Baker's Dozen: Hot Chip, Rodeola, and an Old-Skool Tune
Baker's Dozen is a weekly thing for paid subscribers where I share a playlist of music I've enjoyed lately, along with some stray thoughts around that music.
New Pagans, "Yellow Room"
Here's an example of a band I would've expected to break bigger in 2021. There's a lot of appeal in what New Pagans do: They're very capable with hooks in a Paramore-y way, they're able to make a lot of noise too, there's some emo-ish flavor to the music but it's really more situated in the indie rock sphere, they're European but not doing the talk-radio post-punk thing that so many post-Brexit bands love to embrace. Maybe that last part is why their debut was overlooked...oh well. There's always the next album!
Fatima Yamaha, "Bar-Bodega 'That's It!'"
Remember when you'd go catch a club set and there was at least a 65% chance you'd hear Fatima Yamaha's "What's a Girl to Do?" Good times, take me back, etc. Fatima Yamaha has since proven himself to be a one-trick pony in not a terrible way—almost every track he does has that bright, punchy Casio tang to it, but in terms of making the novelty stretch he hasn't run out of road yet. This track sounds very space disco-y to me.
ONETWOTHREE, "Jamais"
Listened to this record without knowing there was a Kleenex/Liliput affiliation, but it makes sense. Speaking of post-punk—feels rarer these days you hear this spartan version of the sound, just some bass and vocals and a drum machine. A good reminder, perhaps, that post-punk contained multitudes and still does.
Capicua, "Fumo Denso - Ao Vivo"
This random cut from a live album from Portuguese rapper Capicua stood out to me when it popped up on a playlist. I listened to the studio version, a collaboration with fellow countryman DJ Ride, and thought it sounded overproduced and weighty—whereas this version has a nice floaty vibe to me that I find way more palatable.
AURORA, "Runaway"
I'm confused as shit about the timeline of this song's release, which first came out in 2015 but then was featured on a compilation EP(?) last year? Whatever, maybe it's not all that confusing. AURORA is one of those artists where I "know" them but I never really know them, one of many whose presence I'm aware of but rarely heavily engaging with their music for whatever reason. Sometimes I end up doing so and it's not a bad time! She just put out a new record, like, last week—maybe I'll like that too, who knows. Anything can happen.
Rodeola, "Game of Numbers"
Rodeola's Arlene is another 2021 album that seems like it was in a lot of people's sweet spots—country-ish, intimate singer-songwriter fare—but didn't move the critical needle in any way. Too bad! It's quite good, Kate Long is clearly a talented songwriter. Feels like someone who could get more attention a few albums from now if they keep it up.
Lindstrøm and Prins Thomas, "Small Stream"
Necessary disclaimer that I did the bio for this record, but of course it's good, these two guys can conjure magic from pure dust. Wish they weren't playing metaverse concerts like the one they did last week, but neither of them are Arcade Fire-level, they most likely need the money. Still ominously bad!
Hot Chip, "Positive"
One of the best Hot Chip songs ever? Insane how this band keeps getting better with age, they feel perpetually underrated by the music critic hoi polloi but I get the sense that real heads know what's up. They will have a good legacy! The "Damn, I guess Hot Chip were really good" tweets ten years from now will really annoy me!
Anthony Naples, "Benefit"
Saw someone say online the other day that Anthony Naples has two perfect songs and this is one of them, I at the very least cannot disagree with the second half of that statement.
Aphex Twin, "Vordhosbn"
This sounded divine while I was listening to Peggy Gou's DJ-Kicks recently, Richard D. James is one of the best to ever do it. So incredible with detail constantly...scientists will study his brain for centuries.
Luke Abbott, "August Prism"
Luke Abbott's latest got deep into the trippy arpeggiated stuff, even for him—and it was another banger in a very reliable discography. We still haven't found a way to describe this type of electronic music that's taken hold in crossover spaces over the last decade: brainy, intricate, melodic, tactile. Post-Caribou, perhaps? I'll work on it.
Miley Cyrus, "Hate Me"
Sad song. I've said this around here before, but it's perhaps underappreciated how Miley can be the type of celebrity to gamely host a New Year's Eve celebration, is an incredible singer who can cover pretty much any song in existence—all crowd-pleasing shit, really, highly effective too—and she's also very good at writing songs about hating yourself and feeling an overall fatalism about your capacity for decision-making. (Just another example of Lil Peep's influence creeping in again, and you can reach even further of course to Kurt Cobain, two people that Miley doubtless admires.)
tUnE-yArDs, "hypnotized"
One of the finest songs to date from Merrill Garbus. Not gonna do the thing again where I yell at all of you for not appreciating her more! Just go listen to more tUnE-yArDs! (Yes, I did the proper styling. Triggered yet?!?!)