Baker's Dozen: Jazmine Sullivan, Spoon, and Last-Minute Likes
Baker's Dozen is a weekly thing for paid subscribers where I share a playlist of music I've been enjoying as well as some thoughts around it. All revenue generated is currently going to the National Network of Abortion Funds. So far, we've raised $1319.25.
PinkPantheress, "Nineteen (Nia Archives Remix)"
Last PinkPantheress remix I'll be sharing for now, promise. Nia Archives went off on Twitter a month or so ago about how she didn't want to be compared to artists who use UK dance rhythms in pop (like PinkPantheress), because she's more of a straight-up jungle artist herself. No lies detected! She still kills this remix, when it comes to jungle Nia Archives just gets it and as a result it's two tastes that taste great together.
Joyero, "After You"
Andy from Wye Oak on the beat. I love this album, it's very reminiscent of the type of indie that was bubbling up from '04-'08, like Menomena's Friend and Foe. This song sounds beautiful and windswept, wouldn't have been out of place on the last Helado Negro either.
Frail Hands, "Holding"
Sometimes the only parameter for a screamo band is "Are the songs good?" Not much else of a way of talking about it beyond that. And these Halifax doods do indeed bring the songs.
Spoon, "Held"
Great lyrics from Britt Daniel here, feel funny and tender and (extreme music critic voice) a slight subversion of the masculine tendencies of rock music itself. I'll admit that from Transference on I've been fairly a la carte with Spoon releases, and most haven't stuck around too much for me. Lucifer on the Sofa feels a cut above the last decade of work by them, but only by a few degrees; the "bad" stuff is the type of sound that I've dreaded them trying, but the "good" stuff (which there's a fair amount of) is potential Greatest Hits Vol. 2 material. Not a bad place to be for a band that's been around for a million years.
Bones of the Earth, "Reclamation"
Part of the way I put these together (have I explained this before? Maybe not, maybe so) is that I crawl through several "Music I Like From [INSERT YEAR HERE]" playlists containing music I've set aside for revisiting from much larger, year-specific playlists. Occasionally I have an album where I'm like, "Why did I even put this here," and I felt that way for most of this Bones of the Earth album. Then I got to this song, and the back half felt pretty sick and much different from what the rest of the record was trying to do sonically. So there you have it.
Jay Som, "Devotion"
Love that Lindsey Buckingham-esque guitar line. I still need to check out that Bachelor record (Donutheads—sorry—know I love Palehound too) but I think Anak Ko was underrated arguably, or at least stood in the shadow of how Everybody Works was received. She's simply so talented and I'm hoping we get some more new music from her soon.
Yung Kayo, "it's a monday"
Extremely unsurprising that I'm into Yung Kayo's thing, which is essentially rapping over production that sounds like a broken Slurpee machine. Yeat is in this category too, of course.
Jazmine Sullivan, "Selfish"
For the most part, Heaux Tales Mo' Tales is your standard "deluxe" reissue, just a few loosies that, honestly, could've been on Heaux Tales without lowering the album's quality but don't feel like missed opportunities the first go-round either. This one stands out though, she really goes off in the back half.
Amulets, "Blooming"
Gorgeously dense and noisy ambient music, this record is simply so good and scratches a specific, Tim Hecker-esque itch that so much ambient these days really just does not. What a gem!
Bridge Burner, "Abyssal"
Some ferociousness from New Zealand, has a really nice bloom to it.
Mariah the Scientist, "Not a Love Song"
Full disclosure, I did Mariah's artist bio around the time she was prepping this record, but they didn't give me this song in advance. I think it's beautiful and extremely well-written, love songs like this that explore a POV as they go along.
Karenn, "On Request"
At this point, you have to imagine that Blawan and Pariah have talked about changing that name, at the very least.
Stormlight, "Nighttime Absorption"
I mentioned earlier how sometimes the only distinguishing feature of good screamo is "it's screamo and it's good," but I think Stormlight have a little something more interesting going on here with their play style. It constantly sounds like the drummer's kit is about to fall apart, kind of a persistently hard-charging style that reminds me of Japandroids a little. I said a little!