WILT_2022-46

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 13 Nov 2022 to 19 Nov 2022.

1. Guide My Steps – SAULT
2. There’s a New Day Coming – Menahan Street Band, Saundra Williams
3. dancing – NEIL FRANCES
4. JGS – Kadhja Bonet
5. Sunny – Biig Piig
6. Sweet Isolation – Oscar Jerome, Kaidi Akinnibi
7. street fighter blues – Yaya Bey
8. I Can Only Whisper (feat. BADBADNOTGOOD) – Charlotte Day Wilson, BADBADNOTGOOD

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-46

Notes

I did not have anything listened to till yesterday. This is likely due to me playing God of War Ragnarök.

However, as I was browsing Spotify, I noticed the new album by SAULT, Untitled (God), and that’s always worth listening to.

It’s a very vibe-y album, and it’s probably more conceptual than previous outings, which does bear multiple listens.

However, things started to fall in after Guide My Steps came on, which is more of a prayer, accompanied by a gorgeous string arrangement. It almost performs like poetry, with a heavy dose of supplication, a posture that is somehow, somewhat lacking in most of our interactions with the world.

From there, it’s a series of songs that were generated by Spotify after the album ended. What I added to the playlist is a sequence of songs that continues this vibe and atmosphere of relaxation and easy moving.

There’s a New Day Coming by Menahan Street Band and Saundra Williams has a tremendous trumpet motif that peppers the jubilation behind the song.

dancing by NEIL FRANCES is a simple relaxed groove that sounds like it was inspired by Jungle.

JGS by Kadhja Bonet is an absolutely gorgeous synth dance tune with a solid bass line playing straight eights and a folksy vocal melody that should not be on songs like this, but here we are. This song is an absolutely masterclass in flourish, taste, and melody.

I added Sunny by Biig Piig because of its honky bass tone and bongo beats. As I listen to music like this, it seems that a new style of bedroom soul-pop is emerging. Who knows?

It was a surprise when Sweet Isolation by Oscar Jerome and Kaidi Akinnibi came on. In this vein, there’s some semblance of shoegaze guitar tones amidst Jerome’s smooth soul voice and demeanor. Accompanying this song is Kaidi Akinnibi’s impassioned saxophone performance, and when the two worlds meet, it’s a new branch of music that synthesises what came over to innovate something new.

I added street fighter blues by Yaya Bey because I was so intrigued by the minimal arrangement. It takes a lot of artistic confidence to present your songs in this manner and I was intrigued enough to bookmark it on this playlist.

I Can Only Whisper by Charlotte Day Wilson and BADBADNOTGOOD reminds me of the kind of music that Carol King used to make. There’s that West Coast sunshine that permeates the melancholia, which makes it even more bittersweet.