
Version:

"You'll Cowards Don't Even Smoke Crack" by Viper -- known for imprisoning a woman in his garage

NOTE: Apparently Viper imprisoned a woman in his garage for years. The misogyny (and patriarchy) that are central to society are pretty common in lyrics, but this is pretty clearly another level of awful.

Song: You'll Cowards Don't Even Smoke Crack
Artist: Viper
Album: You'll Cowards Don't Even Smoke Crack (2008)
Also try:  Lil B maybe.
Commentary: Viper has over 1,000 albums. Interesting fellow. EDIT (Jan '24) to remove some laudatory language about Viper's musical weirdness, because, forget him.

Version:

"Blood in the Water" by backxwash

Song: Blood in the Water
Artist: backxwash
Album: I Lie Here Buried with My Rings and My Dresses (2021)
Also try: Others from the Grimalkin Collective??
Commentary: Wow just heard this artist. Very excited for her.

Version:

"Show You a Body" by Haley Heynderickx

Song: Show You A Body
Artist: Haley Heynderickx
Album: I Need to Start a Garden (2018)
Also try:  Waxahatchee, boygenius, etc.
Commentary: Got this album when it came out and I've still been sleeping on it. It's generally nice. With a few *nice* songs (see also "Worth it"). What's Haley been up to lately?

Version:

"Guilty" by Tirzah

Song: Guilty
Artist: Tirzah
Album: Devotion (2018)
Commentary:Some nice songs at the end of this album

Version:

"Don't Shoot Guns Down" & "Free" by Sault

Song: "Don't Shoot Guns Down" & "Free"
Artist: Sault
Album: Untitled (Black is) and Untitled (Rise) (2020)
Commentary: Sault released two cool albums last year: Untitled (Rise) and Untitled (Black is). In researching this post, found out they had another this fall but it was only "available" for 99 days? What?! Membership is unclear but may feature some other musicians I've posted: Little Simz and Michael Kiwanuka

Version:

"Talkin' Like You (Two Tall Mountains)" by Connie Converse

Song: Talkin' Like You (Two Tall Mountains)
Artist: Connie Converse
Album: How Sad, How Lovely (recorded in the ...70s? released in 2009)
Also try:  Kimya Dawson
Commentary: Connie Converse is DOPE. This song isn't one that particularly makes me think of Kimya Dawson, but it's still awesome. CC has an interesting backstory; I hope she found peace.

Version:

"Hound" by Salem

Song: Hound
Artist: Salem
Album: King Night (2010)
Commentary: I really liked Fires in Heaven (2020), but the two dudes apparently did their third trio member (Heather Marlatt) dirty, so, idk. Selfishly, I hope they all make music again.

Version:

Mdou Moctar, Live at the Niger River

Performance: Live at the Niger River
Artist: Mdou Moctar
Commentary: Mesmerizing footage and playing. Love these folks returning to their native soil to shred at sunrise. (a rare artist repeat on this page 😉)

Version:

"Kirikisi (Ekassa 24)" by the late Dr. Victor Uwaifo

Song: Kirikisi (Ekassa 24)
Artist: Sir Victor Uwaifo, PhD
Album: Sir Victor Uwaifo Guitar Boy Superstar 1970-76 (2008) Although, I'm curious when it was originally released
Commentary: Sir Victor Uwaifo died last week! Very sad. Loved that highlife sound of his. This song was my ringtone for years. Guitar superstar indeed. Just reading about his influence rn and smiling 🥲 See also my post on this blog from Dec. 13, 2013.

Version:

"The Mute Wide-Open Eye of All Things" by Kiran Leonard

Song: The Mute Wide-Open Eye of All Things
Artist: Kiran Leonard
Album: Devaraun Shaun (2017)
Commentary: When I was looking up the title, I found out how literary this album is? References to James Joyce, every song devoted to an author. Now I have to read some Clarice Lispector. (this is nice music with piano)

Version:

"Nun's Litany" & "Absolutely Cuckoo" by the Magnetic Fields

Song: "The Nun's Litany" (live) & "Absolutely Cuckoo"
Artist: The Magnetic Fields
Album: Distortion (2008)
Album: 69 Love Songs (1999)
Commentary: Not convinced Stephen Merritt's not on this blog somewhere already... The Magnetic Fields have made such interesting and fun music. Let us not forget Pete & Pete. But these 2 songs are great. This live version of "Nun's Litany", lovely. "Absolutely Cuckoo," a superb song off an excellent album.

Version:

القات - يا راعيات

Song: Ya Raiyat - يا راعيات
Artist: El Khat - القات
Album: Saadia Jefferson - سعديا  جيفيرسون (2019)
Commentary: Solid album.

Version:

"Truth" by Alexander

Song: Truth
Artist: Alexander
Commentary: Heard it on Breaking Bad. I like the singing?

Version: