What I Listened To: WILT_2023-50

WILT_2023-50

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 10 Dec 2023 to 16 Dec 2023.

  1. Orbmorphia – Portal
  2. Spurs – milkmus
  3. Home Alone – Totorro
  4. Doom Indian – Dead Pioneers

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-50

Notes

This week’s playlist started as a continuation of the previous week’s vibe, but it immediately deviates and ends nowhere near where it started. Orbmorphia by Portal is pure crushing intensity and I would not have minded it continuing down the road, but Spurs by milkmus was brought to my attention through the Cebu indie network as it was just released last week. I’m not sure how Home Alone by Totorro came on, but the punky mid-west riffing appealed to me, and lastly, it was the song Bad Indian by Dead Pioneers that first caught my attention, yet I decided to add Doom Pioneer because the delivery felt a lot more poignant. 

It’s a short one this week but I’d like to take a break and feel the breeze on my skin. If there’s an album to check out, it would be the 2023 album, Dead Pioneers.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-49

WILT_2023-49

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 3 Dec 2023 to 9 Dec 2023.

  1. Kindling – Respire
  2. ego death – foxtails
  3. Tidal Lullaby – Asunojokei
  4. Abandoned & Lost in Time – Gillian Carter
  5. Caldera – Crowning
  6. Out of Existence – Emma Ruth Rundle, Thou
  7. Lake Fantasy – Lantlôs
  8. After You Comes the Flood – MONO
  9. The Particle Noise – Spotlights
  10. Congratulations… You’ve Hit Bottom! – Gospel
  11. Convoy – Frail Hands

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-49

Notes

This week’s playlist came about from me wanting to explore more of the band, Envy’s discography after I watched them play a gig last Wednesday. It had been awhile since I last engaged with Envy’s music and I had forgotten that I enjoyed their energy and brand of emotional hardcore blended with post rock. The band also played an amazing live show, very well coordinated with tonnes for energy.

However, you will find no Envy in this week’s playlist as what caught my attention during bouts of active listening were sounds adjacent to them. From death metal vocal parts, off-time syncopation, deranged blast beats, math rock guitar riffs and atmospheric guitar work, they all come together for an intense and malty playlist to saturate yourself in as you drink yourself numb.

So this week is louder than most, but it is a shot of intensity that has been somewhat missing and it is nice to remind yourself of how brazen life and survival is some times.

By the way, I finished watching the finale of Attack on Titan this week, started playing Baulder’s Gate 3 and there are three more weeks of What I Listened To left in 2023.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-48

WILT_2023-48

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 26 Nov 2023 to 2 Dec 2023.

  1. Somatic – Steven R. Smith
  2. Irreversible Damage – Algiers, Zach De La Rocha
  3. 73% – Algiers
  4. Berlin ’87 – SQÜRL
  5. I Am A Part Of The Wonder – Lonnie Holley, Moor Mother
  6. Elysium Number Five – Sir Richard Bishop
  7. Un œil dans la serrure – Forever Pavot
  8. Rocky Passage – Jeremiah Chiu, Marta Sofia Honer
  9. Death Is a Dream – HTRK
  10. Shallow Where It Should Be Deep – Mark McGuire
  11. Knowing – Trees Speak
  12. Saint Of Fishermen – Six Organs Of Admittance
  13. Today I Learned What Makes Bugs Sick and How To Tie My Shoelaces – Dylan Henner
  14. Running Down the Hill – Domenique Dumont
  15. Étoile – L’éclair
  16. A Single Ray of Light on an Otherwise Cloudy Day – Trans Am
  17. Heavy Cathedral – Damaged Bug
  18. Apokatastasis Pantôn – Deathspell Omega

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-48

Notes

I started compiling this week’s playlist immediately after WILT_2023-47 as Somatic by Steven R. Smith came on just after the previous playlist finished playing. Enamoured by the song’s tonality of burdened hope, this composition will leave you both longing as well as satisfied. 

Next, I revisited the music of Algiers because I was still reeling from Matt Tong not being in Bloc Party and remembering that he was now the drummer of this band. Frenetic and bold, the music of Algiers is a clarion call to surge past the status quo and freely speak your voice and spark action instead of reaction.

Berlin by SQÜRL evokes strong shades of chamber-style post rock reminiscent of Godspeed You Black Emperor! and I am all for it. The guitars are crunched out fuzzy anvils that smash ploddingly into the earth and soon the crust shatters and magma oozes from cracks to burn all in its wake. 

I Am Part Of The Wonder by Lonnie Holley and Moor Mother is equal parts spiritual, groovy, and soulful yet retains a back-alley grime that makes this piece of music so fascinating. I am definitely interested to discover more of both SQÜRL’s and Lonnie Holley’s music after this. 

From here, I am not quite sure how the rest of the playlist took shape but this is where it segues into more short yet purposeful instrumental pieces. Elysium Number Five by Sir Richard Bishop is a wonderful jazz guitar piece whose percussive element comes from a simple latin-jazz chord progression, but it is the lead work that will astound you with its virtuosity and warmth.

‌ Un œil dans la serrure by Forever Pavot is a big beat sample fest transitions to a cathartic and organic synthesiser soundscape courtesy of Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer on Rocky Passage. Death Is A Dream by HTRK follows this and it seems that the group is leaning in more on their newfound approach to dreamy, ephemeral pieces instead of the lo-fi glitchy fuzz that I love them for. Still, this song manages to evoke pangs and longing for some unseen emotion or unmet desire. 

Shallow Where It Should Be Deep by Mark McGuire is a gentle, repetitive guitar riff that will wrap your ears like a breeze kisses the hairs on your calves. It’s so minute yet oddly specific to a particular sensation of peace and calm. Knowingby Trees Speak will then limber things up a bit by introducing some drum parts to this otherwise drumless segment of the playlist although that is short-lived as we go into an acoustic guitar instrumental with Saint Of A Fisherman by Six Organs Of Admittance that does evoke a sort of yearning for the ocean or beach. I can’t say for sure, but it sounds like something you would have heard in an independent short film where the protagonist contemplates something that’s supposed to be a cornerstone of their hero’s journey. 

We’ve heard Today I Learned What Makes Bugs Sick and How To Tie My Shoelaces by Dylan Henner before on WILT_2023-36 as well as the artist Dominique Dumont multiple times on these playlists, which made me wonder just how obvious my biases are particularly toward a particular brand of instrumental music. However the moment was brief because logically, of course I would be biased, and I started journaling this project to be aware of what I was listening to rather than be solely directed by algorithms. 

Étoile by L’éclair is the start of the final stretch in this playlist. The music is starting to get darker and more hazy. In particular, I am unnerved by the instruments passing off as horns or synth pulses. Very unnerving.

A Single Ray of Light on an Otherwise Cloudy Day by Trans Am buzzes into being with a square wave bringing forth the universe and extends into its brief life as quickly as it fades out. Truly wondrous how something so simple as a single tone can be music to my ears. 

Heavy Cathedral by Damaged Bug does sound like some kind of dark simple pop beat that goes nowhere but doesn’t need to go anywhere. In any case, it’s the last bit of calm before Deathspell Omega’s Apokatastasis Pantôn which is a reference to 

An English translation of a draft essay (Αποκατάστασις πάντων) by Leibniz from 1715, in which Leibniz argues for the conclusion: “if humanity endured long enough in its current state, a time would arrive when the same life of individuals would return, bit by bit, through the very same circumstances. I myself, for example, would be living in a city called Hannover located on the Leine river, occupied with the history of Brunswick, and writing letters to the same friends with the same meaning.” [Link]

I don’t really remember how Deathspell Omega entered my orbit. I think I was listening to Horrendous while at work and somehow the music got recommended to me. What definitely got my attention were the bass parts and how it anchored the counter melody as a driving force or motivation to push the plot forwards by being a source of antagony.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-47

WILT_2023-47

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 19 Nov 2023 to 25 Nov 2023.

  1. GIRLKIND – Sinead O Brien
  2. In Bloom – Tony Njoku
  3. Hydrangea (Alt Version) – Tony Njoku
  4. Clouds – The Vernon Spring
  5. Water Cools – Anika
  6. Dogs – Blue Divers
  7. What Can It Take – Alabaster DePlume
  8. A Portrait – Lord Of The Isles, Ellen Renton
  9. Snakeskin Sail – Svitlana Nianio, Tom James Scott
  10. Tema 2 – Pedro Ricardo
  11. Real Talk – Bloc Party
  12. The Prayer – Bloc Party
  13. Coliseum- Bloc Party
  14. Narc – Interpol
  15. Rest My Chemistry – Interpol
  16. I Need Your Love – CHIC
  17. the BLACK seminole. – Lil Yachty

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-47

Notes

You could say that this week’s playlist is rooted in the idea of Bloc Party. You see, the Bloc Party and Interpol concert happened on the Friday that passed, and I was trying to psyche myself up for it by listening to the first two Bloc Party albums. However, I wasn’t feeling too excited by any of it because I think I don’t spend too much energy listless on nostalgia. In the end, the generated playlist featured Sinead O Brien whom I’ve featured on this series before. In fact, GIRLKIND appeared in this post, and I’m reminded of what a great intensity backs the music up.

From there, Tony Njuka’s 2023 album Sketches & Noodles of Bloom was recommended by Spotify to me as a trending listen and I’m glad that I took the leap to listen. Overall, it is a beautiful exploration and development of musical ideas that do not require boxes or genres. In Bloom is an earnest piano recital, and Hydrangea soars as a piano ballad with auto-tuned vocals which makes me even wonder if “singing” was involved.

More instrumental pieces (withs some poetry) await the listener with Clouds by The Vernon Spring, Water Cools by Anika, Dogs by Blue Divers, What Can It Takeby Alabaster DePlume, A Portrait by Lord Of The Isles and Ellen Renton, Snakeskin Sail by Svitlana Nianio and Tom James Scott, and Tema 2 by Pedro Ricardo. This entire section will cradle your weary head and caress soft hair while light bathes you with its simplest touch.

The next section features music that stood out for me while attending the Interpol and Bloc Party concert. I was unfamiliar with some of the song titles, so I used the Google App feature to generate search results of songs based on their melodies. For the most party, it was pretty accurate.

Real Talk stood out because the guitar rhythm was quite hypnotic to me. It seemed unnecessarily complicated in its off-time tempo but that’s what made it engaging for me. The Prayer was one of songs I was looking out for because it still stands as one of the most intense and innovative Bloc Party songs I’ve heard. Particularly the brazen nights that I’ve danced to being “unstoppable”. It was the guitar riff Coliseum that intrigued me about the song. I hadn’t heard this song before so it came as a surprise to me that the band was exploring a heavier sound. One of my gripes about Bloc Party is that Matt Tong was no longer playing for them. To me, he was also an instrumental member of the band because of his signature drumming style. 

Narc by Interpol is such a classic but when they do it live it is a whole new experience. The guitars went through some much compression that the sense of rhythm coupled with near-metronome consistency and the amazing light show made for a wonderful live experience. Rest My Chemistry was another song that I was unfamiliar with but its rhythm guitar work really benefited from the live treatment. An amazing guitar tone that carried the song to new heights for me.

I Want Your Love by CHIC and the BLACK seminole. by Lil Yachty were two songs that played on the PA before each set began. I’ll probably listen to more CHIC because I am starting to re-listen to the work of Nile Rodgers, and I’m a huge fan of the horns and strings that the producers employ. the BLACK seminole. features a hazy production with great instrumental moments, also reminds me a bit of Gaslamp Killer and Clams Casino amongst others.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-46

WILT_2023-46

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 12 Nov 2023 to 18 Nov 2023.

  1. Forlorn Hope – Oceanvs Orientalis
  2. Before the Storm – Santi & Tuğçe
  3. Bending Heretic – The Smile
  4. All Being Fine – King Hannah
  5. Unfold – Melody’s Echo Chamber
  6. Water Table – Cola
  7. Come And Play In The Milky Night (Demo) – Stereolab
  8. Empty Stomach Space Cadet – King Krule
  9. Mystery – Turnstile, BADBADNOTGOOD
  10. Champion – Warpaint
  11. I Inside the Old Year Dying – PJ Harvey

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-46

Notes

This week’s playlist kicks off with Forlorn Hope by Oceanvs Orientalis and Before the Storm by Santi & Tuğçe, both of which I picked out from a Spotify playlist titled Orgánica. I was interested in this particular playlist because I was in the mood for electronic music that had organic elements to it. Both these tracks served that purpose particularly through beats with a slight shuffle. 

The rest of the playlist came from generated recommendations of music like The Smile’s latest single, Wall of Eyes. In this case I selected the second song off the single, Bending Heretic. The song is somewhat slow but carefully presented with gorgeous guitar lead by Jonny Greenwood. The crescendo comes towards the end with a momentous Penderecki-esque swell that goes on for an unsettling length before plunging into an abyssal guitar drop of leviathan groans.

All Being Fine by King Hannah comes next with a swampy blues groove that makes their alt-folk representation of the genre that much more captivating.

I am so in love with the syncopated melody line between the lead guitar and vocals during the chorus of Unfold by Melody’s Echo Chamber. It’s a really simple touch and used only once but it makes the song incredibly memorable.

Water Table by Cola is all about the drum groove that propels the song forwards. It is a sparse yet antsy musical arrangement the springs forth like a running creek of anxiety.

The demo version of ‌Come And Play In The Milky Night by Stereolab plays like wonderful lo-fi rendition of the original. The evocatively saccherine melody remains as the principle motif, but the lack of rhythm elements make this that much more transient and ephemeral. 

King Krule has an unmistakable voice and energy, and the moment ‌Empty Stomach Space Cadet came on, I started following along for the ride. Psychedelic, avant jazz and post-punk all rolled in one fat joint.

I was not prepared for this wonderful jazz rearrangement of Turnstile’s Mysteryby BADBADNOTGOOD but it is something that needs to be celebrated. BADBADNOTGOOD have done an amazing job re-imagining the original hardcore energy into an ethereal transcendental exploration of jazz through flutes and synths, changing the energy at a molecular level yet magically still retaining the DNA of this Turnstile classic.

Warpaint always finds its way into my playlists somehow not because I really like the band, but every now and then they always have songs that satiate an addiction I have to atmosphere, groove and sparse pockets. Champion is another of those instances that takes it time through the song before finishing with an outro of light overdriven guitars and a crescendo of delayed swells.

I Inside the Old Year Dying by PJ Harvey ends of this week’s playlist with a statement of song and arrangement. A short passage just under two minutes but with a haunting melancholy of lyric and steadfastness of song.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-45

WILT_2023-45

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 5 Nov 2023 to 11 Nov 2023.

  1. Lost My Way – Happy Diving
  2. This Is The Coat – The Glands

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-45

Notes

This week will be a short entry because I was playing Like A Dragon: Ishin!instead of listening to music. I was also listening more to podcasts about the history behind the Palestine region and the formation of the state of Israel, as well as some of the milestones behind the decades long unrest in that region. It is a highly complex history with a lot of anxiety and generational trauma and I do not think that there are any easy solutions.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-44

WILT_2023-44

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 29 Oct 2023 to 4 Nov 2023.

  1. Running Off – Tricky, Oh Land
  2. Chills Me To The Bone – Tricky, Marta
  3. Fall Please – Tricky, Marta
  4. Take Me Shopping – Tricky, Marta
  5. Pure Heart – Martina Topley-Bird
  6. Collide – Martina Topley-Bird
  7. Blood – Martina Topley-Bird
  8. High School Poem – The Knife
  9. Lonely Guest – Lonely Guest, Marta
  10. Is That Your Life – Tricky
  11. Working For The Man – Drab City
  12. Armor – Tricky, Terra Lopez, Rituals of Mine
  13. Ambitious – Nelson Can
  14. The Gift – Ishmael Ensemble, Tiny Chapter
  15. Pipe Dreams – Lonely Guest, Rina Mushonga
  16. Orbiting – Fable
  17. Paralysed – Warpaint, Gang Of Four
  18. Overcome – Tricky, Martina Topley-Bird
  19. Circles – Leifur James

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-44

Notes

This week’s playlist was built of the foundation of Tricky and Martina Topley-Bird. The 2020 album, Fall to Pieces by Tricky came into my orbit the week before, but I decided to save it for listening this past week. Tricky was a name that came up in my formative years of music listening though I had not yet developed the nuance to fully appreciate the producer’s sensibilities apart from liking that “dark sound”. However, there’s so much more to it and no one really does trip-hop like Tricky does.

The same way no one really sings like how Martina Topley-Bird does. Most recognisable in some of her collaborations with Massive Attack I am glad that attention has been brought to her solo work as well.

From here, the rest of the playlist continues to brood and trundle along, seemingly in a haze of weariness and lost passions.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-43

WILT_2023-43

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 22 Oct 2023 to 28 Oct 2023.

  1. Ellerin Hani – Kutiman, Melike Şahin
  2. My Everything – Kutiman, Dekel
  3. Shine Again – Kutiman, Adam Scheflan, Karolina
  4. No Reason For You – Kutiman
  5. Fresh Haze – Kutiman
  6. Mix Tel Aviv – Kutiman
  7. Music Is Ruling My World – Kutiman
  8. The Moon (Kutiman Remix Version A) – Morcheeba, Kutiman
  9. The Moon – Morcheeba
  10. Never Undo – Morcheeba
  11. Blaze Away – Morcheeba
  12. Set YouR Sails – Morcheeba
  13. A Kiss Before Dying – Still Corners

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-43

Notes

I have been in recovery this week after my surgery last week to remove my gallbladder. In that time I kept a simple recovery journal tracking the food and medication I took, as well as the frequency and type of poos I was having. If anything, it was a simple way of staying accountable and abreast of what I was consuming and processing out from my body. This was important because while the gallbladder is not a vital organ of the digestive system it is part of the system nonetheless and being able to track either progress or regress was more beneficial than being ignorant of my own recovery process.

In that sense, journalling for anything else probably achieves similar results for those of us who enjoy reflection and self-actualisation. It is a simple tool to provide data for our otherwise meandering minds when they take on a journey of wonderment at how we arrived at certain stages in our life. Of course this applies to this listening project as well, as I was originally curious about both how, what, and why I consumed music and I do feel like a spiritually richer person for knowing this about myself. I do think the next step is the application of this knowledge, but we’ll see how that journey shapes itself it in the future, not today.

I was not actually listening to much music this week as I was quite engrossed in playing Star Wars Jedi: Survivor as I finally had time to sink into this game. However, through Facebook Memory surfacing a video link that I shared more than a decade ago, I was able to discover that Kutiman, the creator of the video The Mother of all Funk Chords actually had a very interesting career and discography. In this playlist, I present some standouts that I came across, and what really caught my attention was his sense of warmth and unity when it comes to presenting his sample-based music. However, Kutiman also has a very nuanced sense toward music production as can be heard in Ellerin Hani and his remix for Morcheeba’s The Moon.

Speaking of Morcheeba, this was also a time to rediscover their music as I was not really into their brand of brit-electronica from the late nineties and early 2000s, but their later discography demonstrates a growth in their musical sensibilities combining influences from dub, jazz, soul and r&b, yet somehow still making it their own. Skye Edwards also looks effortlessly cool in all their photographs.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-42

WILT_2023-42

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 15 Oct 2023 to 21 Oct 2023.

  1. Delusions / Ruminations / Interlude – Alfa Mist, Rachael Ofori
  2. Uncanny – Danny Villarreal
  3. Dark Moon – Okonski
  4. Libre – Ebi Soda
  5. Jab Se Dekha – Srikanth Malladi, Maciej Sadowski, Grey Wacke
  6. Forest – Lowbow, Glowworm
  7. On Love In Times of Quarantine (Maciej Sadowski Rework) – Pablo J. Garmon, Maciej Sadowski
  8. Szeptuchy, Pt. 2 – Lowbow
  9. Tutto passo – André Schoorlemmer
  10. The Peacok – Ceridwen McCooey
  11. Pulsars, Pt 2: Episode 5 – Tomasz Trzcinski
  12. Fulfilled Woman – PenLead
  13. The Partridge – Ceridwen McCooey

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-42

Notes

I was diagnosed with a biliary colic on Monday evening and I’ve been warded at the hospital since Tuesday morning. A biliary colic is also known as symptomatic cholelithiasis, a gallbladder attack or gallstone attack, is when a colic (sudden pain) occurs due to a gallstone temporarily blocking the cystic duct.

I opted for the procedure to remove the gallbladder on Thursday which put me on the adhoc surgical waiting list, which means that today (Friday) is the start of my fourth day being hospitalised. It’s a new experience for me, staying overnight in a hospital, as well as receiving a procedure, but I anticipate that my body will be rather week if I do receive this procedure soon and I need to recover after it. Hence, why I am writing this at an earlier instance.

This playlist was compiled before the attack and features a few tracks from a playlist called Cello and Double Bass, which is also the key component of of Lowbow featuring double bassist Marciej Sadowski, and cellist Malgorzata Znarowska. Beyond that you can also enjoy some lofi jazz and beats, but I do recommend Lowbow for further listening.

I do not really feel like writing much more than this because my body is in some pain and discomfort, and I also think that I would like to get some rest in preparation for the procedure.

See you on the other side.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-41

WILT_2023-41

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 8 Oct 2023 to 14 Oct 2023.

  1. This Is Why (Re: Foals) – Paramore, Foals
  2. tangerine sky – emerger
  3. Hands Up – Poppy Jean Crawford
  4. The Abyss – KNOWER
  5. It’s All Or Nothing Until It’s Everything – KNOWER
  6. Do Hot Girls Like Chords – KNOWER
  7. Aged Eyes – Alfa Mist, Kaya Thomas-Dyke
  8. Forward – Alfa Mist
  9. FLØW -WØLFY
  10. YUM.ME – Mndsgn
  11. When You’re Ugly (Instrumental) – Louis Cole
  12. IX. Don’t Wait For It – The Growth Eternal
  13. Pain and Pleasure (Live Session) – 令晴 Lynn
  14. Saxoo – TBc
  15. – The Growth Eternal
  16. Vamos Pueblo – Pachakuti, young.vishnu
  17. Fly-day Chinatown – 泰葉 (Yashua)
  18. 宇宙 – メカファイター ’87 – EVADE FROM 宇宙
  19. いつかゆられて遠い国 (Itsuka Yurarete Toi Kuni) – 山口美央子 Mioko Yamaguchi
  20. The Visitor – Bicycle
  21. Foundation – Spandau Ballet

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-41

Notes

I am typing this week’s notes out at the airport today and I am feeling a few different ways. This is a solo flight for me to attend a friend’s wedding in Bali. My wife had flown the day before as she was the maid-of-honour, and I had work duties to attend to as the event we are organising is two weeks away, so every business day counts.

On some level, this had always been a romantic notion for me, a writer on the move, writing in lounges and cafes as the world went by and penning down observations and insights into the unremarkable lives of the common soul. But in light of the recent start and escalations of conflicts in the Israel-Palestine theatre, I am suddenly confronted and gripped at how naive my world view can be in times of peace and complacency.

Being a Singapore citizen, I have had the experience of being conscripted for two and a half years, and did my National Service from the age of 18–21, as well as served as a reserve for another 10 years of my adult life. In that time, the lens I viewed National Service through was that it was an inconvenience and took time away from being a civilian and my personal responsibilities and pursuits. Back then, I also had less to lose and more how I wanted to live my life unfettered, which in hindsight now I perceive as naive, that the security to live my life should not have come at a personal cost. But over the time since I have left the service, I have also seen more of how different societies operate, see themselves, and also see others, and I have now come to an equilibrium that peace or security have a cost attached to them, and I do not know whether all of us can afford to pay that price.

I cannot imagine how it must be, to be a non-combatant and suddenly have your life upended by the will of governing powers to inflict pain and suffering on another group of people, as well as to drag surrounding demographics into this whirlwind of turmoil where our individual hopes and dreams ends up being lost in the mob consciousness of analysts trying to understand the will of a collective of people simplistically defined by which side of the line they stand behind. I do not know if there is any coming back from the tragedy where your loved ones are lost forever, and the life you had built lies in ruins as dirt running through your fingers.

So all that is one way that I am feeling, the other has to do with the stress between juggling our personal exigencies with our professional ones. Life has been happening very quickly for me since September and it will be this way till the end of my event at the start of November. I am not here to complain, but rather to provide some context behind why I thought this playlist was not going to happen this week. 

In between packing for the trip, I had also suffered a gastritis attack on Monday night that left me slight incapacitated on Tuesday and Wednesday. Also the dread of going back to a mountain of work soured my mood even more. By this point I was feeling rather dejected that nothing had come onto my radar, nor was I in any mood to listen to music or make any attempt to discover anything. It simply felt like a rut.

To my surprise, when I went back to work and decided I did actually add three songs last Sunday at the start of the new listening week. This Is Why (Re: Foals), tangerine sky, and Hands Up, all of which I added for being absolute indie pop/rock bangers. Then, I saw that Knower album, KNOWER FOREVER was recently released so I decided to check it out. It is surprisingly potent work focus music and I found myself getting into various flow states through Louis Cole’s stellar drumming that sort of sits in the mix like a man trapped in a box but drums nonetheless. It is a very therapeutic sound. The Abyss, It’s All Or Nothing Until It’s Everything, and Do Hot Girls Like Chords all feature top notch musicianship from the band and singers, and I think they’re one of the most interesting bands to listen to in this current period.

From there the rest of the inclusions just flowed. All brilliant yet short productions, but just amazing and intricate musical ideas. Of extra note for me would be ‌IX. Don’t Wait For It and ‌III. Rain Song for Five Bass Guitars by The Growth Eternal. As a bass player these compositions are engaging as they are entertaining, abstract and avant. Tone is celebrated, but so is narrative and structure.

Then comes Fly-day Chinatown by 泰葉 (Yashua) at the recommendation of a friend. I was making a joke about the song title and its lyrics to which my friend responded “It’s too late to re-record this absolute banger,” and I just thought that that’s exactly how we should leave this earth. What a great line. 

Two more Japanese funk pop “city music” numbers came calling, particularly いつかゆられて遠い国 (Itsuka Yurarete Toi Kuni) by 山口美央子 (Mioko Yamaguchi) for having such a great outro passage. 

The Visitor by Bicycle and Foundation by Spandau Ballet were listened to while I was in the plane and re-listening some albums that I had made available offline. The Visitor is pure American rock wizardry with such an infectious groove that it makes you start believing in rock again (If you have ever been disenfranchised.) And lastly, Foundation by Spandau Ballet is such a revelation to me. I mean, I love Gold and True, but man, the groove and danceability on Foundation is spellbinding. The rhythm section is indeed foundational and at such a great tempo which really sets the stage for the flourishes of the synth and saxophone runs, as well as for the backing vocals to really sell the song.

And with that, from feeling one way to another, this playlist still somehow managed to find its way to you. I wonder if it is because of the rhythm that I have set for myself that keeps me somewhat dedicated to still try in some fashion to get these out. It does feel like a combination of both fate and purpose, because I was greatly encouraged that I had actually started before feeling discouraged, that there was still new music to listen to and be inspired by, and also the drive to set time aside to just write. To write until it’s time to stop.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-40

WILT_2023-40

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 1 Oct 2023 to 7 Oct 2023.

  1. Gualainn (Original Mix) – Lord Of The Isles
  2. la route des étoiles – RAMZi
  3. SUBCITY – jus jusert
  4. Maye – Anja Lauvdal
  5. GIOHAL – SOLEX1
  6. Electric Funk – TOAB
  7. 90s Dreams – Flow Clark
  8. Emperor – Dive Reflex Service
  9. WEI / 未 – LI YILEI
  10. All I Need – Lord Of The Isles
  11. A Discovery – Lord Of The Isles, Ellen Renton
  12. Intro – Shed

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-40

Notes

As I come and go,

Never through a window, always by the door.

Watching, waiting, gentle like the wind a presence stiller than air, darker than night and colder than death.

I wanted to start this week’s playlist with the new EP by Lord Of The Isles and Ellen Renton, My Noise Is Nothing, but I needed to sit with it for a lot more time before I could decide how best to approach listening.

Time I did not particularly have to dedicate toward the act of listening as work responsibilities demanded by attention in many other areas other than the luxury of entering a flow state accompanied with just my music.

So the entire EP came and went, one commute after another, one task flowing to the next. The algorithm became a crutch as interesting sound after interesting sound came and went and I hesitantly filed each song for further listening.

But I wanted to build toward something, an understanding of why the collaboration between Lord Of The Isles and Ellen Renton fascinates me so much. Renton’s performative voice is extremely alluring to me as a listener, and has become the vehicle where I want to listen to the words, where lyrics have stopped being commodities in my appreciation of music, but have an added weight now that the form is poetry. 

And thus, this particular journey of listening takes us through realms of ambient soundscapes and closes with A Discovery from My Noise Is Nothing, to help us discover the magical nature of pairing words and music through the abundance of delivery, and how that concept can stir the emotional and mental state of the listener.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-39

WILT_2023-39

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 24 Sep 2023 to 30 Sep 2023.

  1. YUNAGI TSUSHIN (2023 Remix) – S. Kiyotaka & Omega Tribe
  2. Skipping Like a Stone (Extended Mix) – The Chemical Brothers, Beck
  3. Joy (Back on 74) – Jungle, Joy Anonymous
  4. Show Me How (Dark Sky Remix) – Beacon, Dark Sky
  5. Solarpiration – Samaris
  6. Seventies – Spirituals
  7. Free – Joel Culpepper, Tom Misch
  8. Angels Will Fly – Brady Watt, Sauce Walka, Bun B, Royce Da 5’9″
  9. Who By Fire – Skinny Pelembe, Beth Orton
  10. Suite from Sicario: II. Desert Music – Jóhann Jóhannsson, Icelandic Symphony Orchestra, Daníel Bjarnason
  11. Losing My Sense of Taste – Pretenders
  12. The Color of Static – Portable
  13. Love Is Something – CamelPhat, Jake Bugg
  14. Come Together – MEUTE
  15. Ozymandias – Horrendous
  16. Siderea – Horrendous
  17. Stillborn Gods – Horrendous
  18. Cygnus Terminal – Vektor
  19. LCD (Liquid Crystal Disease) – Vektor
  20. The Stranger – Horrendous
  21. Golgothan Tongues – Horrendous

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-39

Notes

We are back to proper programming and this week’s playlist is strong with a good variety of music styles, as well as exciting new finds that I have not had in awhile.

The first part of the playlist comes from Spotify’s New Releases playlist, and what appears here were definitely standouts for me. As a side note, I generally do not listen to this particular playlist because it can get a bit repetitive, but when you leave it going long enough, It is a great way to catch up on new releases by the artists that you follow. What I am saying, is that this list benefits from percolating awhile on its own.

The 2023 remix of YUNAGI TSUSHIN by S. Kiyotaka and Omega Tribe is just a stunning opener with the crisp instrumentation, pulsing synthesisers, and that amazing running bassline that seems to carry the song like a river’s current with Kiyotaka’s voice being the breeze to take you places.

The Extended Mix for The Chemical Brothers’s and Beck’s Skipping Like a Stoneis a euphoric electronic arrangement that will be nostalgic for some, but perhaps unchartered for others.

JOY’s remix of Jungle’s Back on 74 is a brilliant take that adds a layer of dancehall beats and dub to the soulful original. This would have no issue popping up in any afternoon tipple mix.

Dark Sky’s remix of Beacon’s Show Me How is pure techno bliss. I found myself lost in the music as I was commuting by train, or perhaps when I was in a workflow. When things blend so well, you just can’t be sure.

I’m not sure who Samaris is, so I’m not sure how Solarpiration entered my orbit, but it’s an interesting beat arrangement that sounds promising if a little meandering towards the end.

I’m not sure if Seventies by Spirituals is actually some sort of sound healing or therapy that I sometimes find myself putting on, but the vibes and tones were welcomed enough to make it to this list.

Free by Joel Culpepper and featuring Tom Misch is a groovy and soulful RnB tune that features everything you love about Misch’s tasteful guitar playing, a tight backbeat and relaxed bassline while in support of Culpepper’s channeling of Prince-like falsettos to make for a very complete song.

I will admit that Angels Will Fly does sound quite incomplete since it does not come with a beat for about three-quarters of the song, but it does add some sort of tension throughout the song, and some catharsis when the beat does come on. I’ll leave that to you to decide. 

When the motif for Who By Fire came on, I immediately tuned in seeing as how this is classic Leonard Cohen. When the vocals and instruments came on, I checked the liner notes because who would dare, and who did dare? Beth Orton I know, and it would explain the haunting vocal parts delivered with so much confidence and catharsis, but Skinny Pelembe was new to me and I told myself to look out for more of his work if it was as impressive as this cover.

The string arrangements on Suite from Sicario: II. Desert Music were so aching. From the cello melodies, the wood winds and string swells, it all comes together as a gorgeous piece of music. There’s something about the way the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra is able to channel so much melancholy beyond the notes, and perhaps that has to do with the conducting experience of Daníel Bjarnason as he weaves the tapestry of Jóhann Jóhannsson composition together.

From the opening chords of Losing My Sense of Taste, I knew I was in for something special, and the moment Chrissie Hynde’s vocals came on I got really, really excited. Who knew the Pretenders had a new album coming out, and this is such a great opening song with its large open chords to welcome the perspectives of these rock greats.

The Color of Static by Portable doesn’t sound like much at first, or it sounds a little experimental, but I had faith in the producer, and slowly, bit by bit, layer by layer, bleep by bloop, Portable’s classic movement-inducing arrangement is all you hear, no, all your feel. I’ve always found Portable’s music more a feeling, and this is no exception. It’s in the way the sub bass pans in and out, or how the musical notes sit slightly out of time from the shakkashakka rhythm beat. This song really is a colour of static because if you close your eyes and just feel, you just might see some of that colour. 

Love Is Something by CamelPhat and Jake Burg is really something quite special. It’s simple and earnest, but painfully raw, and it will also have you singing along as you agree along to the lyrics. I’m not too familiar with CamelPhat, but it seems like they’re an electronic duo, so I am quite curious what their contribution to this song actually is. Worth checking out as I like things out of left field.

If you’ve never heard MEUTE before, this is a good chance to listen to their unique brand of “electronic” music made with brass and drums. Also known as the Techno Marching band, the music is pure revelry and euphoria, and one that would sound so much better live than recorded.

The next part of this playlist comes in the form of Horrendous and Vektor. Mid-way through the week, a member on the Destiny clan Discord channel that I’m on shared his music recommendation for Horrendous with nothing but an album cover. I was curious enough to check it out and was immediately blown away. 

Playing a brand of progressive death metal, the riffs just keep coming and the energy is just gorgeously old-school with lots of face-melting passes and passages, with the added benefit of complex rhythms and breakdowns. Ozymandias is a great example of this and balances aspects of riffs, solos, and blast beats with a great warm tone that comes from the finer varitels of the metal genre.

Siderea is a wonderful instrumental that reminds me a little of Mastodon, but with a much grander outlook and ability to generate that sensation with warmer tones and musicality versus studio finesse. This arrangement is guaranteed to blow you away.

Stillborn Gods was the song that made me realise that I really liked the band. It is a bit on the more ballad-y or slower tempo side, but that’s a bit of my guilty pleasure when the riffs become absolutely crushing, and you just feel dominated by the musicianship of your superiors.

Listening to Horrendous led to Vektor being recommended by algorithm. Vektor play progressive thrash metal and it shows. They’re speedier compared to Horrendous, but their riffs are equally as brutal. I also like the sci-fi themed artwork and concepts that they have in their albums. Cygnus Terminal is a great introduction to the band from their album, Terminal Redux, and introduces their concept of progressive thrash well. (It’s a long progressive intro, but launches into a frenzied thrash arrangement.)

However, it is LCD (Liquid Crystal Disease) that they really shine. It also has the benefit of pairing SO WELL from Cygnus Terminal. If you are a fan of metal, you’ll fully appreciate the hammer-ons in the solo, but it is the speed demon possessed verse riff that will have your face melted off by the incredible virtuosity presented here.

The Stranger and Golgothan Tongues are other tasters to the other albums by Horrendous. I think if you follow their discography over time, you can actually listen to their development and maturity as musicians. Golgothan Tongues is definitely more put together as a song, whereas The Stranger has great grooves and riffs, but it doesn’t fully share the same maturity of songwriting and arrangements as their latest songs.

This list was great fun to listen to and put together, and I think some of these discoveries are going to stick with me for a very long time.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-38

WILT_2023-38

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 17 Sep 2023 to 23 Sep 2023.

  1. 21:05 – Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm
  2. 23:17 – Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm
  3. 01:41 – Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm
  4. The Grey – TesserecT

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-38

Notes

This week’s entry is going to be extremely short. I had a new intern join our team this week and I have had to do a lot of onboarding, and it has also been incredibly busy at the office because our event is just five weeks away now.

As such, I have not been listening to much music, and when I did need to enter bursts of focus or relaxation, I listened to Endel more than to music. However, when I did desire to listen to music, I was looking for something tonally meditative and musically contemplative, and stumbled upon Trance Frenz, a live improvised recording session between Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm. 

Beyond that, TesserecT also just released their new album, War of Being, and it is a definitely a standout album with intense arrangements and polyrhythms, as well as virtuoso performances by all the musicians and vocal performers.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-37

WILT_2023-37

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 10 Sep 2023 to 16 Sep 2023.

  1. Jukebox – Yussef Dayes
  2. Tioga Pass – Yussef Dayes, Rocco Palladino
  3. Diva – olaedo
  4. Monstera Esqueleto – Ciao Ciao Marigold
  5. 75 – Felipe Tavares
  6. Heavy Metal x DVNO (WWW) – Justice
  7. Stress (WWW) – Justice
  8. Waters of Nazareth x We Are Your Friends x Phantom 2 (WWW) – Justice
  9. Randy (WWW) – Justice

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-37

Notes

I was at a bit of a loss trying to start this week’s playlist because I didn’t really have anything to go on from. The start of last week felt a little musically uninspiring, though that shifted slightly after I decided to re-listen to Yussef Dayes’s 2023 album, Black Classical Music. Music in this vein caught my attention, and we have some smatterings of jazz, funk, and soul for this first half of the playlist.

Then, I wanted to remind myself of the Marathon trailer that dropped about three months ago. [Hyperlink to YouTube video of Marathon Trailer]

I remember being quite awestruck by the creative direction of the game trailer and overall product branding, and the music from the trailer always stood out to me for being both futuristic as well as biologically uneasy. So that’s where Justice comes in because the music from the trailer is from Heavy Metal x DVNO, from Justice*’s 2018 remix album, Woman Worldwide. 

These next few selections are absolute bangers, and a good reminder of how amazing Justice are as producers of electronic music by being able to create an irreplaceable energy that runs through some of their best music. Waters of Nazareth x We Are Your Friends x Phantom 2 is a great example of this, that bassline has always been one of their most memorable to me, and somehow this remix is even more intense than the original.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-36

WILT_2023-36

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 3 Sep 2023 to 9 Sep 2023.

  1. Rothko Chapel 5 – Morton Feldman
  2. Your Lord – Flying Lotus
  3. 856 – Josh Johnson
  4. FALLING RIZLAS – Actress
  5. Blood in My Mouth – DjRUM
  6. There Is No Time (Prelude) – Madlib
  7. Wave II – Elori Saxl
  8. Woodward Avenue – Yusef Lateef
  9. Apoptose, Pt. 2 – Floating Points
  10. Eine Alpensinfonie: X. Nacht – Richard Strauss, Bernard Haitink, London Symphony Orchestra
  11. Blue – Elori Saxl
  12. Floor Position – Perila
  13. Today I Learned What Makes Bugs Sick and How To Tie My Shoelaces – Dylan Henner
  14. Corners – Jason Kolàr
  15. Samara – Ann Annie
  16. Scrub Your Ego – Suso Saiz
  17. Gone for a Wonder – Domenique Dumont
  18. Stuck in Pause – Astrid Sonne
  19. Red Storm – Kelly Moran
  20. Uncertain Instruction – K. Leimer

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-36

Notes

This week’s playlist was born from some sort of escape away from anxiety. I had missed the stirring orchestral arrangements in some of my previous playlists and I sought out that music. Somewhere or another, I came across Morton Feldman’s Rothko Chapel 5 and that laid the foundation for the rest of this playlist.

This playlist is not so much orchestras and symphonies, but more vast and expansive soundscapes that are achieved through both a methodical as well as experimental approach to music. I find the blend between analog, electronic, and digital arrangements immensely organic in this particular outing. Take for instance, Elori Saxl, whose compositions sound like take you on journeys that transcend space and time because of the different kinds of instruments being featured. There is no set dogma for what to achieve save what needs achieving. 

Apoptose, Pt. 2 by Floating Points also shows why the producer is one of the foremost electronic music producers at the moment. There is a tenacity behind its musical arrangement, one that constantly pushes forward with smatterings of new tones and sine waves. Or take the uneasy static of Perila’s Floor Position, so wondrously cradling the breaking psyche as it hushes you to rest.

Today I Learned What Makes Bug Sick and How To Tie My Shoelaces by Dylan Henner is also a gentle stream of arpeggio tones, enough to wait the world by.

Final standouts for me include Samara by Ann Annie, whose delicate and brittle guitar playing fortify the swells of cathartic synthesisers; Scrub Your Ego by Suso Saiz, which almost sounds like a tune-up but turns into brisk walk amidst the quiet of terror; and Stuck in Pause by Astrid Sonne, which is an stark and bold musical arrangement that can give courage despite dwelling on particular anxieties.

All in all, if you are faced with a heavy heart, mind, or soul, perhaps the music found here will help ease or release the things that you are holding on too tightly.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-35

WILT_2023-35

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 27 Aug 2023 to 2 Sep 2023.

  1. Alpine Evening – The Orb
  2. Please Come Here – Jared Mattson
  3. É Preciso Ter Amor – Bruno Berle
  4. Darkness, Darkness – Kieran Hebden, William Tyler
  5. Take – Westerman
  6. Fear of Corners – Dntel
  7. Wickedness – Euphone
  8. Honeydew – Mr. Scruff, Feebi
  9. Nurse! – bar italia
  10. F.O.B. – bar italia
  11. Skipping Like A Stone (featuring Beck) – The Chemical Brothers, Beck
  12. Someone New – Paolo Sandejas, Martti Franca
  13. No. 22 – Moderat
  14. MORE LOVE (Sylvere Remix) – Moderat, Sylvere
  15. O Mexico – Dosh
  16. Unveiled – Hibisc
  17. Sleep Remedy – Sandra Heigl
  18. Drone – Ayala Cola
  19. Mind Storm – Leon Baker
  20. Mysteries – Art of Fighting
  21. Devil’s Tongue – Big Heavy Stuff
  22. Sleep Forever – theredsunband
  23. Return To The City Of Folded Arms – Bluebottle Kiss
  24. Speed Is In, Speed Is Out – Six by Seven
  25. Rudder – Bettie Serveert
  26. Song for a Kevin Spacey Movie – The Bicycle Thief
  27. Metallic Spheres In Colour: Movement 1 (Excerpt) – The Orb, David Gilmour
  28. Gary Ashby (Nourished By Time Remix) – Dry Cleaning, Nourished By Time
  29. Vento a Favor – Sessa

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-35

Notes

I noticed a thumbnail on my Spotify app called “DJ” and clicked on it. A voice appeared and introduced themselves as “Xavier” or “X” and that they were an AI-generated DJ that would be recommending me songs based on how “they” knew me. What was also interesting was that they were also were able to vocalise artist names based off generative AI and the likeness of the voice talent, creating the illusion that a real DJ was on the other end of the programme vocalising their recommendations to you.

Read: Spotify Expands DJ to Now Be Available in 50 Markets Around the World. Here’s How To Find It (8 Aug 2023)

It was bound to happen, and for the moment the AI did introduce some interesting new songs and artists to me. Alpine Evening by The Orb was one great example, as well as Darkness, Darkness by Kieran Hebden and William Tyler, or Moderat’s No. 22. For the first nineteen songs, it was me discovering music that I had no heard before but was entirely in the market for because I was either a fan of the artist, or a fan of the electronic stylings that I was leaning towards. I skipped anything that the AI DJ highlighted as introduced as music that I should revisit from my past listenings. 

The next segment of this playlist starts with Art of Fighting’s Mysteries, a song that I revisited from a Facebook post I made about in 2013, highlighting the bass’s counter melody. From there, it was a straight shot towards an era of Aussie rock that I had glossed over, but what glory it was. The guitar tones and melodies are ripping and unabashedly their own sound, counter to whatever was coming out of American or British music scenes, and the whole thing peels away like another onion layer from the charred ashes of grunge music and alternative rock. A highlight for me is definitely the guitar solo on Song for a Kevin Spacey Movie by The Bicycle Thief, and the the vocal melody to the chorus of Devil’s Tongue by Big Heavy Stuff. 

The playlist closes off with a revisit of The Orb’s intense and purposed brand of house groove featuring David Gilmour’s masterful guitar performance on Metallic Spheres in Colour: Movement 1 (Excerpt), a wonderful no-wave post-punk ditty by Dry Cleaning, and Sessa’s Vento a Favor, a gorgeously-layered Latin-esque sample fest that closes out any afternoon with just the right dose of attitude.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-34

WILT_2023-34

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 20 Aug 2023 to 26 Aug 2023.

  1. Building Steam With A Grain Of Salt – DJ Shadow
  2. Changeling / Transmission – DJ Shadow
  3. What Does Your Soul Look Like , Pt. 4 – DJ Shadow
  4. Giving Up The Ghost – DJ Shadow
  5. Right Thing / GDMFSOB – DJ Shadow
  6. Monosylabik, Pt. 1 & 2 – DJ Shadow
  7. You Can’t Go Home Again – DJ Shadow
  8. Giving Up The Ghost (Original Version) – DJ Shadow
  9. Pretense – DJ Krush
  10. Keep Em Close – DJ Shadow, Nump
  11. Broken Levee Blues – DJ Shadow
  12. Artifact (Instrumental) – DJ Shadow
  13. Backstage Girl – DJ Shadow, Phonte Coleman
  14. The Tiger – DJ Shadow, Sergio Pizzorno, Christopher Karloff
  15. Dats My Part – DJ Shadow, E-40
  16. Border Cross – DJ Shadow
  17. Stay The Course – DJ Shadow, Posdnuous, Talib Kweli
  18. I’ve Been Trying – DJ Shadow
  19. Sad And Lonely – DJ Shadow
  20. Warning Call – DJ Shadow, Tom Vek
  21. Tedium – DJ Shadow
  22. Enemy Lines – DJ Shadow
  23. Going Nowhere – DJ Shadow
  24. Scale It Back – DJ Shadow
  25. I’ll Hit The Breaks – Yppah

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-34

Notes

Listening to The Alchemist last week and coming across Ozone Scraper by DJ Shadow inspired me to revisit DJ Shadow’s discography. My goal was to go through the producer’s discography in a chronological fashion, but I only managed made it to his fourth album.

However, in doing so, I did notice a development in his musicality between 1996–2011. In summary, 1996’s Endtroducing was a phenomenal debut that showcased his deep knowledge and appreciation of different types of music, and demonstrated his ability to splice deep cut samples into actual music, but by 2011’s The Less You Know, The Better, he really comes into his own as a balanced and holistic producer who still features many obscure samples, but with a keener focus on overall songwriting. 

I think it’s worth understanding and exploring when these four albums came out, as well as linking to genius.com to explore the samples used in each track. 

Endtroducing (1996)

The Private Press (2002)

The Outsider (2006)

The Less You Know, The Better (2011)

There were also tracks by DJ Krush and Yppah that stood out in between albums, and I thought I’d give them a shout out over here.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-33

WILT_2023-33

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 13 Aug 2023 to 19 Aug 2023.

  1. Eat More – Ovlov
  2. Strokes – Ovlov
  3. Feel The Pain – Ovlov
  4. Holy Ground – Happy Diving
  5. Grief Motif – Fiddlehead
  6. Problem – Hovvdy
  7. Gazin’ – Ringo Deathstarr
  8. I Wanna Get High To The Music – Pardoner
  9. Gravity – Spite House
  10. Missing – Glitterer
  11. Body – Washer
  12. Caged Dogs Run Wild – Milk Music
  13. Total Loss – LVL UP
  14. Hummingbird – Webbed Wing
  15. Favourite Hate – Weed
  16. B.C. Hope – Toner
  17. Space Ooze – Happy Diving
  18. Anna – Cende
  19. Hallmark – Washer
  20. Fruit – The Berries
  21. Talking Secret – Milly
  22. Nightwalk – Stove
  23. Turnout – Ridgeway
  24. Cherry Plaza – Toner
  25. Hollywood Nightlife – Zock
  26. Collage Pt. 4: Sunset – The Alchemist
  27. The Type – The Alchemist
  28. Departure – The Alchemist
  29. Interlude – DJ Krush
  30. Sound Check – Black Milly, Danny Brown
  31. Troglodyte – Viagra Boys
  32. Weisse Schokolade – Faust, Dirk Dresselhaus, Elk Drapatz, Uwe Bastiansen, Jochen Arbeit, Andrew Chudy, Sonja Kosche
  33. Ozone Scraper – DJ Shadow

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-33

Notes

This will be a short entry but a long playlist of short songs.

I became fascinated with songs that came in under two minutes, and after awhile the algorithm kept serving them to me. 

The playlist starts with Ovlov and halfway through, Happy Diving became the jumping off point for more such entries. There are a few exceptions to the general theme, but it all fits in the spirit of things.

We also see inclusions of The Alchemist and Viagra Boys thanks to recommendations by my wife, and that also created tangents into Faust and the new single my DJ Shadow, Ozone Scraper.

I’m satisfied with how this playlist turned out with all its awesome shortness.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-32

WILT_2023-32

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 6 Aug 2023 to 12 Aug 2023.

  1. Follow Me – M|O|O|N
  2. Open Door (Lusine Remix) – Sky Civilian, Lusine
  3. Formation 2, Revisited (Lusine Remix) – Field Works, Lusine
  4. Woven Ancestry (Lusine Remix) – Max Cooper, Lusine
  5. Coastal Brake (Lusine Remix) – Tycho, Lusine
  6. Blacklist (Lusine Remix) – Pezzner, Lusine
  7. Contradiction (Lusine Remix) – Apparat, Lusine
  8. Workhorse (Lusine Remix) – My Brightest Diamond, Lusine
  9. The Night Will Last Forever (Lusine Remix) – Lawrence, Lusine
  10. Soulik (Lusine Remix) – Deru, Lusine
  11. Origins – Max Cooper
  12. Titan – Disasterpeace

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-32

Notes

I think you will notice a trend for this week’s playlist.

I decided to go down the path that I opened up last week, and that was to pursue the works of Lusine that came about from the remembrance of Follow Me by M|O|O|N.

Thankfully, Lusine had a playlist of remixes that he had done available, and it was a treat to be able to go down this playlist and add the tracks that stood out for me.

It might be safe to establish that I like Lusine’s music, but I think there is also a fantastic variety and discovery of other producers here on this list. Almost every song sounds structurally unique, but there’s a veneer and atmosphere that is also uniquely Lusine. If you are looking for great ways to discover music as well as discovering an artist, look for playlists of such remixes because you get both a breadth and depth of the remixer and their remixed.

There two outside additions to this playlist of remixes, and that would be Originsby Max Cooper and Titan by Disasterpeace. Origins came from the algorithm, but Titan I sought out because I was reminded of the soundtrack to the game, Hyper Light Drifter, that somehow all the music I had heard thus far made me yearn for.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-31

WILT_2023-31

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 30 Jul 2023 to 5 Aug 2023.

  1. Just The Way It Is, Baby – The Rembrandts
  2. Personal Reflektor – Promiseland
  3. Is This It – The Strokes
  4. On My Own – The Rembrandts
  5. You Got The Music In You – The Prproject
  6. Perfume – monopolice
  7. Pleaser – LORY
  8. I Should Probably Go To Sleep – Noa Mal
  9. Happiness is a DEAD Fly – Noa Mal
  10. Don’t Be Nostalgic – Noa Mal
  11. Sleep – Noa Mal
  12. Factory Machine – Noa Mal
  13. Arterial – Lusine

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-31

Notes

We start of with The Rembrandt’s Thats Just The Way It Is, Baby as a follow up from what I mentioned in last week’s notes. The guitar work and musical arrangements were interesting enough, but I’m not sure if the rest of their catalogue was able to convert me into a new fan of their music. There’s also On My Own from their latest album as of August 2023. It’s pretty standard fare, but the melodies were and arrangements reminded me of some Sister Hazel records from the 2000’s and I suppose there will always be a nostalgic spot for that kind of music. 

I also attended the Strokes concert that they played last Wednesday. Promiseland opened for them and Personal Reflektor stood out for me with its dark synthwave sounds and smatterings of art punk. He’s a pretty energetic performer as well, and the routine goes well with the music. 

The Strokes were of course a delight to watch and listen to, although I couldn’t quite enjoy myself because I was still nursing some strained intercostal muscles. Still, when This Is It started playing it reminded me of how innovative their sound was at the time. Combining punk rock and post punk elements, all with a signature nonchalant drawl by Julian Casablancas to create that classic Strokes sound.

From here, the algorithm took over after playing the entirety of Is This It, and lo and behold, a rearrangement of New Radicals’s You Got The Music In You by The Prproject. I have never heard of them, but a stringed arrangement of the song is always a nice bookmark to have.

Next up, Perfume by monopolice was released as a new single on Friday. I had gotten to know some of the band members during my time in Cebu, and I’m still grateful for the experience because it puts me in touch with a scene outside of my local base. And what a joy, because the song and it’s arrangements and delivery is so beautiful. The musicality on this song is so measured, and every flourish and delivery sounds like it is in service to the lyrics. You can sense that every musician was invested in creating a magnificent song.

From here, the algorithm surfaced a few more Filipino acts in my direction. LORY stood out with their crisp indie and shoegaze leanings, and Pleaser is a fine example of this. 

Then came Noa Mal whose music and aesthetic I just got sucked into. I Should Probably Go To Sleep is so non-plussed and warbled and demo-like that I just had to notice. Perhaps that’s what an internet of 20 years or more can do to self-publishing. If you don’t gate access to your art, it really is there waiting to be accessed. In all their songs, I don’t find that they care that much about how they sound, but they just want to get a sound out. Some kind of pure, innocent expression, and maybe for a moment in time as well.

And finally there’s Arterial by Lusine. I was revisiting a track, Follow Me by M|O|O|N from a Facebook memory, and Arterial came on through the recommendations. It was a breath of fresh air because I had not heard the producer’s music for a long time, and I am reminded that I do enjoy this style of electronica a lot.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-30

WILT_2023-30

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 23 Jul 2023 to 29 Jul 2023.

  1. Birdy Bell (Nick León Remix) – SUCHI, Nick León
  2. Running Up That Hill – Placebo
  3. Rolling Down The Hills – Glass Candy
  4. Without You I’m Nothing – Placebo
  5. Sleeping With Ghosts – Placebo
  6. The Bitter End – Placebo
  7. Kyoto (京都) – Mark Barrot

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-30

Notes

I do not have much included in this week’s playlist because I did not get a lot of active listening done. Even so, I am able to place where I stumbled across this week’s entries because I made some notes.

Birdy Bell by SUCHI and Nick León came from a playlist compiled by Ghostly International for the latest releases under their label. After adding this, I thought I would take a more electronic tangent for this playlist, but this is what happened instead:

I came across a joke playlist called Sisyphys Happy and found it very hilarious.

The standouts on that playlist were by Placebo and Glass Candy, and if I’m being curious, I might also check out more of The Rembrandts’s music another time because of how guitar-based it is and there might be interesting songwriting qualities besides the popular understanding of their association with the Friends sitcom.

Well, this then set me down a path to explore more by Placebo because it was always a band I would see being featured in the media of my youth, but I don’t think I was ready to listen to their music then. Ultimately what greeted me was something both dark, sensual, and still with enough frenzy to scratch the lizard part of my brain. Overall, there’s a lot of talent between Placebo and Glass Candy, and I will probably explore more of their discography in the future.

Finally, we come to Kyoto (京都) by Mark Barrot, an ambient piece that I was initially writing off because of the slight cheesiness of arpeggiated bell tone arrangement during the intro, but the underlying pulses of synth and a bright tone that whizzes past every now and then made me recall how amazing the Hyper Light Drifter soundtrack by Disasterpeace so I continued listening to see how the journey would continue and how things would end. In the end, it simply stands on its own with many wonderful ideas, soundscapes and arrangements, and I am glad to have another wonderful electronic producer and artist to listen to and refer to.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-29

WILT_2023-29

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 16 Jul 2023 to 22 Jul 2023.

  1. Skyfall – Sepia Times
  2. Alaya – IONE Morales
  3. Good Fellas – Annie Lux, Exale, XERXESBAKKER
  4. Machine Jr. – Cheats
  5. War Of Being – TesserecT
  6. Doldrum – Kubra Commander
  7. The Now – Kubra Commander
  8. Are You Feeling 18? – Kubra Commander
  9. Kimbal – Good Tiger
  10. Void – Fellsilent
  11. of bliss – David Maxim Micic
  12. Where Are the Birds – Good Tiger
  13. if hope – David Maxim Micic
  14. Mira – The Surrealist
  15. origami – The Surrealist
  16. We Don’t Know What Tomorrow Brings – The Smile
  17. No One There (feat. Julian Casablancas) – Exhibition, Julian Casablancas
  18. Medicine – Clarke, Thom Yorke

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-29

Notes

The playlist started with an exploration of Sepia Times, a band that I had been introduced to while in Cebu. I was told that they were a bit hyper-poppish or drum and bass-y, and while I’m not hearing much of either, it was a great jumping off point for the rest of the list. IONE Morales and Annie Lux were new algorithm recommendations from this particular point. 

I also got to listen to more of Kubra Commander this week, and it’s really refreshing to hear a band execute that iconic Brit-rock sound from the nineties.

Good Tiger was an interesting listen and I was not expecting the hardcore-emo sound to find its way to me. However, it was also very apt seeing as how I attended an Anxious gig, so the music helped prepare me for the gig.

There were also inclusions of instrumental music with David Maxim Micic and The Surrealist, both of which play the instruments with virtuosity and dynamism.

However, a notable discovery for me this week would be No One There by Exhibition. I am definitely intrigued by the musicality of the band and will probably explore more in the coming cycles. 

I’m not really in a mood to write, but that’s also what happens when you keep things to the last minute, and sometimes it really is stifling to creativity, rather than coalescing into a spark of inspiration.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-28

WILT_2023-28

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 9 Jul 2023 to 15 Jul 2023.

  1. Proto Martyr – The Spirals
  2. Bones Don’t Lie – The Spirals
  3. Two Years – The Spirals
  4. A Fine Day For a Swim – monopolice
  5. Just Fly, Don’t Worry – Jungle
  6. Cosmic Bloom – Dumbo Gets Mad
  7. Betamax Format – The Spirals
  8. Stairway – K A N A
  9. First Kiss – Mandaue Nights
  10. Contigo – Kubra Commander
  11. Easy – Sansette
  12. The Song Of Yesteryear – The Geeks
  13. The First Time – The Geeks
  14. Waw Ulam – Ala Ahkbar
  15. Drunk – Cheats
  16. Always – Sheila and the Insects

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-28

Notes

My heart is feeling rather full now. I spent a week and two weekends in Cebu and Bohol with the opportunity to make some new friends, watch some indie music gigs, and also enjoyed the natural attractions of Bohol and Panglau islands, as well as the wonderfully delicious bounty, food, and hospitality. 

Most of the songs on this list are by Filipino bands (except Jungle and Dumbo Gets Mad) that I got to know of during my time in Cebu.

In the spirit of a holiday, I’ll end off this week’s playlist rather than ramble on. Here’s a list of people, bands, or community builders that I came across:

  • Karl (Mandaue Nights, monopolice)
  • Miguel (Monopolice)
  • Intong (The Spirals)
  • Bobbie (Kubra Commander)
  • Vincent Eco (The Sundown)
  • Ching
  • Danny
  • Ky (Renzo sy)
  • Ninyo (K A N A, Ala Ahkbar)
  • Alice Who
  • Sepia Times
  • The Sundown
  • Sansette
  • The Geeks
  • Cheats
  • Project Orange
  • Kubra Commander
  • Mandaue Nights
  • Folding Bed
  • Pawn Records
  • Melt Records

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-27

WILT_2023-27

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 2 Jul 2023 to 8 Jul 2023.

  1. The Pot – TOOL
  2. Lipan Conjuring – TOOL
  3. Lost Keys (Blame Hofman) – TOOL
  4. Rosetta Stoned – TOOL
  5. Right In Two – TOOL
  6. Hole in the Earth – Deftones
  7. Your Skull Is Red – Team Sleep
  8. Youngest Daughter – Superheaven
  9. Downswing – Superheaven
  10. Sponge – Superheaven
  11. Damp – Daylight
  12. Selfish – Daylight
  13. Youth No More – Daylight
  14. The Race – Glitterer
  15. NBTSA – Joyce Manor
  16. Wanter – Glitterer
  17. Ándale – Free The Birds
  18. Duckling Fantasy – Stove

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-27

Notes

For no reason that I can conjure I had a desire to listen to the Tool album that I was most unfamiliar with. 10,000 Days released in 2006 and I was in the final year of university and maybe I was still being blown away by 2001’s Lateralus. I suspect that it’s because the riffs on 10,000 Days were not as bombastic, but with the benefit of maturity, listening to the drone and hypnotism of guitar and bass riffs today reveal that they are equally brutal in their own right, and ultimately serve the song by making it extremely engaging to listen to, particularly when you can feel the nuance of the very instrument, arrangement and flourish. It’s Tool at their best, and it’s consistent on every album that they have released.

As the album ended and the algorithm took over, more sounds from a bygone era filled the air again. Everything sounded similar yet so long ago. This wasn’t who I am anymore, but shades of a painting still in progress. 

I decided to add Hole in the Earth by Deftones because it so rightly captured a tension that you do not find very often. That tension of melody being pulled apart by fuzzy distortion that somehow results in a sound almost being split in two. This tension can also be found in some of songs by Superheaven that I highlight later.

Daylight was also another great discovery that takes me back to my higher energy days as they combined hardcore, emo, and grunge in their delivery.

When The Race by Glitterer rolls around, the playlist lightens up a smidgen. The music is still intense but it isn’t as crushing. Still, the alternative melody is king and songs like The Race just deliver this concept to great effect. NBTSA by Joyce Manor is also another victory in this regards. God damn, that song is just pure intensity and easily one of my favourite lightning in a bottle moments.

We end off the playlist with Ándale by Free The Birds and Duckling Fantasy by Stove, two distinctively different songs yet capture the dissonant and un-normal flavour that I love about alternative music. 

Finally, by the time you read this, I will be in Cebu for a week with Rudi and John. I’m really looking forward to just chilling out with good friends, good music, good food, good experiences, and good conversation. Somehow, I think I won’t be disappointed.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-26

WILT_2023-26

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 25 Jun 2023 to 1 Jul 2023.

  1. Use Me – Grace Jones
  2. Nightclubbing – Grace Jones
  3. I’ve Seen That Face Before (Libertango) – Grace Jones
  4. Demolition Man – Grace Jones
  5. Pull Up To The Bumper (UK 12″ Version) – Grace Jones
  6. Big Muff – John Martyn
  7. Peanut Butter – Gwen Guthrie
  8. Love to Love You Baby – Tom Tom Club
  9. Moody – ESG
  10. Give Me Back My Man – The B-52’s
  11. Deee-Lite Theme – Deee-Lite
  12. Aht Uh Mi Hed – Shuggie Otis
  13. Controversy – Prince
  14. M.P.B. – Womack & Womack
  15. Victor Should Have Been A Jazz Musician – Grace Jones

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-26

Notes

I mentioned last week that I had watched a video about Grace Jones, and I followed up this week by listening to the 1981 album, Nightclubbing. The video in question was The Bass Line That Made Grace Jones Cry by pdbass, and the song deconstructed was Pull Up To The Bumper, and damn it made me pretty interested in Jones’s discography. 

I picked out some of my favourites from the Nightclubbing album, but it was quite difficult because it was oozing with sensuality, raw emotion, and musicianship. 

The rest of the playlist was put together from algorithmically recommended music that were similar to the album. It’s a good mix with John Martin, Gwen Guthrie, The B-52’s, Snuggie Otis, Prince, Womack & Womack, ESG and Tom Tom Club. If there’s one thing that links everything together, I would say that it is a strong sense of groove. The pockets are incredibly tight, something I find missing in contemporary music because the tightness isn’t organic. 

Another wonderful thing about listening to the music from this era, is that it still sounds futuristic. It sounds like an alternate future, where in another timeline, this could be our present. I think The B-52’s Give Me Back My Man exemplifies this. Also, special callouts to that bass line running through an octave on Womack & Womack’s M.P.B, as well as the pure musicality leaking from Prince’s Controversy. That melody during the chorus is spellbinding and so confident to not be used as often as it does.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-25

WILT_2023-25

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 18 Jun 2023 to 24 Jun 2023.

  1. This Isn’t Helping (featuring Phoebe Bridgers) – The National, Phoebe Bridgers
  2. I Inside the Old I Dying – PJ Harvey
  3. I.O.T.A. (Instrument Of The Ancestors) – Georgia Anne Muldrow
  4. Darkeve Duet – Lutalo, Lomelda
  5. One Love – Cleo Sol
  6. So Cool – Reuben James
  7. unhurt – aja monet
  8. Sole Obsession – Nation of Language
  9. We’re Dumb – Salami Rose Joe Louis
  10. Mr. Moon – niquo, Freak Slug
  11. Disorder – Freak Slug
  12. Vine – Glasser
  13. Tomorrow – okaywill

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-25

Notes

It’s been a week since I returned to Singapore but I feel incredibly tired. It’s this report that my colleague and I have been writing and it’s both mentally and physically demanding. In the end, we completed it before the weekend and submitted it to our managers, and I hope that that will be the end of it, and that it was a job well done. 

Listening-wise, it still feels like a continuation of the last two weeks, and after this week I think I am ready to move on. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed each of the tracks that I’ve selected this week, but tonally it feels like I’ve stagnated a little, or it feels like I’ve been eating the same thing for the past three weeks. But, I say that now, and maybe next week’s listening will continue down a similar path, and it would have been what the journey looked like, not what I wanted willed it to be. 

Back to the task at hand, it’s nice to hear The National again, and I think they excel in this sort of waltz-y melancholia. PJ Harvey excels once again in this era of her career and I am all for it. I.O.T.A. by Georgia Anne Muldrow had a killer beat, and Darkeve Duet by Lutalo and Lomeldo was just the most precious arrangement between the two. 

From there, it’s a straight shot of effortless cool by Cleo Sol Reuben James, aja monet and Salami Rose Joe Louis. Sole Obsession by Nation of Language is something uncommon in my playlists, which is a more synth-pop number more reminiscent of the eighties. (Which reminds me, I saw a view about a Grace Jones song this week, so maybe I should explore that next week.)

Freak Slug stood out for me for its very slacker shoegaze, Vine by Glasser also had an incredible beat, and I loved the pop sensibility and baseline of okaywill’s Tomorrow.

That said, I am looking forward to taking some time off work. It has been a particularly challenging three weeks and having some time to myself would be more than ideal.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-24

WILT_2023-24

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 11 Jun 2023 to 17 Jun 2023.

  1. Louis Cole Sucks – Scary Goldings, Louis Cole
  2. Clear Water (featuring Deantoni Parks, Jeff Parker, Sanford Biggers) – Meshell Ndegeocello, Deantoni Parks, Jeff Parker, Sanford Biggers
  3. the devil you know – aja monet
  4. Cantar das Kandakinhas – Pedro Ricardo
  5. for sonia – aja monet
  6. castaway – aja monet
  7. give thanks – aja monet
  8. Mood Swings (Intro) – Jerome Thomas
  9. Bruises – Jerome Thomas
  10. I Gave You – Bonny Prince Billy, Matt Sweeney
  11. Son of Parasol – Lubomyr Melnyk
  12. THE MIGHTY (featuring Ben Marc) – Ashley Henry, Ben Marc
  13. Flylo Tweet – Yazmin Lacey
  14. Theirs13 – JGrrey
  15. Ciao – Georgia Anne Muldrow
  16. Senza Gravità – Marco Bernardis, emil

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-24

Notes

Here I am. 

I am pretty tired, but I’ll to pen some words down, if anything so that I don’t kick it down the road and suffer from a backlog. 

Even though I’ve been kept busy, I also have had some time to listen to music in-between meetings, while commuting, or when I’m back in my room at the end of the day. 

I think I’m currently getting by on two or three hours sleep, and if I keep this up, I am going to have less than five hours of sleep, so mayhaps I should pause or finish this as soon as I can. 

I think I came across I Hate Louis Cole through YouTube and Clear Water because I was searching for another song of a similar name (Johnny Cash’s Cool, Clear Water performed by Tim Blake Nelson), but I ended up coming across an entirely different song by Meshell Ndegeocello.

From here, everything else sort of branched out from listening to Ndgegeocello’s. Coming across aja monet’s craft was spellbinding for me. I have been listening to her poetry performances every morning in the wee hours as I wake up to start my dad by either preparing myself or documents for my work trip. 

And with that, I will say goodbye on this post. It is another exciting week of listening to music, particularly because there is a sort of sensitivity to this week’s playlist. 

I should be in the air by the time this has been scheduled to publish, but I will be back in Singapore in the late afternoon of Sunday to continue with updating social media of this post’s presence.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-23

WILT_2023-23

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 4 Jun 2023 to 10 Jun 2023.

  1. Rust (featuring Tom Misch) – Yussef Dayes, Tom Misch
  2. Ware To Wagami O Nemurasu Komori Uta (Live Ver.) – Hibari Misora
  3. Sun Go Down – John Carroll Kirby
  4. Ikanabore – Pigeon
  5. Gold – Little Dragon
  6. Isn’t It Strange (featuring Thundercat & JD Beck) – Pedro Martins, JD Beck, Thundercat
  7. The Return of Losing It – Audion
  8. Devotion – Arlo Parks
  9. Line of Fire (featuring Sharon Van Etten) – Junip, Sharon Van Etten, José González, Tobias Winterkorn, Elias Araya
  10. Under The Radar (Dan Carey Dub) – Foals, Dan Carey
  11. 2001 (Dan Carey Dub) – Foals, Dan Carey

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-23

Notes

Here they are, eleven tracks that stood out for me in my Release Radar playlist. This playlist was all I was able to listen to this week, and these words might be allI am able to write for this week.

I am travelling to London and Paris for a work trip and I have been busy preparing for it. I travel early Sunday morning, so this post will be scheduled to go out at 8am Singapore time.

Ironically, this is one week where I wish I could wax lyrical on some of the standouts in the playlist. Everything is a strong contender for soul, groove, tone, instrumentation, arrangement and melody. 

Enjoy it while it lasts and see you on the other side. I will be back in Singapore next Sunday evening, and who knows if I will even have the time to prepare next week’s playlist.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-22

WILT_2023-22

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 28 May 2023 to 3 Jun 2023.

  1. Nostalgic Body – CFCF
  2. Model Castings – CFCF
  3. HPHCPH.MMBL – Unc D, Thin Thicket, Damon Soulful Samurai Poole
  4. Living By Faith – Francisco Morales
  5. Count Yer Pace (featuring Kemani Anderson) – Werkha, Kemani Anderson
  6. New Dawn – Dave Okumu
  7. manbagpig – Unc D, Thin Thicket
  8. Agua de Jamaica – Sly5thAve, Roberto Verástegui
  9. The Garden – Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-22

Notes

The hot pink title art of CFCF’s 2021 album memoryland caught my attention and what followed was a spiral into the electronic producer’s mindscape of swirling sounds and textures.

I also revisited Thundercat’s work because I recently learned that he played in Suicidal Tendencies and that just made him even more intriguing to me. However we will not be hearing Thundercat on this list, but maybe some adjacents to his style. I fired up a Jazztronica playlist, and that’s where the rest of this week draws its inspiration from.

Unc D and Thin Thicket are an interesting duo for musical output, and have rather exciting projects in the pipeline.

The synth work on Francisco Morales’s Living By Faith is so syrupy, funky, and groovy that you’ll be making faces with mojitos.

Count Yer Pace is an interesting crossover between footwork and R&B vocals. I think that’s what drew me to it.

I’m digging that bass line on New Dawn by Dave Okumu. 

Agua de Jamaica is a bit of a slow burn, but when the grill gets hot enough, there’s enough heat to cook some grooves low and slow. 

Finally, the guitar solo on The Garden by Unknown Mortal Orchestra is scorching and soaring. Well worth a listen.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-21

WILT_2023-21

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 21 May 2023 to 27 May 2023.

  1. The Dripping Trap – King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
  2. Magenta Mountain – King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
  3. Kepler-22b – King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
  4. Lunes 1 De Abril – The Holydrug Couple
  5. The Narcissist – Blur
  6. Grief – Joe Armon-Jones, Maxwell Owin, O the ghost
  7. This Is The Music – Niki & The Dove, The Greys
  8. Meant To Be – Jayda G
  9. Honest Labour – Space Afrika, HforSpirit
  10. The Three Realms – D.K.
  11. Intimate Advance – Surgeons Girl
  12. Inside – Jonny Nash, Suzanne Kraft
  13. Moonlight – Koreless
  14. Fantas for Electric Guitar – Caterina Barbieri, Walter Zanetti
  15. People On Sunday – Domenique Dumont
  16. Memories – D.K.
  17. Together – Lord Of The Isles

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-21

Notes

I’m not exactly sure where this is going nor am I sure that it’s not going to be the same. 

I started the week listening to an album by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. They release so much music that it’s difficult to follow along, but also there is so much new music to discover every day that I very rarely follow release cycles anymore. 

Still, I decided to add The Dripping Tap for its sheer audacity. It’s the first song of their 2022 album, Omnium Gatherum. It is an 18 minute monster of a song that meanders across styles but all at 80 miles an hour. I think it would have been recorded live for the most part, and that’s pretty impressive all on its own. There are guitar solos and sick guitar riffs that would make any psych-rock fan spin in glee. 

Magenta Mountain follows this monster of a song with a melodic hook and instrumentation that reminds me of Yeasayer’s Madder Red. Meaning to say that it is an indelibly tasty hook.

Kepler-22b is another oddity in the overall universe of King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard. Stylistically, it sounds a lot funkier than what we would used to, but it’s got enough of a laid-back groove that lets you both chill out or dance along. Plus, that bass line is the perfect tone for building bridges across sonic rivers, and the drum just sounds like it could land on any planet and make sense.

From here, the rest of the playlist meanders a little as well. I think I was letting a randomly generated playlist continue for the most part, and we end up with Lunes 1 De Abril by The Holydrug Couple as the only song that sort of caught my attention. I paid some attention to Blur releasing a new singles after god-knows-how-many years. The Narcissist sounds like something a band of their stature would write after not writing together fir god-knows-how-many years. 

There is a beauty in its simplicity, but I’m not sure any other band could pull a tune like this off—In that it would sound incredibly boring. However, if you are Damon Albarn, you already sound tired, and if you’re Graham Coxon, you already sound non-plussed and ironic, so that vibe sells the song A LOT. I’m especially a fan of the simple vocal countermelody afforded by Coxon. It’s sounds like what he would do if this were a Coffee & TV part two. That’s probably the charm of it. The outro is also pretty damn gorgeous with the entire band leading towards a crescendo that lands so well because they are so experienced in arrangements like this. 

Grief by Joe Armon-Jones, Maxwell Owin and Lex Arbor follows this and likely from a similar playlist. It’s a bit weird, but I’m not complaining. The delivery and arrangements are every bit engaging as they are unsettling. There’s a lot of talent on showcase here.

The bass line was what caught my attention for This Is The Music, but imagine my surprise that Niki & The Dove were behind this record. Last I listened to them, they had an incredible indie electro anthem that I spent my youth listening and dancing to, so this is a nice, warm surprise.

Jayda G’s Meant To Be is a groovy and soulful piece with a smooth vibe that seems to channel a bit of Sade, but with a bouncier energy.

At this time, half the work week had passed and I was feeling the effects of being physically tired and stressed. Some decompression was in order, and I immediately sought out Passing and Inheritance by Ellen Renton and Lord Of The Isles, two music and spoken word pieces that I sometimes listen to when I need to transport myself to the highlands, just to get away from the urban density of Singapore. 

As I decompressed, a couple of other songs came into my orbit as the playlist generated itself. Honest Labour by Space Afrika and HforSpirit repay us a visit from WILT_2022-31 and it is gorgeous as usual.

D.K. comes in with two songs, The Three Realms and Memories both of which showcase a beautiful appreciation for beat and rhythm. Not in a showmanship way, but in a confident understated way that respects the flow of music by being the banks that it carves through. 

Intimate Advance by Surgeons Girl is a phenomenal electronic track that perked my ears up and invigorated the tired mind. Truly one of the highlights on this list for me.

Next we enter into a realm of more ambient and minimally electronic music. Jonny Nash, Suzanne Kraft, Koreless, Caterina Barbieri, Walter Zanetti, Dominique Dumont are all clearly masters of their craft and this whole section was me floating down a river of calm, or sitting in the echo of a gorge. 

And then we end on Together by Lord Of The Isles, the producer that kickstarted this whole section. I cannot really put a finger on it, but the music sounds like a rave in a cave, surrounding a hearth where people are welcomed, and people are made to feel safe. Well, maybe that’s what it’s like to belong.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-20

WILT_2023-20

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 14 May 2023 to 20 May 2023.

  1. Where The Angels Go To Die – Memphis LK
  2. shut down entirely – meat computer
  3. OBLIVIOUS – Mild Minds
  4. IDK – Vaarwell
  5. Goatmilk – Goat
  6. Blow The Horns – Goat
  7. not her – Ouse, Allday
  8. You Always Know The DJ – Allday
  9. Stolen Cars – Allday
  10. Swing – Sofi Tukker, Allday
  11. Sure As Spring – La Luz
  12. Up From the South – The Budos Band
  13. No Werewolf – Allah-Las

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-20

Notes

This week’s playlist feels a bit out of phase for me in that I was curious about certain things, but I am also not particularly satisfied with how things turned out playlist-wise. Still if anything, I do intend to keep a documentation of this week’s notes and perhaps various insights can be revisited in the impending future.

I follow the Tik Tok account, @alldaychubbyboy, and he does various dry humour skits with @lilsquishyface whom I also follow. Every now and then, their skits innocuously enter my FYP and then they also very ordinarily leave it. It is so every day, that usually I think nothing of it. Through these interactions, I am also aware that they were involved in music somehow, but I did not particularly know to what extent. I had also always wondered if the two were dating, so at the start of the week, my curiosity got the better of me and I prompted the search engine with my queries. 

Ah, so I did not know that Allday was quite a big deal, and Memphis LK was at the start of her musical endeavours. Where Angels Go To Die sort of captured my attention with its dance-y tempo and arrangements, as well as its rather laissez-faire vocal performance. It is a rather gentle opener to the week I suppose.

From there, shut down entirely by meat computer follows with OBLIVIOUS by Mild Minds and IDK by Vaarwell. 

‌shut down entirely also sorts of vibes in a similar way to the previous song. It is a very soft but also frenetic electronic music piece, whereas OBLIVIOUS comes across as more intentioned and with purpose. Both have their appeals, but it is just curious that you can hear the starkness between them.

I do enjoy IDK by Vaarwell. The soft beats are well paired with the ethereal synth arrangements and vocal melody. The music does take me back to a late afternoon chill session where you can just allow yourself to relax and contemplate.

I then went to revisit Goat, and I did not know that they had put out an album in 2022, so I decided to explore that. Goatmilk‘s wah-wah guitar intro was already hooking me in, but it is the way the guitar accents are on the off-time during the chorus that binds me to a spell. Oh, and that flute solo. I am reminded why Goat is one of my favourite live bands. Blow The Horns is next song on the album and it comes on seamlessly. I would not be surprised if it’s actually an extension of the previous song. I especially love the laid-back groove and fuzz elements in the song.

We then transition to a segment exploring all day. Perhaps this is the section that I am not particularly satisfied by as I alluded to at the start of this entry. I cannot say that I find the music particularly riveting, but I did include a few tracks more out of curiosity and some form of posterity. I can see why music like this is popular, but at the same time I am also reconciling the facet of the person I see on Tik Tok, and the facet of the person I hear on the music.

Allday has a pretty distinctive sound and voice, and he does incorporate catchy hooks while coming off aloof and effortless. There is a certain charm about it all. I think You Always Know The DJ encapsulates this particular mood, and you know what? Despite all that description about chill and relaxed, this is a tight production, one that particularly shines in its musical tensions.

Stolen Cars and Swing each could not be more different from each other. In another realm, Swing could sound cheesy (that intro), but when the beat comes on it does scratch some part of my lizard brain. I always think I am going to hate it, but then I end up grooving along.

Things stayed at a standstill for the next few days and no new music was added until the surf-ish Sure As Spring by La Luz came on. This is followed up by the slightly psychedelic Up From the South by The Budos Band whose trumpet arrangements do add a spicy dash to an otherwise normal sounding song and playlist.

However, the elements of psych and surf combine on No Werewolf by Allah-Las. The music has a bit of a cinematic quality to it and overall it is a decent send-off to another week.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-19

WILT_2023-19

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 7 May 2023 to 13 May 2023.

  1. the ordinary is ordinary because it ordinarily repeats – Jonah Yano, BADBADNOTGOOD
  2. Vanish, Memoria – Shuta Hasunuma, Greg Fox, 石塚 周太 (Shuta Ishizuka)
  3. Kenneth – Little Dragon
  4. (If You Don’t Leave) The City Will Kill You – High Pulp, Daedelus
  5. I’m The President – KNOWER
  6. Overtime – KNOWER
  7. Thinking (Live Sesh) – Louis Cole
  8. More – MAJULAH WEEKENDER, Fauxe, Shye
  9. Junun – Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, The Rajasthan Express
  10. Allah Elohim – Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, The Rajasthan Express
  11. Hu – Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood, The Rajasthan Express
  12. Hyperballad (Live) – Björk
  13. Talk to God – Goat
  14. Words – Goat
  15. Go Your Own Way (Live) – Fleetwood Mac
  16. Tusk (Live) Fleetwood Mac
  17. Utopia Reimagined: house – weish
  18. Ai Cũng Làm Được – Puppy Ri0t
  19. Backslider – Pigeon
  20. Of Schlagenheim – black midi
  21. bmbmbm – black midi

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-19

Notes

Part of the reason I keep these journals is to remember how I access music, and explore how that shapes my listening and exploratory biases. My hope is that this will allow me to have some sort of higher appreciation for the music I listen to, as well as the music I am exposed to, and also understand why I still enjoy the act of listening and experiencing music.

This past week has been quite an interesting journey because I get to share another way I access music with you the reader. When that happens I will let you know.

the ordinary is ordinary because it ordinarily repeats by Jonah Yano and BADBADNOTGOOD came on while I was driving. The saxophone and piano arrangements and solos were spellbinding and dissonant, as if uncomfortable with banality and struggling to break out. Whether they succeed or not depends on your interpretation. 

Vanish, Memoria by Shuta Hasunuma, Greg Fox, 石塚 周太 (Shuta Ishizuka) is a great electronic piece that evokes many spirits of early electronica. They synth arrangements and glitchy drum and bass beats, now paired with a novel guitar arrangement really elevate this music form. According to his bio, Shuta Hasamuna (b.1983) is a Japanese artist and composter. He is the founder of the contemporary philharmonic orchestra Shuta Hasunuma Philharmonic Orchestra, which has performed in numerous concert halls throughout Japan and released the album ANTHROPOCENE (2018).

Kenneth by Little Dragon came on as one of the recommended new releases. Hot dang, this is Little Dragon back to some kind of funky form and I am all for it. Whenever that baseline comes on, I have so much fun with how it swaggers forwards with a sort of cheerful exuberance, and then Yukimi Nagano’s vocals bathe any sort of happiness with sunshine.

‌(If You Don’t Leave) The City Will Kill You by High Pulp and Daedelus sounds like some kind of strange movie dream. There are scenes playing in your head, but they are also very random with no seeming meaning. Musically, the electronic arrangements by Daedelus add a layer of witchcraft in between the landscape that High Pulp have painted. The spores of this electronic genius permeate heavily and oppress the listener with a very uncomfortable dread that I am not sure could ever be replicated by non-electronic instruments.

Okay, this is the point where you the reader can choose how you want to journey the path I walked.

You can either continue listening, or perhaps watch some of the live performances that I fell into a rabbit hole watching. Sometimes on my weekly journeys I meander into videos of music. Sometimes I discover new music, sometimes I am nostalgic of my favourite performances or music videos, sometimes I immersed in the live performance. The takeaway is that music can also take other forms, or there are also other elements that can contribute to the enjoyment of music.

Tusk, Utopia Reimagined: house, Ai Cũng Làm Được, Backslider, and Of Schlagenheim were not watched initially and were added the the playlist in the traditional fashion.

If you choose to watch through the next section, this is the playlist: Hyperlink to WILT_2023-19 Watchlist. I will also be providing notes for the watchlist and then following it up with the rest of the notes for this playlist.

I’m The President by KNOWER came on as a thumbnail featuring Genevieve Artadi in an oversized t-shirt, presented in a somewhat low fidelity video setting. I had seen the name KNOWER somewhere before as well, so I was curious enough to click on it. As I watched, I was mesmerised by the visual treatment, scale of the performers involved, and humour injected into this live performance recording. It was not until the credits rolled that I realised I had heard of Louis Cole, Sam Gendel, and even Sam Wilkes.

This would be the start of a journey exploring music through recorded live performances. I watched through Overtime and Thinking, and by now I was on a high with Louis Cole’s music. I started to think of Singaporean parallels to this producer extraordinaire, and I decided to check out live performances of Fauxe and I came across this performance of More with Fauxe and Shye. After that, I wanted to check out more live performances of Shye, but what also ended up in my search results were the documentations of Shye Ben Tzur, Jonny Greenwood and the Rajasthan Express. Here we would highlight Junun, Allah Elohim and Hu, all of which are spellbinding examples of the coalescing creativity between masters of their crafts.

The creativity of Lous Cole and Jonny Greenwood then set me on search for the creativity of Björk. I remembered that there was a live performance of Hyperballad that she performed at Coachella 2023 that I wanted to watch. However, brilliant as it was, I was actually nostalgic for an arrangement that was closer to what was originally recorded, so I sought that out. From Björk’s costumes, it set me on another nostalgic path to seek out the performances of Goat.

Watching Goat perform live has to be an incredible moment. The shamanistic energy evokes a primal surge to dance, chant, lose yourself in a swirl of consciousness. From the brilliance and free-flowing power of Goat’s music, I then pined for Fleetwood Mac’s music because it was a balance of tight song craft yet it could also derail itself at a moments notice to surge incessantly towards wonderful crescendos. Go Your Own Way and Tusk are wonderful examples of this.

There is a live performance of FOR HiM BiSH this is included here but not in the Spotify playlist because it was included a few weeks back. However, this is one of my favourite performances of the song. The performance is very flawed in that all the singers are quite pitchy, the guitar solo awkwardly finds it footing at the start, but ultimately, this performance is about artists trying their best to achieve something even if they do not. If you are not fussed about perfection, maybe you might understand what I mean.

At the end of this watchlist is bmbmbm by black midi. This discovery was made a few days later after my time in the rabbit hole. bmbmbm was a thumbnail for me, but watching the performance was quite transformative. The musicians and performers were visceral and pained, almost reaching out from the screens though their instruments.

We resume the playlist with Weish’s Utopia Reimagined: house. I had been meaning to check this track out this week ever since learning that she had a new single. Utopia Reimagined: house is a triumph with its bold vocal arrangements and imaginative beats. In fact, it probably is one of the most adventurous arrangements I have heard out of Singapore in a very long while. I am looking forward to more from Weish as she finds the space she occupies on the global music stage.

Listening to Weish made me long for more Southeast Asia representation in music. So I stumbled across a rEmPiT gOdDe$$ mix the NTS Radio Show, Eastern Margins. However, one track really stood out for me, and that was Puppy Ri0t’s Ai Cũng Làm Được. This is a huge gabber track and it is so brazenly obnoxious that it will have you foot stomping along with the beat.

Backslider by Pigeon is a new one. If you remember back when I discovered Pigeon I was in quite the awe. Listening to this, I still am. The groove is smooth but with enough grit to keep it funky. It really is the sensation of eating a creamy blue cheese where it is both refined and vulgar at the same time. Pair with that how you will.

And before we end off the playlist, Of Schlagenheim is really the perfect song to precede bmbmbm by black midi, so I thought to just add that in.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-18

WILT_2023-18

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 30 Apr 2023 to 6 May 2023.

  1. We Don’t Funk – KIRBY
  2. Black Classical Music – Yussef Dayes, Venna, Charlie Stacey
  3. GALILEO – PEDRO
  4. Tayos Caves, Ecuador (Meditation Version) – Jon Hopkins
  5. Hinoki Wood – Gia Margaret
  6. Anxiety – Tim Hecker
  7. Kingman, AZ – SUSS
  8. My Wish is Your Command – Sphaeras, Odradek
  9. Ghost Hunter – Amateur Takes Control
  10. Blue Dream – Subsonic Eye
  11. 末日快車 – The Hertz
  12. No More Lies – Thundercat, Tame Impala
  13. You’re Stronger Thank You Think – GoGo Penguin
  14. Alice Lake – North Americans

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-18

Notes

It was late drive when We Don’t Funk by KIRBY got served. I believe I was listening to Natural by Brady Watt and Melanie Fiona because I was recommending that song to some friends that I was with, and then the radio feature kicked in and KIRBY entered my orbit. 

Black Classical Music is a new track by Yusseff Days and true to form, his percussion work is always so exciting. 

The playlist went through its first deviation with PEDRO’s GALILEO. I believe I was listening to BiSH again, and then this banger came on. Increasingly, I find Ayuni D’s voice and performance igniting. She pulls off this pop punk style pretty well, but I am wondering how much of it is novelty. The band and musicianship is tight and endearing, so I do not want to take too much away with that “novelty” comment.

Somehow we enter a stretch of ambient music. I was commuting to work and maybe I was feeling too tired from the previous two weeks of higher energy music. Tayo Caves (Meditation Version) came on as a recommended single, and I was drawn to it because it was just what I needed at the time. This was then followed by Hinoki Wood by Gia Margaret, Anxiety by Tim Hecker, and Kingman, AZ by SUSS. All of which contained something calming and healing in their music. There is some power in controlling a dynamic, or taking time to feel what needs feeling.

Yet again we come to another deviation. This time, I continued an evening drink by myself after a dinner with a friend at PIU M. As I was spending time by myself, I saw a promo for a radio show programmed by wweish and decided to check it out while nursing my drink. What follows is My Wish is Your Command by Sphaeras and Odradek, and Ghost Hunter by Amateur Takes Control. Both are great examples of highly proficient Singapore bands, all who play exciting and off-kilter rock songs.

Blue Dream by Subsonic Eye came on soon after even if it was not part of the programming. What intrigued me were the beats and ambient arrangements. It sounded like it was going to be an intro to something, but it never happened. So I will treat it as an interlude.

末日快車 (Doom Express) by The Hertz followed, and I was immediately taken by the simple groove and haunting vocal melody. The Hertz are a band from Hong Kong, and this could be an entry point for me into discovering more rock and indie music coming from East Asia.

And then No More Lies by Thundercat and Tame Impala comes out of the blue, and we arrive at a funk and jazz tinged psychedelic pop tune that does not seem out of place at all, considering both artists. In fact, I look forward to more collaborations by the both of them because their sounds are very complementary.

We revisit some of the ambient or instrumental music from earlier, but this time through GoGo Penguin’s You’re Stronger Than You Think. This is a somewhat hopeful-sounding song, but due to the lack of percussion, it is something to just lose yourself into.

And if you really want to lose yourself in a sound, then the timbre of the plucked guitar strings in Alice Lake by North Americans is a good one to drown yourself in.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-17

WILT_2023-17

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 23 Apr 2023 to 29 Apr 2023.

  1. Ptolemaea – Ethel Cain
  2. Rolling Out the Red Carpet – Hail The Sun
  3. Dam That River – Alice In Chains
  4. Bust – Lomelda
  5. The Blue – Acid Bath
  6. Porno Witch – Devil’s Witches
  7. A Sad Cartoon – Loathe
  8. Nervous Habits – Narrow Head
  9. Karma – Raue
  10. flutter – julie
  11. life imitates life – quannnic
  12. snarky – quannnic

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-17

Notes

Ptolemaea by Ethel Cain was a recommended album on Spotify for me last week. I clicked in because the album artwork reminded me of PJ Harvey and Tori Amos, and the name Ethel Cain was intriguing to me because it seemed contain some sort of banal dread. Ptolemaea is a reference to Dante’s Inferno, a place in hell designated for traitors against guests in their home. Cain has a unique perspective that lends to her craft and performance, and a welcome contribution to song form.

Rolling Out the Red Carpet by Hail The Sun came on next and I think the 6/8 timing made it an interesting listen when I first included it, but now I am glad that it is a short song. No shade, the intensity is increased because it is a burst of energy that gets the job done before it becomes work. 

I sought out Alice In Chains after a conversation with a friend and we were reminiscing about the nineties grunge scene. That evening I put on some of their earlier albums and was reminded how innovative their grooves and riffs are. Dam That River highlights a lot of the strong suits of the band. Powerful vocals and gnarly lyrics that are pushed ahead by a guitar riffs and tones that sound like they were fuelled by environmentally unsafe propellants. Somehow, that is the way I like it when it comes to rock music, a bit like eating the burnt ends at the barbecue. 

At this point I thought that the playlist would take on a more grunge vibe, but Bust by Lomelda came on and I thought I had added her music to these playlists before but I had not. Bust has a simplicity and efficiency behind the song craft and arrangement, but it is the tinge of melancholia in the lyrics and performance that makes it spellbinding to me.

What stood out for me in The Blue was obviously the gnarly basslines, but the more I listen to it, is the elements of black metal, grunge, and hardcore music that make for a very unique listen. The lyrics are very crusty, but sold so well by Dax David Riggs’s uninhibited performance and energy. 

So, The Blue came on because I was actively searching for music that sounded more like Alice In Chains. Spotify’s algorithm was definitely not cutting it because it was suggesting bands that were equally as famous as them and I had heard most of them already. So good old fashioned skulking on forums and music blogs was one way to find bands like Acid Bath, where the knowledge is not just retained by humans still alive, but also recommended with a passion because they so strongly believe in the connection within their own neural net, rather than a synthetic neural net that has not yet achieved its own sense of self. But perhaps this should be a discussion for another time.

I did rely on an a recommendation engine right after The Blue, so that also shows you the power and speed in which these recommendation engines can potentially adjust themselves. It is both terrifying at how quickly they adapt, yet also astounding how our organic minds will have access to even more relevant or new information with the assistance of AI.

Porno Witches by Devil’s Witches came on next and I was hesitant to include something from the stoner rock genre, yet when the guitar solo came on, fully backed by a bass playing straight eights, this was not your typical green journey and somehow incorporated some of that nineties alternative grunge magic.

A Sad Cartoon by Loathe sounds like a mix between Deftness and Legionnaire. The big riff during the chorus is so much fun to listen to and reminds me that rock music can still be massive and sensitive all at once.

From here on in, the algorithm started recommending a bunch of fairly recent songs that reference the early-to-mid-nineties grunge and alternative sound. Nervous Habits by Narrow Head does sound like a throwback to Nirvana, but with a more crushing guitar tone. Karma by Raue is high frenetic energy by a two-piece and I am here all day for this outpouring of energy and earnestness. That vocal melody is sick as well, and the guitar counter-melodies work so well to make the song interesting to listen to. I am definitely looking forward to see what more bands like this will put out.

Go check out the bio written by juliejulie on their Spotify profile. It is a very telling trend I have noticed about the current youth generation, and how post-modernism and post-truth is more easily accepted and presented as an art form or expression. Still, flutter is a banger and I love how the guitars and bass sound, almost as if they were double-tracked together. It adds a certain zing and depth to the overall tone, rather than your typical lo-fi rock songs.

quannnic rounds out this playlist. life imitates art does take me back to when I first tried to play Deftone’s Digital Bath, but also tried to make my own thing with it. However I think it is snarky where I think quannnic’s sound really does take shape and shines, however not in a literal way. Tonally, everything is squashed and flat, and I do not know if it is by intent or design, or by limitation. I will assume that there is some sort of design because I think the tone does add to the expression, a sort of hazy and meandering searching for meaning. I am also happy to include it into the list because I do enjoy how the chorus sounds instrumentally. I like how the lead guitars are sitting under the overall chord structure rather than over it, and it does achieve a sort of murky undercurrent which seems to be a general theme in the music.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-16

WILT_2023-16

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 16 Apr 2023 to 22 Apr 2023.

  1. Ashufak Shay (feat. Rashid Al Najjar) – Dudu Tassa, Jonny Greenwood, Rashid Al Najjar
  2. Desert Swing – Karim Ziad, Majid Bekkas, Manuel Hermia, Michael Hornek, Mustafa Antari
  3. Ala Rahtik – Clarissa Bitar
  4. Crazy Oud – Rock Records
  5. Ya 3en La Tebkin – Ghinwa
  6. Lagon JUGAG Slendro Manyura (Tumrap Salebeting Jejeran Ratu) – KHP Kridhamardawa Karaton Ngayogyakarta Hadiningrat
  7. Carledon Loch – Freya Jackson
  8. Ayour – Driss El Maloumi
  9. Laouni – Imarhan
  10. Dalila – Aida Nosrat, Arat Kilo, Mamani Keïta, Rusan Filiztek, Siar Hashimi, Sogol Mirzaei
  11. Reverse Healing – Sainkho Namtchylak
  12. Òtítọ́ Ti Jáde – Dele Sosimi, The Estuary 21
  13. Chala Vahi Des – Jonny Greenwood, Shye Ben Tzur, The Rajasthan Express
  14. Le coin D – Driss El Maloumi
  15. Latlal – Mariem Hassan
  16. Salty Road Dogs Victory Anthem – Alabaster DePlume
  17. Midnight Blue – Sainkho Namtchylak
  18. Tabali te – Bassekou Kouyate, Ngoni ba
  19. Intoxication – Shye Ben Tzur

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-16

Notes

I started this week with a recommendation to check out Ashufak Shay by Dudu Tessa, Jonny Greenwood, and Rashid Al Najjar. From there, I decided to see where this initial listen would take me, and like a river of wonders the journey has been nothing short of exceptional. 

It is an incredible blessing that the music covered in this journey and playlist can cover continents, archipelagos, and regions in countries like Israel, Tuareg, India, Mongolia, Indonesia, and the Western Sahara amongst others.

I do not want to comment about each song because I feel like this is relatively new territory for me, and I hesitate to speak out of turn. But if anything, the percussion, melodies and instruments (like the Oud) are fresh voices in my ear, yet they might be something as entrenched for the musicians as rice is to my cuisine. It is amazing that we probably will not be able to listen to all the music in the world in a lifetime. But it is incredibly humbling to be on a journey to listen to music as an act to expand our own consciousness. 

There are some highlight musicians in this playlist, but I will also leave them be, and may we all pursue more deeply that which moves us.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-15

WILT_2023-15

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 9 Apr 2023 to 15 Apr 2023.

  1. Chants – Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Clinton Fearon
  2. Love is Crucial – Iya Terra
  3. Licks & Kicks – Israel Vibration
  4. Me say – Mo’kalamity
  5. Seconds – August Rosenbaum, Coco O.
  6. This World Couldn’t See Us – Nabihah Iqbal
  7. Zone 1 to 6000 – Nabihah Iqbal
  8. Eden Piece – Nabihah Iqbal
  9. Sunflower – Nabihah Iqbal
  10. You Know How to Make Me Happy – HTRK
  11. Tough Luck – Sneaks
  12. Worry – Coco O.
  13. Good Lies – Overmono
  14. Good Lies (Outro) – Overmono
  15. Is U – Overmono
  16. Heaven Surrounds Us Like a Hood – Yves Tumor
  17. slash – yama
  18. Red:birthmark – AiNA THE END
  19. Story Brighter – BiSH
  20. ウォント (WANT) – BiSH
  21. My landscape – BiSH
  22. FOR HiM – BiSH
  23. FREEZE DRY THE PASTS – BiSH
  24. TOMORROW – BiSH
  25. スーパーヒーローミュージック (Superhero Music) – BiSH
  26. CAN WE STiLL BE?? – BiSH
  27. ZENSHiN ZENREi – BiSH
  28. NATURAL BORN LOVERS – BiSH
  29. I have no idea. – BiSH

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-15

Notes

I started the week by looking for music by Clinton Fearon. I was interested after I saw a performance of his on KEXP. Chants came on and I just had to add it to the list for its positive message, as well as sublime instrumentation. A couple more dub and reggae tracks followed suit, each with their own sparks of brilliance. Love is Crucial had a rather innovative guitar line that you do not normally hear in the genre, Licks & Vibration is full of gorgeous vocal harmony, and Me say is just such a light breeze on the ears. 

I cannot quite remember how Seconds by August Rosenbaum and Coco O. got recommended to me, but I was drawn to its minimal arrangement and synth bass parts, as well as Coco O.’s syrupy vocals.

I then discovered another KEXP performance, this time of Nabihah Iqbal. I was immediately drawn to the no wave post punk instrumentation, as well as the confidence behind her voice. Went on a bit of a binge and added the ones that I thought portrayed her musicality, but obviously it is biased toward my preferences.

HTRK found its way into this listening cycle with You Know How to Make Me Happy. Jonnine Standish’s vocals become more ethereal with each new album, and the band’s musical arrangements also take on new life as well. From there we also discover Tough Luck by Sneaks, with an attitude-filled bassline and simple proto beat which is more than enough to make killer music.

Coco O. Makes a reappearance with Worry, and in similar fashion, the voice and music are magnetic and I should do more listening when I get the chance. But then Overmono comes on, and I am just having too much fun with it that I get slightly distracted. At the end of this leg, Heaven Surrounds Us Like a Hood by Yves Yumor comes on and fuzzes the heck out of everything with yet another daring and dazzling performance. 

The next arc of this playlist was kickstarted by the second season of Gundam: The Witch From Mercury. slash by Yama is the opening credits to episode one and Red:birthmark by AiNA THE END is the end credits. slash is interesting to me for its fluid J-Rock basslines, but it’s AiNA THE END’s vocals that left a bit of a mark on me. They were interesting and not ordinary, with the way she goes loud and adds little gasps of falsetto in a very stylistic manner, almost like pinch harmonics in guitar playing. It was interesting enough that I went to do a bit more research.

Imagine my surprise when I saw that this petite woman was generating such a voice. And also, I learned that she was part of an “alternative idol” group called BiSH. Firstly, I did not know that there was such a thing as “alternative idols”, and secondly, I thought BiSH was a pretty cool name because it remind me of “Gish”, which was the album title of the first Smashing Pumpkins album. (I thought it was a reference, but it was not.)

Something about BiSH struck a chord with me and caught my attention. The music they were performing was very reminiscent of the alternative rock, grunge, punk, and J-Rock that I had grown accustomed to, but it was all packaged in some sort of… girl group aesthetic, and the individual performers were performing through choreographed routines, yet belting away into handheld microphones like rockstars. I think what drew me in was that I was trying to determine where exactly the line between the authentic and the manufactured was, and I have concluded that it does not matter if you are contented with doing your own thing.

BiSH is fun, raw, contrived, imperfect, honest, packaged, kawaii, intense, ephemeral, individualistic, coordinated, and any number of verbs and adjectives. I am drawn into the world of packaged musical groups as products, but also reaping the benefits of a level of entertainment that is different from the kind of artistic pursuits that tend to take themselves too seriously. So in this level of entertainment, these are some of the traits that I appreciate about BiSH:

  1. The absurdity of some of the side-antics. For example, on 14 February 2022, BiSH member Lingling won the Heavyweight belt in DDT’s Ironman wrestling championship. Previous winners had included a chair and a kotatsu. She commentated on another DDT match the follow month, but then ultimately lost her title to an apple on March 25th. [Link]
  2. Each member has a stage name, and some of them are quite hilarious, like Hashiyasume Atsuko, which basically as the noun for chopstick rests in front of the name Atsuko, or Momoko Gumi Company. They all also have weird, manufactured personality traits that they really lean into. I suspect they extrapolate some quirk that they actually have, and dial it to eleven to bring out a vibe of oddity in their mediated personalities.
  3. I love the energy. It’s that plain and simple. They might be an “idol group” but the energy is absolutely brimming in their live performances. One of my favourites is a performance of My landscape, and you really get to see how much intensity is put into delivering emotion rather than perfection.
  4. That’s another thing, they actually do not strive for perfection. In the world of manufactured pop, they’ve also managed to manufacture an alternative and make it commercially viable by not needing to pander to too much fan service, not have beat perfect dance coordination, not be the most good looking or sing the most pitch perfect.
  5. They have super fun promotional videos [Link]. I love a lot of the creative concepts, and the costumes look like extremely fun art projects. You almost sense that the creativity of the entire crew is being celebrated and not just the performers themselves.

I guess I’m gushing a bit, but I think more people should know about BiSH, and I think that more folk should give them a chance because they do seem like a bridge between the worlds of independent art and commercial mainstream music. Both ends of the spectrum gets exposed to the opposite ends, and I think there’s value in that. 

BiSH will be graduating (retiring) on 29 June 2023, and I was compelled to try to select some of my favourite songs from each of their albums since their first one in 2015. Since the end of 2022, they have also been releasing singles in dedication to their impending graduation (retirement). This started with FiNAL SHiTS and ended with Bye Bye Show. 

BiSH are:

  • CENT CHiHiRO CHiTTii
  • AiNA THE END
  • Momoko Gumi Company
  • Lingling
  • Hashiyasume Atsuko
  • Ayuni D

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-14

WILT_2023-14

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 2 Apr 2023 to 8 Apr 2023.

  1. Bangalter: Mythologies: X. L’Accouchement – Thomas Bangalter, Romain Dumas, Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine
  2. Parasite – GoGo Penguin
  3. l8r h8r – Terekke
  4. Receiving (Jon Hopkins Piano Version) – ANNA, Laraaji, Jon Hopkins
  5. Etude No.12 (XA4 Remix) – Philip Glass, XA4
  6. Together – SAULT
  7. Higher – SAULT
  8. Jack’s Gift – SAULT
  9. Fight for Love – SAULT
  10. In the Air – SAULT
  11. Homegrown – CARRTOONS
  12. Le Départ – Adi Oasis
  13. Serena – Adi Oasis
  14. Dumpalltheguns – Adi Oasis
  15. The Duke – DARGZ, Moses Boyd, Simon Dufor
  16. Nurture – Greg Spero, MonoNeon, Ruslan Sirota, Robert Sput Searight

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-14

Notes

I came across an article that former Daft Punk member, Thomas Bangalter’s latest project was composition. This intrigued me enough to seek out the compositions of Bangalter, which in this case were written for a ballet called Mythologies, performed by the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine, and directed by Romaine Dumas. The piece that I chose to highlight features string thrills and arrangements that remind me of Jonny Greenwood referencing Penderecki, but in a more simple setting that allows you access to more ready emotions.

Non-classically trained musicians finding their way to composition always fascinates me because it is as if something awoke in their musical journeys and developments, and they’re seeking some order amidst the chaos, if anything to try ruddering amidst the tempest.

I then continued on a path of listening to similar songs. Parasite by GoGo Penguin jumped out with its strong double bass arrangement and performance, while l8r h8rby Terekke’s soaring synth work was enough for me to lose my labours in brief respite.

Receiving (Jon Hopkins Piano Version) was originally written and performed by ANNA and Laraaji, both well-regarded electronic musicians in their own right, but in this version with a piano arrangement by Jon Hopkins, the sensation of time slows down and this version is even more contemplative than the original.

Etude No.12 (XA4 Remix) by Philip Glass and XA4 round out the first section of this playlist that features classical and electronic music presented in unconventional ways. If anything, the membrane between genres is very clearly permeable.

The second development of this playlist and the week draws a lot from 11, the 2022 album by SAULT. This musical collective/band releases music faster than I can listen, but whenever they release something, it’s as if they have something to say about the current zeitgeist. I love the unhinged wah-wah guitars found on Together as well as the very simple yet infectious afro-blues groove and melody. This immediately leads into Higher, a simple and raw musical arrangement featuring a minimalist back beat and basic synthesiser chords that somehow strip away any and all fanfare from the vocals. 

Jack’s Gift is a musical interlude that showcases a spiritual message of love and fear. It’s a bit cheesy, but somehow I do not think it was particularly meant for our ears, but more a reminder from the artists to themselves. Fight for Love showcases more of those nu-soul guitar parts that texture this album so well, but what really stands out for me is the vocal harmony that sits just under the main vocal melody of the chorus. And lastly, In the Air crescendos with a gorgeous reverb-drenched guitar part that reminisces the rock movements of the seventies, all while retaining the soulful charm that they have been delivering throughout the whole album thus far.

The third stretch is a bit haphazard of sorts. Part random but extremely groovy recommendations, such as Homegrown by CARRTOONS and Nurture by Greg Spero, MonoNeon, Ruslan Sirota, and Robert Sput Searight, and the other the discovery of Adi Oasis’s music.

Oasis caught my attention when Le Départ came on and I was enamoured by the groove that I had to check out the rest of the album. What greeted me was tantalising basslines with just the right amount of grit on it, plus a wonderfully soulful falsetto that brings a warm sunshine through the windows. Serena is one such song. From the way the horns bring in the song, to the way the rhythm arrangement provides the lightest yet sturdiest of grooves so that the typhoonic melody parts simply blow through like a gentle breeze. Dumpalltheguns on the other hand lets its presence be felt. From the tonality of its chords, it is both authoritative and rebellious, definitely not satisfied with the status quo but delivering its message through spurring the body into motion.

While the second last song on this playlist, still The Duke by DARGZ, Moses Boyd, and Simon Dufour is a perfect storm of drums, piano and saxophone. Every part is so immediately heard, and yet so perfectly balanced. If only all collaborations were this tight.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-13

WILT_2023-13

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 26 Mar 2023 to 1 Apr 2023.

  1. It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody – Weyes Blood
  2. God Turn Me Into A Flower – Weyes Blood
  3. Perfect Day – Lou Reed
  4. It Happens (Live in Cleveland, 1976) – Gábor Szabó
  5. Autumn Leaves (Live in Cleveland, 1976) – Gábor Szabó
  6. Friendship Theme – Surprise Chef
  7. Galatea’s Guitar – Gábor Szabó
  8. Half Of The Day Is The Night – Gábor Szabó
  9. Song Of Injured Love – Gábor Szabó
  10. Ten art Tiwa Dorment – Alain Goraguer
  11. Queens Highway – Menahan Street Band
  12. Chaser – Piero Umiliani
  13. Go Round – Cortex
  14. Sun Rays Like Stilts – Tommy Guerrero
  15. The Good Wine – Alabaster DePlume

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-13

Notes

I was taking a break at a rest area at the National Museum of Western Art and decided to check out Weyes Blood because her name is so unique. Being greeted by It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody was a gentle epiphany. Sounding a bit like Joni Mitchell, and with an ethereal arrangement backing her contemplative poetry, something takes shape as she sings “Living in the wake of overwhelming changes / we’ve all become strangers strangers / even to ourselves”.

Lou Reed’s Perfect Day came to mind as I woke up on Monday and the weather had turned for the better. Pity that we were leaving Tokyo for Osaka that days.

I enjoyed my time in Osaka. It was charming to see the many residents spending time in parks and sitting under the trees while conversing and enjoying their drinks. It was a wonderful spring scene, and a reminder that slowing down is a blessing indeed.

I found more time to listen to music after a morning soak and shower on the Thursday morning at our hotel in Osaka just before we left for Kyoto.

Gábor Szabó’s Live in Cleveland 1976was on my ‘Album picks’ recommendations from Spotify and I gravitated towards listening to this album because I was not familiar with Szabó, and I was also interested in what the year 1976 had to offer me.

Reading about Szabó’s journey, accomplishments and collaborations were very inspiring. He played in some seminal free jazz bands as well as developed a guitar style that’s very unique to his roots, innovations and personal voicings. It Happens is the first track off Live in Cleveland 1976* and it is followed by a wonderful performance of Autumn Leaves. Both tracks do capture the magic of Szabó’s guitar playing and the proficiency of his band.

I also checked out his 1968 album, Dreams which features a lot of solo work. I would also like to highlight the the song titles on this album are absolutely gorgeous: Galatea’s Guitar, Half of the Day is the Night and Song of Injured Love all sound as their titles read.

As Szabó’s music trailed off, a couple of wonderful melodies greeted me, and how apt that were all short sojourns as well. Queen’s Highway by Menehan Street Menahan has a stunning snare fill to usher the in rest of the band, Chaser by Piero Umiliani has some great organ playing with a free flowing rhythm section, Go Round by Cortex is a leaf riding the gentle stream, and Sun Rays Like Stilts by Tommy Guerrero evokes the caress of guitar lullabies that lull you to sleep.

It is apt that we end off on The Good Wine by Alabaster DePlume, where the solo saxophone plays like the enjoyment of a mid-afternoon tipple ushering the evening sun into your patio.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-12

WILT_2023-12

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 19 Mar 2023 to 25 Mar 2023.

  1. AGGRO – goneMUNE
  2. PETAL – goneMUNE, Foster Hilding
  3. Never Enough – Foster Hilding
  4. Gat Beastard – Keep A Weather Eye On
  5. no friends – Mora Michelle
  6. Frums Alp – Keep A Weather Eye On
  7. 213.xx.200.xx:01 – Address
  8. 19.xx.119.xx:01 – Address
  9. Eraser – Sea Lemon
  10. They Run – Soft Pastels
  11. Y o Y – Born at Midnight
  12. Short Thing, Done Quick – peter the traitor
  13. Some Things Never Change – Bathe Alone
  14. GIVE ME TIME – goneMUNE
  15. She’s a Betty – Husbands
  16. Not Just Anyone – River Tiber
  17. Forget – COOL HEAT

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-12

Notes

I came out to Japan in the middle of the week so I’m typing this while in my hotel room in Asakusa. I’ll be honest, it is quite difficult to tune your mind toward this journal entry while you’re on holiday. But no matter.

We start it with goneMUNE, a Singaporean artist that got on my radar when her ad for her latest remix album, TULPA:REDUX appeared in my Instagrams feed. Curious at the dark alternative aesthetic that was presented, I searched for the music and was not disappointed. There is a very raw earnestness that comes from wanting to express rather than impress. Standouts are definitely PETAL (Fostsr Hilding Remix) that feature Hilding’s sludge-drenched guitars underneath MUNE’s innocently sinister vocals, all while making HEALTH and Deftones proud.

I then started to explore a new label project by |||||||||||||||||||| called 110.100.100.global. It features a ton of exciting electronic music works from the producer and other global artists from their Discord server, but I’ll let you figure out which is which, just for the fun of it.

From there, the music naturally trickled in. There’s a good balance between the songs that can be classified or rooted in rock or folk music, and there are also some very uncommon electric sounds. Some standouts for me include Y o Y by Born At Midnite, Short Thing, Done Quick by pete the traitor and Some Things Never Change by Bathe Alone.

I’ve got another week in Japan so the next week will be interesting to see how I can get any playlist compiling while on holiday.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-11

WILT_2023-11

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 12 Mar 2023 to 18 Mar 2023.

  1. New Dawn – Wata Igarashi
  2. Nar – Vicky Zissou
  3. Sanssvieria (Emika Elena Remix) – Ryogo Yamamori, Emika Elena
  4. Get it by your hands (HI-EVO MIX) – Hiroshi Watanabe
  5. Verkligheten – Soilwork
  6. Febersvan – GAUPA
  7. Bad Man Lighter 2.0 – Sean Kuti, Black Thought, VIC MENSA
  8. The Horse Has a Voice (feat. Theon Cross) – Matthew Herbert, London Contemporary Orchestra, Theon Cross
  9. Why Must You Fly (feat. Omar) – STR4TA, Omar
  10. Parody – Yves Tumor
  11. Hoping (Herbert’s High Dub) – Louie Austen, Matthew Herbert

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-11

Notes

Everything started with Wata Igarashi. 

I came across a mix where some of his music was featured and that sparked an interest in the development of techno music in Japan for me. 

From there it was a short trip to Spotify to further explore the music and the movement. But it is as of writing this today that I woefully know little about anything because all I’ve been doing is listening to music, but not understanding from what brought the sounds out.

No matter, not at least at this stage. There’s a featuring of some tasty techno music that caught my ear. It’s all very vibe-y, and the tempo seems to suit a natural tempo of what I’d like to get me moving yet not necessarily flailing. Also, it probably is an exercise in appreciating how tight that 808 kick is. 

The musical style transitions when we hit Verkligheten by Soilwork. I think this and Febersvan by GAUPA appeared at the end of the playlist that was developing as recommendations, or they appeared as recommendations from the end of WILT_2023-10. I’m a bit hazy about this.

Still, both tracks are interesting compositions of note. They stood out from the somewhat electronic direction I had been thinking for the past two or three weeks, and add a nice measure of psychedelic rock.

After that, I think it was a foray into Spotify’s new releases for the week. We have an updated version of Sean Kuti and Egypt 80’s Bad Man Lighter, this time with Black Thought and VIC MENSA for Bad Man Lighter 2.0. It’s still a good song, but I’m unsure if adding in more performances by Black Thought and VIC MENSA counts as a 2.0

Doubts aside, nothing might prepare you for the onslaught of Theon Cross in The Horse Has a Voice. This amazing piece by Matthew Herbert and the London Contemporary Orchestra features a ballistic and unhinged performance by Cross and his tuba as they slice through dimensions with an orchestra following suit in the wake of their chaos. It really is a cacophony of primal performance and I want to be at the front row every time.

From that brilliant display, we have something a bit more subdued in the form of a very bass-forward performance by STR4TA with vocals by Omar.

Parody by Yves Tudor is also another welcome addition to this mix. The artist’s music always surprises me as to how they meld the elements of alternative rock and soul together. And it’s not just some clumsy mashup, there is a real synthesis of language and production that create something very unique yet familiar. It feels like I’ve been listening to the music forever, but it’s still so new and cutting edge. Give this a listen, the musical arrangements are soaring and Tumor’s performance blazes beyond that already brilliant delivery.

We end with Hoping (Herbert’s High Dub) by Louie Austen and Matthew Herbert. Damn, I hate how this song comes on after the previous one because it’s so clunky. But the edges get smoothed out once the rest of the song pans out, and quite possibly when that bass hook appears. It’s sexy in a very clumsy way. Yeah, there’s an awkward sensuality which if anything evokes a sort of earnestness in the delivery of the joke. 

Well this song came about to being included when I decided I’d explore more of the mastermind behind The Horse Has a Voice and this was the first song on the profile, and it really is a great introduction to Herbert’s music.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-10

WILT_2023-10

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 5 Mar 2023 to 11 Mar 2023.

  1. 北ウイング (Kita Wing) – 中森 明菜 (Akina Nakamori)
  2. Anasickmodular – Floating Points
  3. in drink – Joy Orbison
  4. AZD SURF – Actress, Mount Kimbie, Kai Campos
  5. Decisions (AM Intro) – Anz
  6. Tacken – Modeselektor
  7. Easy – 中森 明菜 (Akina Nakamori)
  8. Jigsaw Falling Into Place – Radiohead
  9. To The Floor – Lil Silva, BADBADNOTGOOD
  10. Be Cool – Lil Silva, Little Dragon
  11. Invisible Hand – Solomon Fesshaye
  12. Don’t You Walk Away – Chok Kerong, Vanessa Fernandez, Kim Olsen
  13. Nardis – Bill Evans Trio
  14. untitled 05 | 09.21.2014. – Kendrick Lamar
  15. There, There – Radiohead
  16. Granite – Rosa Anschütz
  17. 01 800 – CNDSD, VIIAAN
  18. Let Me Take My Life Pack – C.SIDE
  19. Rhythm Composition_Track 1 – ritchie
  20. Ait Brahim – 3xoj
  21. Cant Turn Me Around – Dedicated Men of Zion
  22. Call Girl – System Olympia
  23. Friday Film Special – GoGo Penguin
  24. A Leak in This Old Building – Dedicated Men of Zion
  25. Nova – Burial, Four Tet
  26. KONCHU ROCK – Yura Yura Teikoku
  27. 透明少女 (Tōmei Shōjo) – Number Girl
  28. Where It All Leads – Weval
  29. Don’t Lose Time – Weval
  30. Never Stay For Love – Weval, Eefje de Visser
  31. Day After Day – Weval

Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-10

Notes

It’s quite a long list this week and I had a lot of fun listening as well as discovering. I shall attempt to recount how this particular journey took place.

北ウイング (Kita Wing) by 中森 明菜 (Akina Nakamori) came on as a recommendation just as I was listening to more music by Nakamori. I really am a sucker for the bass lines and guitar work, combined with the backing vocals and overall melody, combined with the flourishes from the string arrangements and synthesisers. It’s a much richer sound compared to what she did in 1982’s Secondalbum and is apparently inspired by Omega Tribe’s 1983 single Summer Suspicion.

From there, it’s a choice selection of electronic music, probably as a continuation of the previous weeks’ delving into the format. Anasickmodular by Floating Points is just pure intricacy and cerebrally stimulating music. in drink by Joy Orbison is a modulation drenched mood, while AZD by Actress is an unbridled catharsis of arppegiating synthesisers. Decisions (AM Intro) by Anz is a lush blanket of serotonin that does make you want to explore the rest of the album (which I have not), and Tacken by Modeselektor is a directed energy attack of focused beats, music on a mission to mend and move.

We then revisit 中森 明菜 (Akina Nakamori) on Easy, a driving disco rock piece with an incredible brass arrangement and rhythm syncopations. 

I came across the music video for Jigsaw Falling Into Place by Radiohead and was spellbound by the concept and cinematography. Music videos tend to be banal expressions of capitalism, but somehow this extremely stripped down approach reveals so much about its performers though body and head movements because it directly impacts the camera movement. 

At this point, I think To The Floor by Lil Silva and BADBADNOTGOOD got introduced to me. While I was taken by the groove of the song, it wasn’t until Be Cool, in collaboration with Little Dragon, that I really stood up to take notice of the producer’s ideas and arrangements. Be Cool is ultra groovy in an effortlessly cool way. To some extent, Little Dragon have never sounded so soulful before, and it’s that new potential that makes it really exciting.

I checked out Solomon Fesshaye after growing the Ghostly International catalogue for a bit. Intrigued by the bio, I explored his music. What greets is something that reminds me a bit of Matthew Dear, and with some sort of melancholic hope. Invisible Hand really does evoke a sort of cosmic force pushing you forwards from inertia.

So thinking about Ghostly International made me think about Singaporean music labels and Syndicate definitely comes top of mind for genre-defying innovative sounds. Perusing through a few artists I learned that Vanessa Fernandez and Chok Kerong had recently collaborated on an album, Spiral (2023), and Don’t Walk Awayreally stood out for me. It evokes a lot of the soulquarian sound that was coming out of collaborations between J Dilla and artists like Mos Def, D’Angelo and Eryka Badu. This song is tight, soulful and full of attitude. 

A bit of a side track, but I have to include this particular video: Japanese Jazz Fusion: I feel weird about loving it by Tim Beau Bennett is an entertaining and educational journey into Japanese Jazz Fusion. It really adds a lot of context to the musical style that I’ve been exploring the past year or so.

This is the article he references: The Endless Life Cycle of Japanese City Pop by Cat Zhang. 

I also watched Nardis is the most hip jazz standard and is also super hip by Tim Beau Bennet. It is an incredibly illuminating deep dive into Nardis which I’d not had the pleasure of knowing prior to this, but now I do and I’m glad I did.

124: Bill Evans, ‘Nardis’ by Jeff Meshel is the article he references.

The video he references about the performance of Untitled 05/Nardis featuring Robert Glaspar, Kamasai Washington, Thundercat, Terence Martin, Chris Dave. You’ll find both recordings in this playlist.

At this point, I was reminded of what an awesome song There, There by Radiohead is. I remember listening to the song the first time, the first single from the highly anticipated “back to guitars” album, Hail to the Thief (2003) that followed Kid A (2000) and Amnesiac (2001). It was glorious then and it is glorious now. There’s a simplicity in the arrangement, but nobody writes or arranges music like this except the synthesis of the band known as Radiohead. Every instrument and vocal melody is distinct yet elevates the song, even in some areas of absence. To me, this song marked a profound understanding in my respect for Radiohead’s craft. That they were so confident of not particularly their talent, but confident in what they wanted to pursue. And that was the pursuit of music in all the forms that it entailed. 

From here, I started being thirsty for new music again. So I hit up some online radio stations that I usually stream. I decided to check out HKCR (Hong Kong Community Radio) because I was curious as to what was happening in the non-Western part of the world, and unfortunately, SGCR (Singapore Community Radio) is apparently defunct/on-hiatus now. So yeah, I learned that HKCR had recently put out a compilation album for a fundraiser, and man, some of these tracks are absolutely daring and take no prisoners. 

Granite by Rosa Anschütz sounds like a dinosaur stomping through the city. The way she uses bass rumblings to great dramatic effect, particularly when paired with her shamanistic soliloquies. 01 800 by CNDSD and VIIAAN permeates evil and harsh techno sounds and I am here for it all day. Let Me Take My Life Pack by C.SIDE is that dark and sensual industrial rave where it’s just you and your music and nothing else matters. When Rhythm Compostion_Tracky 1 by Ritchie first came on, it was pure bliss. Having something like this drop in the middle of a mix is a celebration of the beat, and a showcase of how primal music is especially when you strip it of its bells and whistles. And lastly, we end our arc on HKCR with Ait Brahim by 3xoj, another dark and sinister mood interplayed with Middle Eastern incantations, which is not something you associate with for these kinds of dark wave electronica. 

When Can’t Turn Me Around by Dedicated Men of Zion comes on, it’s almost a deliverance of sorts of the heavy atmosphere from prior. It’s a simple gospel blues number with lots of heart. Got this off the Fat Possum show that was streaming off NTS Radio.

I clicked on the System Olympia album, New Erotica Collection (2023) because of its album art. But what greeted me was an album of vaporwave and Call Girl was just too good breezy mood to share.

I added Friday Film Special by GoGo Penguin because I really enjoyed the simplicity of the jam on this piano-forward song. Not going to lie, that baseline also speaks to me as a bass player, what with how thump-y its tone is.

A Leak in This Old Building by Dedicated Men of Zion because I decided to check out their album. It probably sounds similar to their other songs, but I guess I was feeling rather contemplative the evening I added it to this list.

Nova by Burial and Four Tet was an instant add the moment I came across it because I am biased like that.

Then I came across a playlist called Rock Anthems Japan 90s, and I have to say that this is a very different 90s J Rock sound from what I know. No complaints though because the psychedelia found in KONCHU ROCK by Yura Yura Teikoku is too good to leave unheard. Damn, that guitar tone is absolutely scorching.

透明少女 (Tōmei Shōjo) by Number Girl is pure, absolute, garage punk power pop goodness. It’s a pretty shit mix, but I think it was deliberate and somehow it REALLY does take me back to the 90s and early 00s when I was listening to a ton of bootlegs, as well as whatever shitty live recordings I had of my band at the time.

I was ready to call it the end of the playlist by this time, but come Saturday morning, the album art for Weval’s Remember (2023) caught my attention, and it turned out to be a great accompaniment for the Saturday afternoon with its warm and innovative blend of electronica and synthesisers.

Where It All Ends and Don’t Lose Time both illustrate this warmth very well, and you almost find yourself basking in the light of those synth arrangements. Then there’s Never Stay For Love, performed also by Eefje de Visser that adds another dimension of sultriness but also innocence. The sultriness adds a touch of cold or coolness, but there’s still an innocent warmth somewhere in the mix or performance.

But it’s with Day After Day that my mind just lost itself to the glitchy staccato of the song’s arrangement. I really am a sucker for this sort of arrangement, because it just evokes something primal in me. I think it has to be something to do with the reconstruction of something that was deconstructed. That idea has always fascinated me, and to hear it in action will always be astounding.

What I Listened To: WILT_2023-09

WILT_2023-09

A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 26 Feb 2023 to 4 Mar 2023.

  1. 少女A (Shōjo A) – 中森 明菜 (Akina Nakamori)
  2. ヨコハマA・KU・MA (Yokohama A-ku-ma) – 中森 明菜 (Akina Nakamori)
  3. ニゲラ(Nigella) – 和ぬか (Wanuka)
  4. ()vȯ)) ̷̨ʅ(۝ʅ(Ɵʅ():::()̵̳̗̊(Ɵʅ()vȯ)) ̷̨ʅ – ⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ
  5. Hikers Y – Matthew Dear
  6. A Remark You Made – Weather Report
  7. Rumba Mama – Weather Report

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-09

    Notes

    Has it been another week already?

    It all started with this video of 少女A (Shōjo A) by 中森 明菜 (Akina Nakamori). There’s a moment at 00:00:11 when she looks at the band with a cute scowl that made me melt. Of course, I was also very taken by the disco-rock hybrid groove that was coming out of Japanese new music in the eighties. Both 少女A (Shōjo A)and ヨコハマA・KU・MA (Yokohama A-ku-ma) have really infectious grooves that are accompanied by beautifully maximised musical arrangements, as well as Nakamori’s deep and gorgeously syrupy voice. 

    From there I discovered 和ぬか (Wanuka) from another YouTube recommendation. It was an interesting arrangement so I checked out more of his work, and I landed on showcasing ‌ニゲラ(Nigella) because of it’s blend of J-Rock and other pop elements and big band elements. What results is a very driving song, but with lots of bop.

    Imagine my surprise when ()vȯ)) ̷̨ʅ(۝ʅ(Ɵʅ():::()̵̳̗̊(Ɵʅ()vȯ)) ̷̨ʅ by ⣎⡇ꉺლ༽இ•̛)ྀ◞ ༎ຶ ༽ৣৢ؞ৢ؞ؖ ꉺლ was served up. I didn’t realise that the producer had new(ish) tracks released, but I’m always ready to listen. Damn, this beat is just a fine piece of nuanced work and minimal tech. I could listen to this for hours on end.

    This now makes me nostalgic for music by Matthew Dear. I check out an album of previously unreleased material and find myself taken in by the bassline of Hikers Y.

    Along the way, I also learned that Wayne Shorter had passed on. I didn’t know enough of his work, but I was also reminded that he was an essential part of Weather Report with Jaco Pastorious. So I loaded up an album and was immediately blown away by the virtuosity of the musicians. A Remark You Made is such a sweet melody that also reveals the constraint of its performers, and shows us if you want to be a good musician, you must want to listen to good musicians, and even better yet play with them.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2023-08

    WILT_2023-08

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 19 Feb 2023 to 25 Feb 2023.

    1. Gated Area – Pool Boy, Cyril Hahn
    2. HEX – Lorn
    3. escapism – Elkka
    4. A Street I Know – Skrillex, Eli Keszler
    5. XENA – Skrillex, Nai Barghouti
    6. Narcissus – Xyla
    7. Fire Man – DJ Orange Julius
    8. Grateful – Kush Jones
    9. Baaaaaa (Taken from Bass + Funk & Soul) – DJ Earl
    10. Divine – Jana Rush
    11. Forgotten – FLP
    12. Afrika Jungle Them – DSS
    13. Off We Go – Juki P2
    14. untitled – xxtarlit⚸
    15. home – Two Shell
    16. Brown Paper Bag – Roni Size, Reprazent
    17. Been So Long – EQ Why

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-08

    Notes

    The week started innocuously enough. Gated Area by Pool Boy and Cyril Hahn, HEXby Lorn, and escapism by Elkka are all gorgeously unique electronic pieces that are incredibly easy to lose yourself into. I thought that the rest of the week would further explore this direction, but it meandered when I saw that Skrillex had released a new album.

    I’m not a big Skrillex fan, particularly when dubstep became way too popular and something of a meme. However, I did enjoy some of the songs that he produced on Utada Hikaru’s Badモード (2022), and was slightly intrigued that he had evolved from dubstep as well. 

    A Street I Know and XENA are wonderful explorations into extreme beats and vocal melodies, and as far as producers go, there are also some daring samples going on, as well as how these get spliced together. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the whole thing, but overall I think the productions are rather impressive, and I hope that the collaborators had a good experience collaborating.

    Listening to the new album, Quest For Fire (2022), did unearth something in me that I’d been wanting to learn more of, and that would be the Footwork movement that came out of Chicago in the 1990s and remained underground for the longest time. Perhaps still. I remember attending a few such nights back in 2013–2015, and man I always loved the energy on the dance floor, or the selections that the DJ was making, and the visuals were always a ride. I couldn’t dance the the way to dance, but that never really stopped the music just being amazing in my opinion. 

    It’s a very frenetic style, and I love how the BPM is of a particular tempo (160). It sounds haphazard and all over the place, but there’s always a little flourish or nuance that just keeps things interesting. Based on the selection of what I’ve been hearing also, a lot of the samples also reference deep cuts from rare groove, which just makes the genre feel more alive despite it being electronic music. I mean, a human being decided to re-synthesize one form of music into another. It’s quite an extreme approach to music innovation. Maybe that’s why the sounds always sound extremely fresh to me.

    I’m glad I had this exercise as it feels like I know a little bit more about something I didn’t know too much of before.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2023-07

    WILT_2023-07

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 12 Feb 2023 to 18 Feb 2023.

    1. This fffire – Franz Ferdinand
    2. And The Lake Was… – Jacana People, Neil Cowley
    3. Ingenue – Atoms For Peace
    4. Night City Aliens – The Armed, Homeschool Dropouts
    5. Selva Pulsátil – Deafkids, Tainted Overlord
    6. On the Edge – Automatic

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-07

    Notes

    WILT_2023-07

    A rather short one this week. 

    I’ve pretty much been wrapped up in the Cyberpunk 2077 universe. It started with the anime series Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, produced by Studio Trigger and CD Projekt, distributed by Netflix, and based off the universe created by Mike Pondsmith. 

    This fffire by Franz Ferdinand is the opening song from the anime.

    I finally gave the anime a chance and I’m glad I did because it really is a trip. There’s not really a thing that they do exceptionally well, but they do it with a lot of heart and style. That’s actually quite enough when you just want quick doses of dopamine.

    From there, I just explored around the realm of music, but nothing really stuck apart from the beats of And The Lake Was… as well as the synth line from Ingenue. At first I thought Ingenue was new solo work by Thom Yorke, but I’m also not surprised to learn that it’s from 2013’s AMOK by Atoms for Peace.

    Then, I decided to download the Cyberpunk 2077 game, the one that Edgerunnersis based on. (Edgerunners is a prequel, set in 2076. The original Cyberpunk tabletop game by Mike Pondsmith was set between 2013–2046.) I decided to check the game out after two years because apparently all the launch bugs have since been ironed out, and the game is now not just playable, but also enjoyable. The final update for the game came out about four months ago, and includes references from the Edgerunners anime series. 

    Night City Aliens by The Armed immediately struck me for its no-holds-barred punk energy, and ‌Selva Pulsátil by Deaf Kids, was super interesting with its dark dub rock energy, although it does sound like it takes too long to get to where it wants to go. But it’s also dub, so… maybe it’s about the journey and not how long it takes. By the way, those tracks are from the Cyberpunk 2077 original soundtracks, and the songs appear in the in-game radio. 

    Pure coincidence, but the final song on the list is titled On the Edge by Automatic. It’s got nothing to do with Cyberpunk, but the recommended album art and artist name caught my attention and I gave it a whirl. I do enjoy the simplicity and effectiveness of the melody and groove, and nonchalance is interesting for a few rounds.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2023-06

    WILT_2023-06

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 5 Feb 2023 to 11 Feb 2023.

    1. Erykah’s Gun – DJ Harrison
    2. Тизита – СОЮЗ (SOYUZ), Петаром Мартичем
    3. ЕС-2 Джаз – СОЮЗ (SOYUZ)
    4. After The Machine Settles – Binker and Moses, Max Luthert
    5. Retreat – Ill Considered
    6. Nature’s Ratio – Slowly Rolling Camera
    7. Loop Prisoner – Jazz Liberatorz
    8. Follow the Earworm – Move 78, Aver
    9. Intro (Rebirth) – Javier Santiago
    10. Trudi’s Mood – Rush Rushton
    11. origami swing – daniel hayn
    12. Hal Wandered Off – Move 78
    13. Young Buck – CARRTOONS, DJ Harrison
    14. Lost Parade – Sarathy Korwar
    15. 93. – yeyts., igory
    16. Sand, Sun and Flower (Tiny Room Sessions) – Greg Spero, MonoNeon, Ronald Bruner Jr.
    17. u mean (Tiny Room Sessions) – Greg Spero, MonoNeon, Ronald Bruner Jr.
    18. Black Idiom, Pt. 1 – Kinkajous
    19. das hast du nicht gehört – Persian Empire
    20. Flower Rain – Gianni Brezzo
    21. Meh (Tiny Room Sessions) – Greg Spero, Chesley Allen, MonoNeon, Ruslan Sirota
    22. Galcticos1994 – Pigeondust
    23. You’re Alive (There’s Still Time) – K15

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-06

    Notes

    When the first track was added for this week’s playlist got added, I had no idea it would end up the way it did. Normally that’s the case, but I didn’t think that there would be 23 songs added, but with only a run time of 53 minutes and 5 seconds.

    It’s a bit of an oddity, in that plenty of the music being recommended to me the past week were songs that were under two minutes each. I’m not complaining of course, and I think if you’re a fan of funk, soul, rare groove, jazz, as well as electronic music, you’ll find quite an eclectic trove of sounds to broaden your appreciation.

    It’s a mish and mash of everything, a wonderful stew of tasty treats.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2023-05

    WILT_2023-05

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 29 Jan 2023 to 4 Feb 2023.

    1. Sitting on a Satellite – Soccer96, Salami Rose Joe Louis
    2. Herausweh – Felbm
    3. The River – Fievel Is Glauque
    4. The Children of Scorpio – Project Gemini
    5. Yagana – Pigeon
    6. Figurine – WAYNE SNOW
    7. Conduct – The Durutti Column
    8. Sereia Sentimental – Sessa
    9. Sacrifice – George Riley
    10. Time – George Riley
    11. Jealousy – George Riley
    12. Delusion – George Riley
    13. Clouds – Resavoir

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-05

    Notes

    I am rather excited to be sharing the choice cuts on this week’s playlist. There are a lot of strong contenders here in the area of musicality, groove, creativity, and vibe. If anything, I really like how everything feels from beginning to end. 

    A portion of the playlist is also dominated by George Riley, whom I was blown away with by her 2022 effort, Running In Waves. This is an album of bold ideas and bold execution. You sense how musically she’s coming into a sound that isn’t decidedly definitive and still experimental, but the confidence in how her voice and delivery bolster the ideas and even sells the sounds and arrangements. 

    My favourite is definitely Delusion, which a grounded and heavy contender with an anaconda-thick bass line that coils around so tight that it squeezes everything else out. On some level, it actually doesn’t work, but the jigsaw puzzle sample nature of the song with trap beats is something where everything seems to be happening all at once, creates a rich canvas that punches above its weight in the sound department.

    So the journey to me discovering Riley’s music, is when Sacrifice first came on. It came into my music orbit as a bit of an outlier, especially when compared against the songs that were added before it. But there was that Yukimi Nagano-esque vocal quality and confidence, the kind that sells daring musical ideas. And while there wasn’t anything particularly “exciting” coming from Sacrifice, it was the confidence in backing the R&B arrangement with a very old school 808 beat. This beat carries the song, the string arrangement creates lift beneath, and Riley’s performance are the wings that allowed this song to take flight. Thus, it’s this mix of old, new, and bold that made me very interested to find out if the song was a one-off, and I’m glad to say that it isn’t.

    Time comes immediately after. I was already hooked with the heavily distorted guitars being used so effectively in the introduction. Soulful vocal performance, but with an almost metal zone type guitar tone searing through the mix is a flex that ultimately pays off. When that beat hits, everything moves forward and no one is waiting for anyone. You’re either on this Riley trip, or you’ll just get left behind.

    But maybe because someone thought that the listener would be left behind, they consciously put Jealousy as the song after Time. Jealousy has a lot of vibe, and it really takes its time in letting you arrive at your own conclusion. For me, I did arrive at mine.

    So that’s a lot of talk about one artist, but how did it all come about?

    I wasn’t quite sure how to proceed from last week as I had finished watching Bocchi The Rock!, and I also wasn’t too interested to have another week that featured rock music since Kessoku Band (結束バンド, Kessoku Bando) were already such strong contenders. 

    So it had been awhile, but it was a good opportunity to hit up my Spotify-curated Discover Weekly playlist. As always, these are good jumping off points, but only if you don’t use them all the time. Singing on a Satellite by Soccer96 and Salami Rose Joe Louis was the first song to grab my attention, and I think it’s quite obvious why it got added. A meandering psychedelic and soul amalgamation with well-punctuated bass lines never hurt anyone.

    It was somewhere in the middle of Herausweh that something clicked for me. It could have been the drum beat actually. That tone with the slightly muted snare, but played with an incredibly natural precision is what always sells the rock dynamic for me. Everything else falls into place around this.

    So when The River by Fever Is Glauque came on, my ears were very well adjusted to blend of folk, rock, and jazz. Ma Clément’s French accent add an air of relaxed Europe to the otherwise frenetic jazz guitar lines played by multi-instrumentalist, Zach Phillips. In fact, every other instrument is played with such optimistic frenzy it’s bound to have you feet tapping and head swaying with chipper swagger.

    The samples and beats on The Children of Scorpio by Project Gemini are big and in your face, if you could find your face. Somewhat reminiscent of the big beats by David Holmes, but with a lot more psychedelic elements that make the music a lot easier to get lost in. The samples are also outstanding in giving the music a very colourful groove-rock experience. A lot of good ears have been into selecting the sounds you ought to be hearing.

    Yagana by Pigeon is another standout for me. I was expecting a bit of a Chromeo copycat, but I’m glad I stuck around. Things are already special when you feature bongos so prominently in your percussion ensemble, but man, when all the funk elements combine and Falle Nioke’s vocals come on, all the sounds start to make sense. The scratchy guitars, the synths that sound like it was acquired from the Cash Converters, and that stanky bass tone that is so content playing single notes just so the pocket stays a pocket. There’s a lot of fun in this music, and I would have liked to have been there.

    Figurine by WAYNE SNOW is a stellar Neo-soul song with plenty of elements that will keep fans excited. The guitar tones are transfixing, a bit like Mansur Brown, but it’s that scattered beat underwritten by the synth bass that speaks to a very primary part of my musical psychology. I would actually like to hear more, but alas the week is already over.

    Conduct by The Durutti Column is a beautiful exploration into the sounds of the guitar. If I had more time, I would happily sit down with this for an extended listen.

    It does segue nicely into Sereia Sentimental by Sessa. The song is gentle and kind, but also a type of earnest or intense in its yearning.

    And finally, Clouds by Resavoir, a song which I’ve actually included in WILT_2022-51, but definitely forgotten that I had. I had thought that Delusion George Riley would have been a great closer, but when this song came on, I had to save it of fear of forgetting it. (Which I clearly did.) But why? Handclaps I guess.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2023-04

    WILT_2023-04

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 22 Jan 2023 to 28 Jan 2023.

    1. Hitoribocchi Tokyo” (ひとりぼっち東京) – Kessoku Band (結束バンド, Kessoku Bando)
    2. “Guitar, Loneliness and Blue Planet” (ギターと孤独と蒼い惑星, Gitā to Kodoku to Aoi Wakusei) – Kessoku Band (結束バンド, Kessoku Bando)
    3. “That Band” (あのバンド, Ano Bando) – Kessoku Band (結束バンド, Kessoku Bando)
    4. “Flashbacker” (フラッシュバッカー, Furasshubakkā) – Kessoku Band (結束バンド, Kessoku Bando)

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-04

    Notes

    There’s a reason why this week’s playlist is really short, and features music by one artist. 

    The band is Kessoku Band (結束バンド, Kessoku Bando), a fictional band from the anime, Bocchi the Rock!

    I had heard recommendations about this anime and I was interested enough because I also had fond memories of K-On!, another similarly inspired anime about being in a band.

    However, instead of watching the anime first, I decided to listen to the music first, and it was nothing short of amazing in my opinion. As you might know, I am a little jaded with the rock genre, but the musicality on this album is dynamic, high-octane, and full of passionate performances. The instruments are standouts, and in true envelope-pushing J-Rock fashion, the arrangements and performances are on a virtuosic level. 

    Every song that I picked out has something that I really like about the individual musical parts. Be it the fluid, driving bass lines, the manic guitar shreds that easily sell the bubble-gum pop of the vocals, or the energetic drum rolls and syncopations, if you are a fan of J-Rock, this music will blow you away.

    As for the anime, and its story. I might be biased, but it brought back a lot of memories of the bands that I have been fortunate to be part of, as well as the joy that comes from playing and expressing yourself creatively with a group of like-minded or equally driven people. 

    Go watch Bocchi the Rock!

    What I Listened To: WILT_2023-03

    WILT_2023-03

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 15 Jan 2023 to 21 Jan 2023.

    1. Plasma – Perfume
    2. Us Ephemeral – Vitesse X
    3. Time Goes By – Take Van
    4. 999 – Prince Innocence, Harrison
    5. Nothing Left To Lose – Everything But The Girl
    6. Makes Me Feel Good – R Plus, Faithless, Amelia Fox
    7. Love Will Tear Us Apart (Tensnake Extended Remix) – R Plus, Amelia Fox, Tensnake
    8. My Boy (Rollo & Sister Bliss Remix) – R Plus, Dido, Rollo, Sister Bliss
    9. This Girl Is Gone – R Plus, Faithless, Amelia Fox
    10. Reverence – Faithless, Rollo Armstrong, Sister Bliss

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-03

    Notes

    I’m typing this entry from a room in my Father-in-law’s childhood home in Penang, Malaysia. Every year, we visit my Father-in-law’s mother for the Lunar New Year, global pandemics aside.

    I’m not quite sure how to approach this yet, but I figure I’ll just start typing and see what happens. I had initially started putting this playlist together last Sunday, but by the Wednesday of the week, I don’t think there’ll be any more new music to add because we are rather busy with travel preparations, familial duties and activities.

    If I were think back, I did have a small inclination to continue exploring the sounds of electronic dance music. Hikaru Utaka’s One Last Kiss remains a ghost for me this week as I am haunted by the blend of musicality and melody that permeates that song. It is a brilliant vocal performance that could exist on its own, yet it’s also arguable that the electronic flourishes also enhance it.

    I suppose I’ve been chasing that sound this past week. A marriage between organic and synthetic.

    Plasma by Perfume sort of came up on Sunday evening and there was something about the vapourware sounds that guided me to add it as the first song on the playlist. Perhaps more would follow.

    Us Ephemeral by Vitesse X did stand out with its 90’s vibe electronica and dance.

    Time Goes By by Take Van is catchy, and a worthy listen with its drum and bass inspired beats and cocktail summer lyrics and vocal performance.

    When the Fender Rhodes comes on, you almost think it’s Praise You by Fatboy Slim, but 999 takes you on a different journey, one that meanders or hovers in between vibes rather than the typical arrangements of contemporary mainstream music.

    Nothing Left To Lose by Everything But The Girl came on. I had seen a few friends talk about this on social media, who had also shared the music video. I was distracted by the video because it reminded me too much of Jungle’s creative vision, but the song itself is an achievement. There’s a maturity in the music that manifests itself as confidence and taste. Whether it’s through vocal performances, lyrical content, or musicality and arrangement, this is the special sauce that makes some more experienced musicians extremely captivating, and indelibly exciting too, because they are still pushing boundaries, quite possibly at a pace where they’re the only ones in the race.

    From there, the music of R Plus or Rollo Armstrong of Faithless started to dominate my musical explorations and thus this week’s playlist. The techno and trance arrangements are nostalgic and warm, but still contain the pulsing energy that inspires movement, liberation, and freedom. 

    Everything caps off to where I think it could have started. I decided to put on Faithless’s (RIP Maxi Jazz) first album, Reverence (1996) and from its very first song, Reverence takes you to church with prolific poetry, a perfect mix of electronic dance music elements like trance, techno, and combined with a heady mix of dub, reggae, and Indian classical. It’s amazing the ideas that were coming out of this group and they deserve every celebration and rightfully so.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2023-02

    WILT_2023-02

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 8 Jan 2023 to 14 Jan 2023.

    1. Promises – Bnny
    2. Joyful Grass and Grape – Dorothy Ashby
    3. What Is Love? (Live) – Howard Jones, Nick Beggs, Robin Boult
    4. 君に夢中 (Kimi ni Muchū) – Hikaru Utada
    5. One Last Kiss – Hikaru Utada
    6. Ye Old Man – Mia Joy
    7. Le Bracelet – Alain Goraguer
    8. Dreamsickle – Wombo

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-02

    Notes

    I wasn’t doing a lot of active listening with music this past week. Typically commutes or walks are when I spend my time listening to music, but increasingly I find that I also enjoy listening to audiobooks and podcasts. Particularly if the subject matter and storyteller are interesting.

    This past week, I find myself listening to Michelle Obama’s Becoming on audiobook. She’s a beautiful orator, and both her voice and words have a way of connecting with the reader or listener, and is also capable of lifting up and inspiring.

    In between Dorothy Ashby’s Joyful Grass and Grape and Howard Jones’ What Is Love? (Live), this was when I was listening to Becoming the most.

    The inclusion of Hikaru Utaka’s music was thanks to this podcast format called Liner Voice+ that Spotify produces and recommended to me. It seems to only be for Japanese music, but Utada speaks fluent English and so thankfully, there was an English version. I highly recommend listening to both the 2022 album, Badモード (Bad Mode), and the Liner Voice+ Hikaru Utada “Bad Mode” (English Version) playlist. It’s not everyday that you get such insight from artists, and musically, this is a very exciting record with a lot of electronic music flourishes.

    I also added One Last Kiss again because it’s such a banger. Especially now that I have more context for the song, I appreciate both the song and the music video so much more now. 

    Honestly, I thought the playlist would end here, but Spotify decided to throw a few more songs my way that were just enough of both oddity and nostalgia that I decided to add them and pad out the playlist with just a little bit more music gold. I dare you to tell me that the tape warble on Ye Old Man by Mia Joy does not immediately draw you in, or how a band name like Wombo does not immediately grab your interest.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2023-01

    WILT_2023-01

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 1 Jan 2023 to 7 Jan 2023.

    1. First Light – Ill Considered, Theon Cross, Kaidi Akinnibi, Robin Hopcraft, Ralph Wyld
    2. Wanna Know – The Soft Pink Truth
    3. Myself When Young – Dorothy Ashby
    4. I Am So Happy With My Little Dog – Shabason & Krgovich, Joseph Shabason, Nicholas Krgovich
    5. Crime Seed – Meditations on Crime, Gang Gang Dance, Harper Simon
    6. All that she wants – Clea Vincent
    7. Rosin Immersion – Al Cisneros
    8. Suicide of Judas – Al Cisneros

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2023-01

    Notes

    And just like that, we find ourselves in 2023. Some with promise and some with dread, some looking for change and some who do not mind more of the same. It’s funny how one orbit around the sun is defined in this construction of society. I can see how we base our concepts and perceptions of time around the pattern of the seasons, but so much more of modern society has also been built on top of this concept. But lest we forget, we constructed these concepts, and we choose or allow ourselves to be swept up in it.

    I don’t think it’s wrong to follow these social constructs. It aids us in being more, because it allows us the ability to believe that tomorrow might come, or that things will continue or need to continue in some way, shape, or form. But it is also useful to step back and step out once in awhile, particularly when we feel that life is not heading anywhere, we can take some comfort in the fact that a spinning rock orbiting a celestial star may not have any inherent meaning whatsoever, save for what we choose to impose on it. Maybe there’s some comfort there that we get to define what our lives mean, because this cosmic joke already had its punchline, and it’s only on our way home that we loose a weak chortle that nobody else really hears.

    Music-wise, I am very pleased to start the year with Ill Considered’s First Light. It already starts off strong with the drones of a saxophone resting atop the energy of bass part that’s allowed to fill out more space than it normally should. However, it’s when the whole band comes in that everything gets taken to the next level. For one thing, I thoroughly enjoyed Then Cross’s authoritative tuba arrangement that gives this brilliant arrangement some foundation shattering groove.

    Wanna Know I added because its groovy disco bass line was just so tasty and frolicking.

    I immediately added Myself When Young by Dorothy Ashby when I heard the harp and jazz arrangements. Upon further explorations, we also learn that Ashby played the Japanese koto on the album ‌The Rubaiyat of Dorothy Ashby.

    There are some great guitar licks in I Am So Happy With My Dog by Shabason & Krgovich, so that’s why I included the song. It’s a nice song too, and it is about a dog. Kinda cute really.

    Crime Seed was rather interesting to listen to, but it was definitely the vocals by Lizzi Bougatsos of Gang Gang Dance that enamoured me. Overall, it reminded me of something Goat might do if someone sampled them or produced them in a different way, but this is an interesting electronic psych rock mashup that turned me into the direct of Gang Gang Dance, which I should do a bit more listening on.

    When I first heard this cover of All That She Wants by Clea Vincent, I was immediately taken in, but it was only after multiple listens that I’ve grown to absolutely love this version of the song. Starting with Vincent’s fiendishly cheeky and carefree vocal performance, to the vintage synth work that accompanies the song, it’s simplistic but indelibly infectious. In fact, it might be my favourite way to enjoy this song, day or night.

    We close off the playlist with some pieces by Al Cisneros (former bassist of Sleep). I love Cisnero’s work on Sleep and Om, while his solo work tends to be more minimal or still in a draft stage, they are still fun explorations into the realm of dub music.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-52

    WILT_2022-52

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 25 Dec 2022 to 31 Dec 2022.

    1. Dust – ELY
    2. L/R – Nilüfer Yanya
    3. stabilise – Nilüfer Yanya
    4. midnight sun – Nilüfer Yanya
    5. At Pace – Cola
    6. Fashionista – Folly Group
    7. For You (Many Selves Version) – Kadhja Bonet
    8. So Excited – Cola
    9. Eyes – Wine Lips
    10. Floating Features – La Luz
    11. Uncanny – Daniel Villarreal

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-52

    Notes

    I should have done my reflections yesterday.

    So it is the new year of 2023 today at the time of publishing. What a nice coincidence that the final week of 2022 ended on a Saturday, bookending the year with a nice bit of structure. (These weekly playlists chart a listening journey from Sundays to Saturdays for the unaware.)

    I am quite glad that Week 52 explored a return to some new guitar-based alt/indie/rock music. I still feel a tension with rock music, in that most times I do not miss it because there are so many other different styles and histories of music, but it is also a genre that has profoundly influenced the cultural appreciation of music, and at times, there is tremendous merit to be found in rock guitar’s expression.

    This week’s playlist starts with Dust by ELY, a cacophonous and urgent saxophone and rhythm arrangement that permeates through the song. For a while I thought that this would be how the year would end for me.

    However, the true exploration came as a result of clicking on Nilüfer Yanya’s album thumbnail, PAINLESS (2022). What awaited me was gorgeous neo-soul style vocal delivery, but with a certain brashness of grunge-guitar with innovative and quirky musical arrangements and note choices. For example L/R opens with something that sounds like chords played on bass guitar, or a baritone guitar. Either way, as the chords slide across the fretboard, above the mix of a very understated and controlled drum arrangement. Holding it all together is Tanya’s unique and ephemeral vocals that perform with conviction of both craft and emotion. 

    As the playlist started to evolve on its own, the recommendations came pouring in. Cola reminds me of the Strokes, but if they were a first-wave post-punk band. We are revisited by Folly Group performing the brilliant Fashionista whose hooks are as cheeky as they are evocative.

    This playlist also has some unique outliers like For You by Kadhja Bonet. It’s an airy soul-pop number that is light on the instrumentation but heavy on the taste and groove. A midnight afternoon romp through a cool garden whilst declaring your love into the vacuum of solitude. Eyes by Wine Lips is garage-punk drag race firing on all pistons as the end comes looming faster and faster as you t-bone the song’s climax. Floating Features by La Luz is a Latin-esque psychedelic instrumental and Uncannyby Daniel Villarreal immediately stood out with its odd-time intro that sounds wrong, but still intently captivating. By the time the pieces start to fit and the orbits synchronise, a deluge of sounds and ideas spin into a hurricane of chaos, but sets everything back into its right place. Like watching a hurricane in reverse.

    Also, if you’ve made it this far, here’s every single song from WILT_2022 in one playlist. I labelled it WILT_2022-00.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-51

    WILT_2022-51

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 18 Dec 2022 to 24 Dec 2022.

    1. Last Chance – Thornato, The Spy From Cairo
    2. Tinned Tomaters – Dwyer
    3. A Gentle Acaba (Vento Em Rosa) – Alabaster DePlume
    4. The Trembling of Glass – Rachika Nayar
    5. Clouds – Resavoir
    6. You Make Me Care More – Sofie Birch, Johan Carøe
    7. Intro – Ishmael Ensemble
    8. Instants – Skúli Sverrisson
    9. Cutty – North Americans
    10. Off Om – Jeff Parker
    11. Musings – linanthem
    12. Four Folks – Jeff Parker

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-51

    Notes

    Part of the stress and anxiety of putting these lists together over the past one hundred and seventeen weeks has been about finding new things to say about music. I mean, you get it right? I like music, and I describe it in certain ways. Sometimes it seems inspired, a lot of times it feels insipid. And while it may not be the reader’s expectation to read lyrical wax about music or musings, it is something that inadvertently plagues me, seeing as I am the compiler of these lists, and these thoughts. Dare I not bother about what the reader thinks about these words?

    That might very much be true, since I started this process as a form of experimentation and catharsis, as such, I should allow myself room to fail and room to flail. Even at the worst of times, when there’s nothing to say, write, think, feel, or do. 

    So here I am, still happy to be listening to music and happy to be sharing these lists with you, but slightly jaded with the way I have been writing about them. The past few weeks have felt derivative, as well as pompous in justifying why the songs made the list. The short simple answer is that I like the way these songs sound in some shape, form, or concept, and there are only so many ways I can say the same thing ten different times. Perhaps I do need to expand my vocabulary and knowledge of things to be able to better articulate myself again, and perhaps that is something I will explore more for myself in the new year. 

    And so I leave you with this week’s playlist, a fair amount were further explorations into the previous week’s list, and a deeper exploration into this current one as well. It’s more instrumental and ambient in nature, and if I dare say rather gorgeous for meditations and introspection.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-50

    WILT_2022-50

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 11 Dec 2022 to 17 Dec 2022.

    1. Too Late Now (Soulwax Remix) – Wet Leg, Soulwax
    2. Pua – Dengue Dengue Dengue, Penya
    3. Yodeller – Dengue Dengue Dengue
    4. El Cavilante – Dengue Dengue Dengue, Mikongo, Sara Van
    5. Parque de Bugambilias – Palmasur, Dengue Dengue Dengue
    6. Pa’ Bravo Yo (Dengue Dengue Dengue Remix) – Justo Betancourt, Dengue Dengue Dengue
    7. Shu Swamp – Thornato
    8. Hiperbórea – DNGDNGDNG, Dengue Dengue Dengue
    9. Liquid Portraits – Clap! Clap!, Piero Spitilli
    10. Dileke – Dengue Dengue Dengue
    11. Ciudad de Papel – Iván Rosa
    12. Lofi Recuerdame – Palmasur, Dream Better
    13. Guajira Sicodélica – Los Destellos
    14. Llamar La Atención – Jiony

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-50

    Notes

    This post is coming out a bit late because I got hit with a bout of gastric flu last night, and I spent the majority of my weekend sleeping instead of carving out the time to write. But after all that rest, I am starting to feel a lot better. So here are my ramblings on this past week of music listening.

    I explored a little bit more of Mr. Ho because I really enjoyed the music from last week. From there, I found Yu Su’s track ID playlist, which I immediately checked out because there was a Soulwax remix of Too Late Now. 

    I thought that the rest of the playlist would continue down a path of electronic music, but there was a slight detour. The rest of this list is still electronic in nature, but with a twist. You see, I saw the album artwork for Dengue Dengue Dengue’s Semillero and clicked on it out of curiosity. From there, it’s been love at first listen to Dengue Dengue Dengue’s brand of Peruvian electronic dance music. 

    Pua starts off strong with percussions and rhythms that I was not familiar with being in this part of the world. Still, the channeling of an intimate energy is prevalent in the beats and arrangements of this brand of music.

    The rest of the playlist continues as an extension of Semillero. Yodeller sheds more light into the rhythmic explorations of Dengue Dengue Dengue.

    El Cavilante‘s starts with a gorgeous beat that is soon accompanied by Sara Van’s smoking and impassioned vocal melody. This song slithers like an incense of longingness and panging for a gentle touch.

    Parque de Bugambilias chills things down a little. The synth bass is a bit busy, but it adds to the gentle charm of the rest of the song. The melody is also easy to get lost in.

    Pa’ Bravo Yo is an intense celebration of traditional folk instruments and arrangements with some contemporary twists, particularly how the beats work against that trumpet part. Highly addictive.

    By the time we arrive at Shu Swamp, the recommendations came from a continuation of the playlist thus far. So there’s a slight evolution in the musical choices as the algorithm becomes more self-searching. I added Shu Swamp because I love the interplay between the flute and the beats.

    There’s something dark going on with Hiperbórea. There are some elements that remind me of hip hop, but all it does is accumulate into a very chilling beat experience.

    The vibe continues with Liquid Portraits as the first part of the song starts off like an interlude cross-fading between radio stations. That rimshot is pretty tight, and you think the song is going to stay in one place throughout. But somewhere in the middle when you don’t expect it, a flurry of bass notes come on, some beautiful samples layer slightly atop it, and in that brief instant, it’s almost done. This here is a shot of inspiration, of everything coalescing into one moment.

    I dare you to not groove along to Dileke. It’s not so much as an arrangement, but so much as a beat.

    Ciudad de Papel is a short ditty that lets its piano notes ring out slightly longer than usual, just to give it that tension that comes from a midnight that’s not too quiet in the city, but also quiet enough.

    Lofi Recuerdame is another little ditty that presents a dreamy warm guitar being played while tape warbles go off in the background. It might actually be a theremin come to think of it. 

    Guitar work continues to be celebrated in Guajira Sicodélica. To some extent I’ve bored myself a lot playing bass lines like on the song, but man, that guitar playing is so impassioned, I’d actually play bass on this song just to hear it live. 

    And finally we end with ‌Llamar La Atención. Now this is a bass line I can get behind. It sounds simple enough, but man that pocket is tight. Particularly when it’s laying the foundation for a sick steady beat, and a Rhodes line that is just groovy enough to make a face.

    And there we go! I am quite pleased that I am still uncovering new music fifty weeks into 2022, and it gives me some confidence as to what I’ll uncover in 2023. If I am being honest though, I am quite tired of the rigour that this project has put me through. I might change the writing format in the new year, in a way that is a bit more sustainable.

    Maybe.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-49

    WILT_2022-49

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 4 Dec 2022 to 10 Dec 2022.

    1. Unfolding (Momentum 73) – BADBADNOTGOOD, Laraaji
    2. Monument – Portico Quartet
    3. TECHNICOLOUR – The Comet Is Coming
    4. Next Stop – Portico Quartet
    5. The Spoon – Oscar Jerome
    6. Hold On, Pt.2 – DARGZ, James Chelliah, Moses Boyd
    7. Imagineering – Nightmares On Wax
    8. Wave Decay – GoGo Penguin
    9. Never – All The Luck In The World
    10. Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins) – Father John Misty
    11. Boys Will Be Boys – Stella Donnelly
    12. QADIR – Nick Hakim
    13. In-Best – Mr. Ho

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-49

    Notes

    I was feeling rather uninspired with listening the whole week, and if I’m being honest, I suppose I was dragging my feet a little. I was not willing to put in the work to uncover new pieces of music, and it might be due to the general lethargy of the year-end festivities kicking in.

    I then decided that it had been awhile since I put on the Jazz UK playlist, which was where I received a lot of inspiration in the past and it helped me uncover many jazz artists that I love listening to today.

    If you’ve been following my playlists, you’ll likely find the first eight songs presented by familiar musicians. Still they each had something intriguing that made me add them to this week’s playlist. For the most part, the drums and percussion is what usually grabbed my attention first, but here and there you will also find interesting bass, horn, or keyboard / synth parts as well. Overall, it’s a good re-visit into the genre.

    From there, I loaded up Erased Tapes’s Staff Picks playlist, and came across Never by All The Luck In The World, which is such a product of its time. It is a very nostalgic sound that I did not think I would hear again in recent times, but I decided to add it for some posterity.

    Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins) by Father John Misty had a whimsical tune and trumpet arrangement that made me intrigued enough to add to my curios of listening. I had heard of the artist, but I suppose I had moved on from the folk genre prior to adding this in.

    Boys Will Be Boys by Stella Donnelly had the kind of song title that I felt I ought to pause and listen to, just so I could keep my privilege in check. It’s a heart-wrenching song, and it’s even sadder that there had to be a song about it.

    QADIR by Nick Hakim just sort of gripped me with a simple beat that is allowed to reverberate through the mix while ethereal samples pepper the clouds and Hakim’s smooth whispering vocals permeate through the mix like an incense of poetry and catharsis.

    I changed the listening after QADIR, and loaded up TOKiMONSTA’s LUMPIN playlist because I wanted something with more tempo and dynamics to take me through the next phase of the evening. In-Best by Mr. Ho came on and the techno beat and bass immediately grabbed my attention. It was not going to be the perfect closer for this playlist, but it makes for a fantastic contribution to my techno curation.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-48

    WILT_2022-48

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 27 Nov 2022 to 3 Dec 2022.

    1. Time, Being – Jonny Nash, Suzanne Kraft
    2. Claudi – Laurence Guy
    3. I Eet – Bremer/McCoy
    4. Berlin 1 (Rework) – Oscar Jerome, Louis VI
    5. Cirklen – Bremer/McCoy
    6. The Difference (Jon Hopkins Remix) – Flume, Toro y Moi, Jon Hopkins
    7. Falaise – Floating Points
    8. Emerald Rush – Jon Hopkins
    9. As Long as You Follow – Fleetwood Mac
    10. You Make Loving Fun – Fleetwood Mac

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-48

    Notes

    Time, Being by Johnny Nash and Suzanne Kraft, Claudi by Laurence Guy, and I Eet by Bremer/McCoy all came out from a generated playlist radio based on WILT_2022-47.

    I Eet in particular stood out the moment the double bass came on, and it continued to surge ahead as the piano came on. The interplay between the two musicians is incredible intimate, and full of note and technique choices that stem from wanting to give the listener aural pleasure. I think they play to please, and this comes off very strongly in this song in particular.

    I’m not exactly sure how Berlin 1 and Cirklen came about, but the groove on Berlin 1 is excellent and also a wonderful accompaniment to day drinking, even though it probably entered my orbit while I was commuting to work, come to think of it. I vaguely remember the 16th notes on the double bass in Cirklen being one reason I was intrigued enough to add the song to this week’s playlist.

    From there, I remember being fascinated with revisiting the work of Jon Hopkins. This arose because I found some old videos of myself attending some of the producer’s live DJ sets, and I remember always being blown away by the beats presented at his sessions. I wanted to see if I could find something similar and present them to the listeners of this playlist series.

    In the end, I found The Difference (Jon Hopkins Remix) which is a fairly appropriate representation of what I think I remember. The beats are organic in that they feel like they respond according to the dynamics of the song. More than anything, they induce movement, which is one of the joys I always have on those big nights.

    I tried to find more but I couldn’t. Still, in the process Falaise by Floating Points came on, and it was just brilliant. Staccatos and legatos lace this gorgeous soundscape, going nowhere till the trills surface and the promise of more erupts into silence and stillness.

    Emerald Rush by Jon Hopkins enters the fray without hesitation. A poor mix and clunky follow-up at worst, but potentially what I was searching for in the complex beats that I lost my senses to. It sounds better when you are slightly inebriated.

    Thursday morning, 1 December 2022, Robin informs me that Christine McVie of Fleetwwod Mac has passed on.

    He shares As Long as You Follow as being one of his favourite tracks written and performed by Christine, with guitar work by Rick Vito instead of Lindsey Buckingham. An erstwhile anecdote, but it demonstrates the magic of McVie’s songwriting, in that it is almost universally brilliant songwriting, and arrangements find their way to well-written songs. The colours are always richer when the scaffold is sturdy enough for painters to paint on. And it’s true, the guitar work by Vito is brilliant, in that accompanies McVie’s perfectly understated vocal delivery with an equally impassioned yet underrated guitar performance. The recording is so held back that it almost burst from it’s own anticipation.

    Or as I shared in my own lame tribute on Facebook. There was magic because you wrote the spells.

    I select You Make Loving Fun as my frame of remembrance to Christine McVie. While it is also one of my favourite bass performances from John McVie, perhaps the honour goes to Christine for also crafting such a beautifully simple song that allows fellow musicians and band mates to interpret and arrange one of the most dynamically astounding pop-rock songs every written. From it’s half-time chorus, to minor to major coda section, it was probably the one of first songs to make me realise that simplicity was distilled complexity.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-47

    WILT_2022-47

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 20 Nov 2022 to 26 Nov 2022.

    1. GOOD TIMES (Elephant Talk Remix) – Jungle, Elephant Talk
    2. Slow Burn (Elephant Talk Mix) – Outlaw Boogie, Elephant Talk
    3. Hourglass – Most Akin
    4. Forever the Mirror – Blue Material
    5. Afterthoughts – Most Akin
    6. Blomsterid – HNNY
    7. The Sky Is Empty – Orchid Mantis

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-47

    Notes

    The week started with the Elephant Talk remix of Jungle’s GOOD TIMES. You can listen to the original here.

    I loved the electro house vibe so much that I started to look for more material by Elephant Talk, and that’s where Slow Burn (Elephant Talk Mix) by Outlaw Boogie came about, but more surprisingly, that’s also where Hourglass came about as well.

    Hourglass by Most Akin has a folksy, dreamy, shoegazey vibe that is all sorts of familiar, yet nostalgically captivating that I was allured enough to seek out more music by the artist. But not before Forever the Mirror by Blue Material came on. The song has been treated with a sort of lo-fi hiss that I’m not sure works, but the groove is strong enough to merit an addition to the list.

    Back to the music of Most Akin. What greeted me when was not the similar dreamy folk, but a lot more soundscapes and sonic ideas. I did find Afterthoughts which was similarly haunting, and this time with a brilliant saxophone accompaniment and drum breakdown that sounds like it could belong on DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing.

    However, for the rest of playlist, I sought out similar music to Most Akin, and what I found were more sonic ideas that attempted to transcended convention. Some highlights included Blomsterid by HNNY, that featured repeated chord swells and a simple guitar motif that worked to be a worthwhile interlude, or pre-outro to the playlist.

    The Sky Is Empty by Orchid Mantis has a strange warbling motif that is both unsettling, yet tearfully endearing. As it sits in between simple piano tinkerings and a swell of delay drenched samples, everything strives to come together but also ultimately falls apart. There is no moment except for the whole moment itself.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-46

    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.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-45

    WILT_2022-45

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 6 Nov 2022 to 12 Nov 2022.

    1. Steve Luther – Impact Seats
    2. Love Speakeasy – Reflection Eternal
    3. LetMeRideSoul!!!!! – 9th Wonder
    4. makeitliveforever – Knxwledge
    5. Room Temp. Amor. – ||||||||||||||||||||
    6. Eyes Wide Not Shut – Fake Creators, LITE, DE DE MOUSE
    7. Sicily’ Box – Venna, Yussef Dayes, Marco Bernardis, Rocco Palladino
    8. Drosa is real! (Lindstrøm Remix) – OJKOS, Andreas Rotevatn, Lindstrøm
    9. Vivien – ††† (Crosses)
    10. Endless Return – Elder
    11. The Healer – José James, Ebban Dorsey
    12. Fever – Mansur Brown
    13. Dreams of Panama – Skinshape
    14. Monkey – Low
    15. California – Low

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-45

    Notes

    As of writing this, Steve Luther is no longer available from Spotify on this part of the world for me, but I’ll just leave it in because who knows when the track will be accessible again. If I recall correctly, there was something ambient about it.

    I think some part of this week’s playlist came as a continuation of the previous week’s focus on nu-soul and a more underground hip-hop. Love Speakeasy by Reflection Eternal is a chill, and funky intermission that features a soulful sax performance. Very vibe.

    LetMeRideSoul!!!!! by 9th Wonder is another fascinating soul performance, with gorgeous strings supported by a warm rhythm section that takes you on a relaxing drive down a boulevard.

    makeitliveforver by Knxwledge has just the kind of bassline that I like, full of tension and also a strong punctuation to give that sense of groove. It’s another intermission piece bears testament to the rich cultural heritage of hip-hop, soul, and jazz.

    I think the explorations started shifting when we reach Room Temp. Armor. by ||||||||||||||||||||. I believe I decided to visit my personal Release Radar playlist to catch up on what I might have potentially been missing out on with my meanderings over the past few weeks. I was definitely not disappointed with this song. A gorgeous flute intro, before leading into a light touch beat that somehow only |||||||||||||||||||| accomplishes with such ease.

    Eyes Wide Not Shut by Fake Creators, LITE, and DE DE MOUSE is a start-stop hard cutting track that seems to borrow elements from gabber, hardcore, glitch and break beat. I’m quite here for it, but maybe in some level of moderation or intense concentration. Also, I just learned that Fake Creators is a partnership between LITE and DE DE MOUSE.

    We go into more jazzy territory with Sicily’ Box, performed by Venna (Saxophone), Yussef Dayes (Drums, Percussion), Marco Bernardis, and Rocco Palladino (Bass). There’s a lot of broad and bold musical strokes with this quartet, and if you are a fan of any of these instruments, you’re in for a ride.

    Lindstrøm’s remix of Drosa is real! by OJKOS and Andreas Rotevatn is a beautiful electronic remix of an orchestral jazz arrangement. There are beats, melodies, flourishes, and swells, all speckled along a twelve minute soundscape of wonderful ideas and expressions.

    When something by ††† (Crosses) comes on, you immediately notice. Chino Moreno’s voice is extremely distinctive. The industrial synth intro is something that will always pique my interest, but damn, it’s that chorus melody that sounds like a dark version of Hit Me Baby One More Time that puts me in a slight tizzy of dark pop intonations.

    I believe Endless Return by Elder was halfway through the song before I decided to pause and see what song was being performed, and who the performers. Seeing that it was Elder immediately cemented that fact that this was a good song. It’s been amazing seeing how this band has been evolving with each album. The melodic ideas are now more defined, but the elements of a good jam and groove are always there. In fact, most sections in the music feature a tremendous confidence in what they’re trying to convey. Yes, I do miss some of the heaviness from their first foray, but I am also all for the soaring fantasies that they’re incorporating into their later work. They do however visit that heavy territory at the seven minute mark, which is well worth the build up.

    When The Healer comes on, you know what song it is (especially if you’re familiar with Erykah Badu’s original). But you cannot help but continue listening, because you know what a tremendous song it is, and you want to ensure that it at least pays tribute to the original in a fitting manner. I am happy to report that I am satisfied. It’s a pretty straightforward cover with a gorgeous saxophone solo by Ebban Dorsey. It’s full of soul, passion, and conviction, which I think is what’s needed when covering the classics and your heroes.

    I was deciding whether to add Fever by Mansur Brown. In the end, I decided that I would, on the account that this was a beat that I was not familiar with in regards to Brown’s work. Still, it is enigmatically soulful guitar work, which he just does so tremendously well. If there was a sound to describe the neo-soul past 2020, his work would be one of my picks.

    From there, we arrive at Dreams of Panama by Skinshape, with a stupendous introduction and then deviates into a wildly cinematic choral arrangement with easy flowing chord shapes performed on guitar and bass. There is a definite nostalgia in the music that is pleasant to listen to.

    We end off with a tribute to Mimi Parker of Low as I learned that she passed on earlier this week. I thought of the first two songs I’d ever heard from Low. Monkey was the first ever song I heard by the band. I think Daniel was the one who introduced them to me. Well, the song is just an amazing opener for The Great Destroyer (2005) and a testament to the energy and emotion that the band brings to their performances.

    California has just one of the most memorable chord progressions from this era of music. I probably spent many a day walking to university whilst humming this tune, but my memory plays with me and maybe that’s how I romanticise the tune.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-44

    WILT_2022-44

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 30 Oct 2022 to 5 Nov 2022.

    1. The 6th Sense – Common
    2. Didn’t Cha Know – Erykah Badu
    3. Know That – Mos Def, Talib Kweli
    4. For You – Bilal
    5. Untitled (How Does It Feel) – D’Angelo
    6. Sage Projection – Afrikan Sciences
    7. These Arms – Young Legionnaire
    8. See Thru To U – Flying Lotus, Erykah Badu
    9. Eternal Light – Free Nationals, Chronixx
    10. Dedicated – Digable Planets
    11. HR3 – Overmono
    12. All Good – Illa J
    13. Sirens II – Bilal

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-44

    Notes

    I came across a video called The Musical Movement We Don’t Talk About Enough by Digging The Greats. In it, he discusses the Soulqurians, a rotating collective of experimental Black music artists active during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Members of the collective included singer and multi-instrumentalist D’Angelo, drummer and producer Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, producer J Dilla, singer-songwriter Erykah Badu, trumpeter Roy Hargrove, keyboardist James Poyser, singer Bilal, bassist Pino Palladino, rapper-producers Q-Tip and Mos Def, and rappers Talib Kweli and Common. [Wikipedia]

    If you want a playlist of the albums listed in the video, click here.

    From this playlist, I selected some of my standout listens, as well as tried to give a variety of the musical artists that were part of the Soulquarians. This list included:

    The 6th Sense by Common is a pensive, passionate and uplifting rap performance with a tight and dialed-back beat that puts the listener at ease, and also receptive to the message underscoring the lyrics.

    Didn’t Cha Know by Erykah Badu features soulful bongo flourishes paired with a steady lazy beat and various melodic ideas that support Badu’s beautiful voice.

    Know That by Mos Def and Talib Kweli is a hard step hustle hard beat and rap with fantastic energy and delivery.

    For You by Bilal has a standout guitar line that’s chopped up just such. It’s a great introduction into Bilal’s brand of nu-soul.

    Untitled (How Does It Feel) by D’Angelo is a soulful tribute to Prince. There is so much restraint in the performance, but when it goes off, there’s nothing standing in its way. The bass performance by Raphael Saadiq in particular is a masterclass in tension and release.

    From there I was recommended the artist, Afrikan Sciences from the Facebook group, Unpopular radio. Sage Projection features a great beat with lots of soaring synthwork atop electronic afro beats.

    For some reason, I started to revisit Bloc Party, and I ended up re-engaging with Young Legionnaire, the next project by Gordon Moakes, the original bass player for Bloc Party. These Arms is a straight ahead indie rock song with great melody and great energy. It was just a good tune that I had to include it. It winds up being a good break in the playlist as well.

    The next half of the playlist was generated as recommendations based on the playlist thus far.

    See Thru To U by Flying Lotus and Erykah Badu is from the producer’s seminal 2012 album, Until The Quiet Comes. The song features a soaring bass performance by Thundercat, and also a beautiful tribal beat that is elevated by Badu’s vocal performance. It’s psychedelic, jazzy, and altogether soulful.

    Eternal Light by the Free Nationals and Chronixx features a stanky-ass bassline that I can’t get enough of, and a chillax-ed Chronixx taking it easy and giving a coast-worthy vocal performance.

    Dedicated by Digable Planets is super smooth, but it’s the drum part that really shines for me. The way the snare shimmers with each hit is just a great vibe. It gives just the right amount of looseness in an otherwise tight performance.

    HR3 by Overmono was so interesting with the bleeps and bloops that I just wanted to collect it somewhere.

    All Good by Illa J is a slow poignant piece that respects space and pace.

    Sirens II by Bilal is a loose and jammy soul piece with a slinky bass tone courtesy of a low action. It’s actually quite addictive, all these imperfections.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-43

    WILT_2022-43

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 23 Oct 2022 to 29 Oct 2022.

    1. Elyjah Slaps the Space – Okvsho
    2. Squishy Windows – Pariah
    3. Loaded Dice – Dub Phizix
    4. Fo Yelle – Florence Adooni
    5. “T” Plays It Cool (Unedited Version) – Marvin Gaye
    6. Strawberries, Rasberries – Don Hales
    7. UFOF – Big Thief
    8. Zvichapera – Chiwoniso

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-43

    Notes

    Elyjah Slaps the Space by Okvsho came on just as I was putting the finishing touches on WILT_2022-42. What immediately came on was an Afro-Cuban beat that I was immediately intrigued by. Scouting the title of the song, I was immediately curious as to what they meant by “Slap the Space” and at the 22-second mark, you get your answer. One glorious fart of a stanky-ass bass note. Absolute glory and catharsis.

    This might well have been the only song on the playlist if I had not decide to start playing music from the Four Tet’s ever evolving playlist of aural inspiration. I’d been working on an event the entire week, and finally after most of the chaos had subsided, I found a brief moment to listen to music while doing light work. I decided not to use Endel this time round, and instead revisited the idea of brain food that I associate with some of Four Tet’s curations. This unpronounceable playlist is where I find the rest of this week’s inspiration.

    Squishy Windows by Pariah for its thumping bass line over an industrial marching beat. Very hypnotic to work to.

    Loaded Dice by Dub Phizix for its sick drum and bass groove.

    Fo Yelle by Florence Adooni for its super chill yet moving music. I’ve since learned she is from Ghana and performs something known as frafra gospel. The guitar work sounds deeply personal, accompanied by a horn section that sounds so celebratory. The groove is laid back, but also dance-y. Every thing comes together with a voice that comes out from the folksy sixties, in an earnestness you don’t hear too much these days.

    “T” Plays It Cool (Unedited Version) by Marvin Gaye is another solid groove that is both tight and relaxed. All at once, and in different sections. It’s what makes music sound alive.

    Strawberries, Rasberries by Don Hales gives us a something of a jazzy blues jam. It’s a bit dirty, it’s a bit psychedelic, it’s a bit classy. It’s what organic wine sometimes sounds like when it’s got just that bit of funk.

    UFOF by Big Thief I added because it just had a melody that I did not want to forget. It reminds me a bit of Kate Bush, but the arrangements are performed by musicians with more humble indie leanings. It still works to great effect.

    Zvichapera by Chiwoniso I added for the warmth radiated by the music. Chiwoniso was a Zimbabwean singer, songwriter, and exponent of Zimbabwean mbira music. This performance reaches deep, and I am in awe of the power of conviction and virtuosity.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-42

    WILT_2022-42

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 16 Oct 2022 to 22 Oct 2022.

    1. La colline – Samba De La Muerte
    2. A Love Moment for the End – Blacklight Chameleon
    3. Young Summer – Blacklight Chameleon
    4. Sugar Pain – Blacklight Chameleon
    5. Lovin’ Feeling – French 79, Kid Francescoli
    6. Open The Floogates – The Smile
    7. Paraiso – Gizmo Varillas
    8. Back South – Mansur Brown
    9. Between Memories – Flying Lotus, Niki Randa
    10. Sum Body – Lapalux

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-42

    Notes

    Musically, this week is a hazy continuation of the previous week. Physically, this week is an intense continuation of the previous week.

    If I type with less structure, or with less description about what has been going on the past week, I do hope that you will excuse me. It is the final week before a big event that my workplace is organising, and as I am typing this, it is the last thing I decided to do before winding down for the day.

    Samba De La Muerte continues to make its presence felt. There is also something about the way that “Muerte” is spelled that I am so drawn to. It sounds more poetic than death, perhaps equal parts diabolical and celebratory. Either way, it probably stems from my ignorance of the Spanish language and culture.

    I also came across Blacklight Chameleon, I think due to the album art being recommended to me. Musically however, I was drawn into its cacophony of symphonies, samples, electronic beats and arrangements. It is very drenching music, and just the sort of accompaniment you might want on tired evenings.

    I do recommend exploring Blacklight Chameleon. The music and arrangements are rather abstract, experimental, and unbound by any preconceived notions of what music ought to be.

    By the time Lovin’ Feeling comes on, it does feel like a page has been turned. I’m not sure where, when, or how the page turned, but it turned onto a warm French disco-tinged pop number. A bit like a folksy Chromeo. There’s a place for the music, and this might be the place.

    Open The Floodgates came on because I stumbled upon this live performance by The Smile, and I was simply enamoured by the melodic counterpoint of the guitars underneath the piano and synthesizers. There is no percussion that happens in the song, and I think that makes it perfect.

    Paraiso stands on its own as a gorgeous guitar-led composition with laid back latin-funk groove. Cool suns were made for these.

    Mansur Brown comes in very strong with Back South. A sick groove just sitting on top of a laid back groove and rippin’ guitar part. This is a soulful guitar interlude in one of its finest moments.

    Flying Lotus’s arrangement and production on Between Memories is downright gorgeous. A bassline that flirts between liquid, chords, and presence, actually sitting underneath some absolutely snare work and synth arrangements, all while Niki Randa’s ethereal vocals orbit a nebula of music. It is absolutely spellbinding, and I love that it’s less than two minutes. Ideas like these are perhaps better off as ideas than songs. That way, you never really get to catch them. They just exist. The best type of cosmology.

    Lapalux provides us with yet another stunner. Sum Body effortlessly threads between mood, vibe, and soul, offering one last riposte to the fading light.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-41

    WILT_2022-41

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 9 Oct 2022 to 15 Oct 2022.

    1. Space Train – Spiral Drive
    2. Planet Td1 – Trip the Witch
    3. Regarde en bas où l’ombre est plus noire – Ojard
    4. Wing Rowing (K08) – Niklas Paschburg
    5. Half-Bloom – Asta Hiroki
    6. Fold – Asta Hiroki
    7. Cosy – Blanka
    8. Samba – Samba De La Muerte
    9. Phantom Limb – Arthur Hnatek, Taut
    10. Wildflower – Robohands, Aleh
    11. They & I – The Lasso, Jordan Hamilton, The Saxsquatch

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-41

    Notes

    I just can’t seem to choose the right words.

    That’s what writing is all about isn’t it?

    There are words and there is meaning.

    How you put them together determines one meaning. How they are read determines another.

    I just can’t seem to choose the right words.

    Listening-wise, this week has seen more down tempo choices being chosen. I’m not entirely sure how that happened, but I remember starting the week listening to some Jimi Hendrix, and that’s when I noticed the album artwork for Trip the Witch (2021) which I then learned is a collaboration between Stone Temple Pilots guitarist, Dean DeLeo, and session guitarist, Tom Bukovac. From there, Space Train piqued my interest with its dramatic control of tone and arrangement. I suppose that’s also when Space Train by Spiral Drive entered my orbit with its dirty bassline and laid back psych-rock.

    The next half of the playlist came as recommendations from Spotify after Gaspar Klaus’s 2359 (2022) EP ended. I suppose I was feeling a bit of a drone-y mood with the amount of work that had to be done last week, so I was flitting between the Endel app, and music that could help with deep focus. From here, the textures of Asta Hiroki, Blanka, Ojard, and Niklas Pashburg all became new discoveries for me.

    The music of Samba De La Muerte crept along suddenly and it was immediately captivating. Samba (2013) is a glorious guitar and string ensemble piece that evokes a primal stirring emotion that hopes you were alone in your thoughts, but not without the companionship of loved ones.

    After that, Phantom Limb creates a euphoric tension that allows its liquid beats to slip undercurrent into your movement. And finally, Wildflower treats us to a ragged jazz inscription of percussion, bass and flute, while They & I goes in quest of cosmic ideas through the realms electronica and a searching saxophone.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-40

    WILT_2022-40

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 2 Oct 2022 to 8 Oct 2022.

    1. Trust the Journey – Theon Cross
    2. 40tude – Theon Cross
    3. Watching Over (Bless Up Dad) – Theon Cross
    4. Forward Progression II – Theon Cross
    5. Yoshi Orange – Ebi Soda
    6. Postcards – Waldo’s Gift
    7. Telepathic DNA – Soccer96
    8. Something to Do in the Future – Ebi Soda
    9. Blenda – Charlotte Adigery, Bolis Pupul
    10. Love Your Grace – Vega Trails
    11. Unknown Jam – Azymuth
    12. Amalgation – DoomCannon
    13. Epic Dream – Vega Trails
    14. Spiral – The Vernon Spring
    15. Floral And Botanical Explorations – Robohands
    16. Movement I, II, III – Lapalux

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-40

    Notes

    We start with a burst of four tracks by Theon Cross. I was already interested when I came across the tuba player last week, and this week I managed to solidify that Cross is an important revelation in my appreciation of jazz and music.

    For starters, the tuba might be considered an unorthodox, or backing instrument in most music arrangements, but in his music, Cross brings his ideas on the form into the spotlight by writing music to be performed by the bass cannon of the classical world.

    On tracks like 40tude when the first bass notes hit, the reverberation is so unlike anything you might have heard before. Coupled with an energetic but controlled rhythm performance, the bass and melody all have room to shine without needing to be too processed. This is the future of dance, jazz, afro-beat all in one.

    Trust the Journey is a euphoric performance and also a terrific opener to lull you into the potential of Cross’s music. When we ultimately crescendo, the musicians swell in not the usual flourishes and shimmering, but rather in the intensity of its breaths. It is actually very breath taking.

    On Watching Over (Bless Up Dad), Cross slows down and also softens. With such a heavy-set tone, one wonders about the exploration of intimacy with the instrument. Like a very large animal animal in a relatively small room, that is when the instrument like the tuba is led rather than leads. The role falls to the bass saxophone which gently guides Cross’s tuba parts into achingly melodic passages that navigate the darkness without knocking down anything. It’s a dance in darkness, and you trust the leader, and the process of being led.

    Man Forward Progression II comes on, and you have a shred of reggae or dub in you, you will bouncing off your feet. From the opening drum fill, you know this track is going to dig deep, and when the bass drops, you’re going to want a tuba at every dub jam.

    After Cross’s album, Intra-I (2021) ended, I did not know where the rest of the week was going to take me. Somewhere somehow Yoshi Orange by Ebi Soda came on, and I must have been captivated its broken beats and very tight snare drum.

    Postcards by Waldo’s Gift was added probably because I was intrigued by the bass part being featured so prominently. But don’t let that fool you, there’s a guitar part in the middle of the song that features some great experimental tones.

    The tone of the bassline on Soccer96’s Telepathic DNA is extremely tight, with just a bit of its top end clipping off providing the much needed tension that sits so well in the smidgen above the gorgeous free-flowing drum arrangement. It’s over in under two minutes, but I think that ephemeral nature makes it fleetingly special.

    The trumpet arrangement and solo on Something to Do in the Future is a beautiful performance allows itself to be supported by some very ethereal guitar parts, and a solid bass and rhythm section. It sort of comes and goes, but this playlist would not be complete without it.

    Blenda is a bit out of the blue, but I decided to include it because I found the synth arrangement extremely dance-able to, and also extremely bold in its rather minimal arrangement.

    This week’s playlist was originally supposed to end with Love Your Grace by Vega Trails. What a beautiful feather in the cap to end on a beautiful double bass performance that commands the higher registers while also writing the rules of the universe with its commanding lower registers, but the week still had more to give, and I am here to receive.

    Unknown Jam by Azymuth came on. The tones are so old school, but damn, they are too cool. The bass tone is an absolute carpet muncher, especially on those sliding double stops. Oh my goodness, some pornos can only wish they were this sexy. By the way, the keyboard solo in the middle is also a joy. But I am a bass player, so I am a little biased.

    I checked the DoomCannon’s music because of the artist’s name. I mean, c’mon, DOOMCANNON. I am so glad that I did. DoomCannon’s progressive to jazz is exciting, pure, and riveting. On Amalgation, you get the sense that he does not want to bore you, or rather, bore himself. The musical arrangements are schizophrenic, frenetic, but ultimately, they want to tell you that music is beautiful and exciting. So don’t be beholden to what you know, and be beholden to what the universe can still teach you.

    Vega Trails finds its way back here. Perhaps it’s a good time to share some background about who they are.

    Vega Trails are a new project from double-bassist and composer Milo Fitzpatrick, a founder member of Portico Quartet and features saxophonist Jordan Smart (Mammal Hands, Sunda Arc) in a richly powerful duo bringing together two powerfully charismatic musicians. The project was born out of a desire to bring the elements of bass and melody to the foreground in their rawest form.

    From the Vega Trails website

    Now the track Epic Dreams makes sense.

    Spiral by The Vernon Spring I added because I thought it was a beautiful interlude that condensed so many musical ideas all at once.

    Floral And Botanical Explorations is also another interlude that I simply had to add because too much music is written as holes, whereas ideas come as parts. This is one of them, especially when the saxophone comes in, but also fades out. It doesn’t know what it needs to be except in that particular point in time.

    And the previous concept could not be more overturned in how we end this week’s playlist. Movement I, II, III by Lapalux explores a multitude of ideas that runs the gamut of sketches, introductions, false starts, before saying, fuck it, here are some amazing beats and i hope you actually die from listening to them because I sacrificed portions of my sanity to make this.

    What a week. I love Week Forty. And as a public service announcement, there are twelve weeks left to 2022.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-39

    WILT_2022-39

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 25 Sep 2022 to 1 Oct 2022.

    1. Old Man Yells at Clouds – Blockhead
    2. Dark blue – caroline
    3. there is always a girl with a secret – Mira Calix
    4. Seventh Mirror – Trees Speak
    5. Dunes – ECHT!
    6. We Have To Leave This Town Because I Have Done Something Unforgivable – Peter Talisman, Slugabed, Samuel Organ
    7. Swanky Modes (Dennis Bovell DubMix) – Jarvis Cocker, Dennis Bovell
    8. Try to Reach Me – Sofie Royer
    9. Channel Your Anger – Oscar Jerome
    10. Epistrophy – Theon Cross
    11. a mark of resistance – Mira Calix
    12. Love Song – RIP Swirl
    13. 57 Lashes of the Mallet – The Natural Yogurt Band

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-39

    Notes

    The inclusion of the first eight songs were courtesy of me spending time on Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlist.

    We start with Old Man Yells at Clouds, a pastiche of beats and samples, and a general tone that I have not heard in a very long while. It feels nice to revisit these type of sounds.

    Dark blue is a melancholic hope, and the way the fiddle plays in the mix is both unnerving, as much as it is brash and hopeful.

    there is always a girl with a secret has got beats for days. Definitely added for it’s minimal and somewhat abstract arrangement.

    Seventh Mirror sounds like something I would have added before, but I have not. The rounded bass tone is what I associate with road music, and it does keep the song driving along.

    I’m all for the sub-bass and trap beats on Dunes. Will definitely be exploring more of ECHT!

    We Have To Leave This Town Because I Have Done Something Unforgivable is a soaring mish mash of ideas that somehow feel like it’s been deliberately caught in quicksand.

    Swanky Modes is just a classy, sleazy dub arrangement. Nothing special on its own, but man does it create a vibe when you’re not expecting it.

    Try to Reach Me comes into itself when the beats come on, gluing Royer’s wispy falsetto with the simplistic guitar arpeggios that colour the song. The song is layered in not the most complex of ways, but there is something satisfyingly addictive about how it all comes together.

    Beyond that, I checked out Oscar Jerome’s new album, The Spoon (2022), and came across Channel Your Anger which got an immediate add after I noticed the flute going ballistic during the outro. The growl on the bass guitar may or may not have influenced that decision too.

    From Epistrophy to 57 Lashes of the Mallet, I think the selections came from an amalgation of recommendations from the synthesis of the week’s listening, as well as The Spoon.

    Epistrophy is just big. You didn’t know you wanted tuba, but Cross applying the tuba according to his own rules and vision, is exactly why I still love listening to music, and why I am still constantly surprised to this day.

    Mira Calix finds her way back onto the list with a mark of resistance. Once again, the music is organic, human, and manipulated. There’s nothing wrong with manipulation when it’s able to extend beyond the conventional. Become a new convention. The song is catchy as f.

    What is going on? Can such a bassline exist? RIP Swirl pulls into a black hole and takes out the tip of sub-frequencies to give us Love Song.

    The jazz on 57 Lashes of the Mallet is free-flowing, referential of a psychedelic spirit and one that flits between the decades with its musical expression. Damn, I’m a new fan.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-38

    WILT_2022-38

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 18 Sep 2022 to 24 Sep 2022.

    1. Wild Child – Shopping
    2. Initiative – Shopping
    3. All Or Nothing – Shopping
    4. Qué Dios Te Maldiga Mí Corazón – The Mars Volta
    5. Cerulea – The Mars Volta
    6. Flash Burns From Flashbacks – The Mars Volta
    7. Palm Full Of Crux – The Mars Volta
    8. No Case Gain – The Mars Volta
    9. Tourmaline – The Mars Volta
    10. Disa Bling – Machinedrum
    11. No Warnin’ (feat. Boy Boy) – Pa Salieu, Boy Boy
    12. Atopos – Björk
    13. Under Your Scar – Nicholas Chim
    14. Nobody’s Perfect – Dave Thomas Junior
    15. Midnight Dipper – Warmduscher

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-38

    Notes

    Writing takes time. Some times it is effortless, other times it takes effort. I do not know what today is, but it is time to write, so I shall try.

    Some times you write better when there is nothing before or after the block of time that you have carved out for yourself, other times you give in to the compulsion that takes over you. The takeaway is that there is a structure to allow time for you to express yourself, and perhaps experience yourself. This could be one of those times.

    I opened on the band Shopping because their music finally resurfaced for me. I had tried unsuccessfully in the past to remember the work of Rachel Aggs, but for the life of me I could not remember her name until a recent Instagram post by Aggs appeared on my feed. From the, I revisited the glory of Shopping’s upbeat dance-punk and low-key chaotic style accompanied by incendiary lyrics and vocal delivery.

    Wild Child’s punchy opening bassline will always draw me in, and will no doubt leave anyone boppin’.

    Initiative is just a very well put-together song. A sparse instrumentation on the verse allows you to pay attention to the tribulations of the writer when faced with a problematic person. When the chorus comes on, and the synths come on with an inversion, it is fine pop arrangement that will have you singing along to very catchy hooks.

    I added All Or Nothing because of the cool interplay between a chorus-effected bassline and the heavily reverb-drenched guitar parts. It is highly infectious and testament to the songwriting ability of the entire unit.

    We go down a rabbit hole of The Mars Volta’s latest album, The Mars Volta (2022). Brought to my attention by my friend, Rudi, what immediately struck me about this album was that it dropped a lot of its hard rock tendencies, and leaned a lot into restraint that emerged with more pop, soft-rock, and Latin beats. I added a succession of songs from the album that are representative of the moment the album’s creative direction clicked for me.

    Qué Dios Te Maldiga Mí Corazón for the moment a generally progressive heavy rock band decided to shed their legacy, wonderfully infused Latin rhythms into intricate jazz-rock arrangements that are still able to create a sensation of driving rock.

    Cerulea is when the soft-rock vibe hit me hard. And while the rhythm and arrangements are somewhat simplistic, the guitar work continues to be astounding, and a weaver of tonal tapestry that adds a layer of tension between the driving bassline, and backwards-sound guitars.

    Flash Burns From Flashbacks features more intricate drumming and bass playing. Leaning a bit into breakbeat territory, but is fertile ground for more of Omar Rodríguez-López’s virtuosic guitar playing.

    Palm Full Of Crux sees the band fully lean into a sort of Californian soft-rock vibe. The drumming is busy, and sort of feels out of context at times, but that sensation of everything falling apart at any given moment is quite an intoxicating accompaniment to Cedric Bixler-Zavala’s desparate vocals.

    Man, what a song No Case Gain is. Frenetic, driving, evocative, and massively poppy. From its fluid basslines, drumming that sounds like you’re pushing a shopping cart at full speed, guitar lines that sound like you’re weaving threads between multiverses, and a vocal take that flits between psychedelia, post-hardcore, and pop, this song packs so much in under three minutes that one listen will hardly be enough.

    The more acoustic Tourmaline sealed the deal for me that The Mars Volta were perfectly comfortable with the creative direction that they had set out to achieve for the new album. What always sounds simplistic and familiar on the surface, has a huge undercurrent of the band’s influences and histories over the many years that they have honed their craft.

    From The Mars Volta, I decided to explore more electronic genres. I discovered some early Machinedrum in the form of Das Bling, and also checked out some drill, and No Warnin’ by Pa Salieu came on.

    I decided to check out the new Björk music video for Atapos. Suffice to say I was mesmerised. Visually it is stunning, and sonically, the woodwind arrangements were from another plane of consciousness. Particularly when you combine them with the beats featured on the song. It might sound dissonant, but this how I imagine a plant rave might sound like. It’s crystal to me. The way the woodwinds never seem to have an actual melody, but still stays melodious, and the the primal efficacy of the gabber-style beat make this new innovative style, one that is supremely engaging and worthy of further listen.

    We dial things back a little with a slight exploration of Nicholas Chim. He’s a friend and back in town for a few weeks, of which we’ve caught up now and then. I decided to re-listen to some of his earlier work, and by George are these strong songs. On Under Your Scar, his emotions always feel real, and the arrangements constantly evoke scenes of desolation, serenity, melancholia. A very particular time that visits Singapore, and makes me believe that Chim has been awake through these moments to write about them.

    Nobody’s Perfect came on very soon after and its pensive wintery mood struck a chord with me.

    Midnight Dipper by Warmduscher came on as a recommendation one Saturday morning as I was in-between errands, and the musical arrangement immediately caught my attention. A bit of Led Zeppelin meets Stevie Wonder never hurt anyone, and while I could have ended this list pensively, we are ending on a somewhat poorly curated note, because nothing stays the same forever.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-37

    WILT_2022-37

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 11 Sep 2022 to 17 Sep 2022.

    1. unother – Terekke
    2. Fire and Light – Actress
    3. Mega Glacial – Konx-Om-Pax
    4. Still Steeve – L’éclair
    5. FALLING RIZLAS – Actress
    6. Black White Felt – Roedelius, Arnold Kasar

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-37

    Notes

    I think the previous week’s instrumental vibes continued into this week’s playlist. I also did not manage to get much listening done. Did I not actively search for it, or was it simply not there?

    unother was just a perfect presence that gently entered through a door.

    Fire and Light hisses static into the void. Unknowable and unbearable things.

    Mega Glacial warbles time, trying to locate the person.

    Still Steeve is a song that actually appeared in WILT_2021-30. There’s a reason why some things make repeated appearances.

    FALLING RIZLAS pulses through desolation, leaving a trail of antimatter detectable only by those not looking for it.

    Black White Felt was a comforting presence but one that ultimately left the room.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-36

    WILT_2022-36

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 4 Sep 2022 to 10 Sep 2022.

    1. FlimFlam – Michael Peter Olsen, I Am Robot And Proud
    2. Dooms Dive – K.D.A.P., Kevin Drew
    3. The Chase – Lightning Bug
    4. Haar ove Hamnavoe (Bill Ryder-Jones Rework) – Erland Cooper, Bill Ryder-Jones
    5. body – Gia Margaret
    6. clarity – Rachika Nayar
    7. INWIW – Gia Margaret
    8. Calypso – Gigi Masin
    9. Centered Shell – yes/and
    10. Another – The Vernon Spring
    11. Tandem – Felbm
    12. Moon In Your Eye – Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Emile Mosseri

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-36

    Notes

    I’m not entirely sure how the listening week started. I think it had something to do with being recommended the album Influences (2021) by K.D.A.P. and Kevin Drew, and then sort of meandering into Spotify’s usual randomly generated playlist of Radio based on…

    So with that I landed on FlimFlam, Dooms Dive, The Chase, Hear over Hamnavoe (Bill Ryder-Jones rework) and body.

    By the time The Chase came on, I instinctively knew that this was a direction I would love to settle on for the week. A slightly cold setting, but with very warm musical arrangements and tones. When Haar over Hamnavoe (Bill Ryder-Jones Rework) followed, the melancholia followed suit, and life became a breeze. A fleeting wind that brushes us on the cheek, never taking us to where it goes.

    Somewhere, suddenly, body by Gia Margaret comes on. The audio sample grips my ears:

    How does your head look to your eyes?
    Well, I’ll tell you
    It looks like what you see out in front of you
    Because all that you see out in front of you is how you feel inside your head

    It is easy enough to stand still
    The difficulty is to walk without touching the ground
    Why do you feel so heavy?
    It isn’t just a matter of gravitation and weight
    It is that you feel that you are carrying your body around

    Common speech expresses this all the time; “life is a drag”!
    “I feel I am just dragging myself around.”
    “My body is a burden to me.”
    To whom? To whom, that’s the question. You see?
    And when there is nobody left for whom the body can be a burden, the body isn’t a burden
    But so long as you fight it, it is

    It’s like saying…you know, “to feel the feelings”
    It is a redundant expression

    Excerpt from Alan Watt’s lecture “Overcome Social Anxiety”

    I cannot help but feel slightly lighter after Watt’s words are given added context from Margaret’s quiet and victorious synthesiser arrangement. Arpeggios and angelic theremins dot the the soundscape and deliver a dose of hope into weary bodies. Perhaps it is no surprise that such themes are present in the album Mia Gargaret (2020), and Margaret herself spoke at length about it in her interview with NPR. [Hyperlink to “How Gia Margaret Lost Her Voice And Reassembled Her Songwriting Identity”]

    From here, it was a whole listen into Mia Gagaret, and the songs that got recommended after. Clarity, INWIW, Calypso, Centered Shell, and Tandem, all of which are amazing ambient and instrumental music pieces.

    I thought the week would end on Another by The Vernon Spring, as a sort of full-stop to the week’s musical journey.

    But some times, weeks write a ps.

    On a drive out on the Friday night, Tandem by Felbm came on, and I really am a sucker for piano arrangements of this sort. Rousing, and based on rather simplified techniques, but put to very effective songwriting to make you feel a certain way.

    Finally, Moon In Your Eye takes me back to the bowed saw arrangements found on Mercury Rev’s Deserter’s Songs (1998). I logged this earnest piece of music before I forgot about it.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-35

    WILT_2022-35

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 28 Aug 2022 to 3 Sep 2022.

    1. GOD OF LOVE – Liturgy
    2. Detransitioning – Uboa
    3. An Angel of Great and Terrible Light – Uboa
    4. Stare Into Death And Be Still – Ulcerate
    5. Unsilent Death – Nails
    6. 405 – Metronomy, Big Piig
    7. First Light – Ishmael Ensemble
    8. Still Cruisin’ – Jimmy Whoo, Alsy
    9. Black Lens – Leifur James
    10. AAID – Leifur James
    11. Temptations – Jitwam
    12. Softness As A Weapon – Kindness

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-35

    Notes

    I think I started the week thinking about black metal. The genesis of the thought came from when I was showing my friends some craft beer labels that were inspired by black metal designs. From then, I explored Liturgy’s discography, a band that I had come across a few years prior, whose name and music always stuck with me because their singer, Hunter Hunt-Hendrix, described their music as transcendental death metal, and also wrote a manifesto for their music. That is one way to get attention.

    But I think it worked. There was a added abstraction to the typical black metal form, and I remember being intrigued by it then as I still do today. GOD OF LOVE is a good example of their innovation, incorporating some harp arrangements, while dialing into their craft of creating a black metal style that does not oppress, but rather (ahem) transcends.

    From then, the journey meandered into the territories of some noise, experimental music and a bit more black metal. Ulcerate’s Stare Into Death An Be Still does stand out for its unique guitar riffs, and Uboa’s dystopian soundscapes are all aural standouts in this week’s playlist.

    From there, the road somehow forked into 405 by Metronomy and Big Piig, a synth-forward dreampop jangle, and just like light cracking an overcast sky, the mood shifts.

    The rest of the playlist came as highlights from a generated Mansur Brown Radio playlist. I was hosting some friends and decided on this particular generation to set the mood of from evening till midnight. Overall, it worked and I got some gems out of it.

    First Light by Ishmael Ensemble originally found its way on WILT_2022-14, and once again on WILT_2022-35. I remember when it came on last night, as it held those long notes, the song always stands out because of how much tension it holds despite how much catharsis it exudes.

    From there, Still Cruisin’ by Jimmy Whoo and Alsy continues with a sunset groove that easily takes into any evening.

    Black Lens and AAID showcase what great taste in beats that Leifur James has.

    Temptations by Jitwam is a late night groove. A perfect accompaniment for wine, conversation, and contemplation.

    Softness As A Weapon by Kindness is a meticulously layered groove and expression of the artist’s energy. With its house beats and soulful vocals, the song is slightly euphoric, but it doesn’t want you to lose control and not find the heart of the message.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-34

    WILT_2022-34

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 21 Aug 2022 to 27 Aug 2022.

    1. Auf dem Wasser zu singen, D.774 – Transcription: Franz Liszt, Searle 558 No. 2 – Franz Schubert, Evgeny Kissin
    2. Smoke – Cornelius
    3. Drop – Cornelius
    4. nightcap – Ragz Originale, John Glacier
    5. Through The Eye – Rachel Chinouriri
    6. So Much Time–So Little Time – Vegyn, John Glacier
    7. Point and Kill – Little Simz, Obongjayar
    8. Rise Above – Ibeyi, BERWYN
    9. Woman – Little Simz, Cleo Sol
    10. Black Lights – Sunburned Hand Of The Man
    11. Sun For Someone – Oscar Jerome
    12. For You – Kadhja Bonet
    13. My Prayer – Mansur Brown
    14. Sweet – Mansur Brown
    15. TIBBE – Bluestaeb
    16. Tomorrow We Will Love Again – Bluestaeb
    17. Idea 36 – Machinedrum, Chrome Sparks
    18. isle of the blest – tstewart, Machinedrum

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-34

    Notes

    I remember starting the week thinking that it would be a continuation if the week before, but it ended up in a place other than where it started. Perhaps that is the reason for starting any journey, and where continuity is a nice, desired prediction, where you ultimately end up is where your reflection can truly start to take shape.

    So we start with Auf dem Wasser zu singen D.774 – Transcription: Franz Liszt, Searle 558 No. 2, which translates to “(to) sing on the water”.

    That same evening, I also decided to relax to some music and found whatever Spotify recommended to me at the time. Cornelius was what I landed on as I enjoyed with a whiskey on a balmy Sunday evening.

    I transitioned into the Free Form playlist, and that’s where many gems like nightcap, Through The Eye, So Much Time – So Little Time, Point and Kill, Rise Above, Woman, Black Lights, Sun For Someone, For You, My Prayer, Sweet, and TIBBE all made an impression on me. In particular, I am glad for the discovery of Little Simz, Oscar Jerome, Mansur Brown, Kadhja Bonet, and Ibeyi, all of whom I will be actively following for their innovative approach to music, and attention to the heritage that they inherited.

    With Tomorrow We Will Love Again came Idea 36. And that led to an exploration of music by Machinedrum. isle of the blest came on a Saturday evening, and the guitar playing mixed with fading daylight led to a mood that was hopefully captured by having it as the final song on this playlist.

    I wish I could have also weaved my own personal narrative into these notes more fluently, but I never really tried due to a time crunch on my end. My ear is healing nicely, and I do not think there is any permanent damage to my hearing, and I am heaving a sigh of relief with this win.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-33

    WILT_2022-33

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 14 Aug 2022 to 20 Aug 2022.

    1. Handel / Orch. Hale: Keyboard Suite No. 4 in D Minor, HWV 437: III. Sarabande – George Frideric Handel, Alexander Briger, Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
    2. Six Pieces, Op. 51 TH 143: VI. Valse sentimentale. Tempo di Valse – Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Daniel Lozakovich, Stanislav Soloviev
    3. 3 Pieces for cello and piano: No. 1 Modere – Nadia Boulanger, Nicolas Altstaedt, José Gallardo
    4. 6 Studies in English Folksong (Version for Cello & Piano): No. 3, Larghetto “Van Dieman’s Land” – Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gerald Peregrine, Antony Ingham
    5. 44 Duos for 2 Violins, BB 104, Vol. 1: Parosito (Teasing Song) – Béla Bartók, György Pauk, Kazuki Sawa

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-33

    Notes

    Prior to Handel / Orch. Hale: Keyboard Suite No. 4 in D Minor, HWV 437: III. Sarabande, composed by George Frideric Handel, conducted by Alexander Briger, and performed by Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, I was having a lull in music listening due to a middle ear infection that had plagued me since last Saturday. It is Thursday today, and while most of the pain is gone, the affliction is still upon me and I believe that my middle ear still contains liquid, which has made hearing muffled in my right ear.

    I have also been on antibiotics for an extended period of time, and have not partook in alcohol for at least a month. What I am trying to say, is that for some of the vices that I still have access to (alcohol and music), this has been a sobering period of not relying on either vice too much. On the one hand, I do miss the dulling or celebration that inebriation provides, but on the other hand, because I have had time to physically rest, I have not needed to relieve my stresses with chemical methods.

    As for the listening, I have not been able to listen out of my right ear, nor have I been able to partake in deep listening habits that I sometimes prefer with my in-ear earphones. As such, I had to readjust my musical explorations from a beat-focus, to a melody-focus.

    I found my first stop with Spotify’s Dark Academia Classical playlist by exploring the Classical music genre.

    Handel / Orch. Hale: Keyboard Suite No. 4 in D Minor, HWV 437: III. Sarabande, composed by George Frideric Handel, conducted by Alexander Briger, and performed by Academy of St. Martin in the Fields is a riveting performance with a wonderfully cascading crescendo. I also learned that a Sarabande is a dance in triple metre, or the music written for such a dance.

    Six Pieces, Op. 51 TH 143: VI. Valse sentimentale. Tempo di Valse composed by Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky, and performed by Daniel Lozakovich and Stanislav Soloviev is a gorgeously melancholic duet between the violinist (Lozakovich) and pianist (Soloviev). The aching trills that punctuate the phrasings, call out as a longing into a heartless void, whereby the soft tender but confident piano keys guide you like a single note through the eternal darkness, not knowing where your next destination is.

    (Logged on Thursday, 18 August 2022)

    3 Pieches for cello and piano: No. 1. Modere composed by Nadia Boulanger, and performed by Nicholas Altstaedt (Cello) and José Gallardo (Piano) features a warm and melancholic cello arrangement accompanied by a listless piano performance that gently stirs with its arpeggios.

    6 Studies in English Folksong (Version for Cello & Piano): No. 3, Larghetto “Van Dieman’s Land” composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams, and performed by Gerald Peregrine (Cello), and Anthony Ingham (Piano) starts with a yawning draw across the cello string, and something in me was captivated and subsequently emancipated in that one phrase. It all leads into a gentle, serene scene of contemplation and lightness of being, but the heaviness of heart. This passage is part of Williams’s 6 Studies in English Folksong (Version for Cello & Piano) which can be heard on Folk Tales (2019, performed by Gerald Peregrine and Antony Ingham). If you are curious, a Larghetto is a passage or movement marked to be performed in a fairly slow tempo.

    44 Duos for 2 Violins, BB 104, Vol. 1: Parosito (Teasing Song) composed by Béla Bartók, and performed by György Pauk (violin), Kazuki Sawa (violin) gently transitions from the previous track with a stirring duet of violins that each languish in their own arrangements whilst pulling the listener into into a world of tones, shapes, colour, and breath. This passage is part of Bartók’s 44 Violin Duos, Sz. 98, and can be heard on Bartok: Violin Sonata, Sz. 117 / 44 Violin Duos, Sz. 98 (1994, performed by György Pauk and Kazuki Sawa).

    I started being a bit more spirited with my logging of some technical notes because it was actually refreshing (to me at least), that classical music had a certain way of cataloging information and content. It brings me some comfort that through this cataloging and documentation of music, that a composition can exist as a document, or written language, yet it can be interpreted by any number of musicians into the future without some need of recorded medium, all the while being the same and different. Movements, passages, stanzas, solos, duos, orchestras, different tempos to mark different studies, etc.. On the one hand, there is a grand institution to one of humankind’s great cultural legacies, and then there is a realm of pop music, that has made the enjoyment of music accessible to the layperson (myself included). Popular music has different codified symbols to indicate an artist’s involvement in a project, but nonetheless, we create to prove we exist. If not for eternity, then at least for the moment.

    I do encourage you to not listen to these pieces in isolation of this playlist, but to listen to them in the entirety of their compositions.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-32

    WILT_2022-32

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 7 Aug 2022 to 13 Aug 2022.

    1. The River – Chromatics
    2. Desire – Bob Moses, ZHU
    3. Missing Reward – Mt. Royal, Katrina Ford
    4. Destiny feat. Pional – John Talabot, Pional
    5. Sunshine (Delorean Remix) – John Talabot, Delorean
    6. Mabonda – Roots Unit
    7. McLovin – Roots Unit
    8. Yesterday feat. Mz Sunday Luv – Fahrland, Mz Sunday Luv
    9. Easier – Weval
    10. Lydia – Dauwd
    11. Lost Cat And An Untied Shoe – DJ Balduin
    12. Delta – Superpitcher

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-32

    Notes

    I started listening this week on a Sunday (while feeling much better from the previous week), by checking out what my buddy, KidG, had been curating on his own playlists. I explored a couple of his playlists, and ultimately landed on his recommendation of The River by Chromatics, which I think he must have liked a lot at some point. The song is a great vibe with a tone that I had also enjoyed from days of past. Despite it’s synth-wave tendencies, it does end up being very animalistic and sensual.

    From there, I decided to look for some music that had stood out for me as I was watching particular television shows.

    Desire by Bob Moses and ZHU was the song playing at the end credits of S1E7 of The Sandman (2022). They had just introduced a particular character, and while I did not care much for the vocals or lyrics, the moment the beat came on, I immediately tuned into its trance leanings, and I have not been disappointed.

    Missing Reward by Mt. Royal came on during one of the scenes in Banshee (2013) S2E5. As anyone would have guessed, it was the fuzzed out bassline that got my attention first. But as the song played out, the vocal melody was very captivating, as much as the entire musical arrangement. In particular, I love how the chorus rambles and barrels through the song, rather ungainly, almost as if it were stumbling through a bar, without any abandon for the rest of the patrons.

    I came across the music of John Talabot in one of my listening sessions. It’s really engaging House music with interesting rhythms and atmospheric melodies. Maybe it’s more atmospheric than some of the more high energy variants of House music, but I think tracks like Destiny feat. Pional and Sunshine (Delorean Remix) showcase that there is a certain depth that can be achieved in electronic music.

    I also came across a compilation album called If This Is House I Want My Money Back (2009, Permanent Vacation). With an album title like that, I had certain expectations about the music, and I was not disappointed. Both Mabonda and McLovin feature incredibly global beats and tasteful tones. If you are into beats, do not sleep on these.

    Came across another compilation called Connecting The Dots (2021, Kompakt) by Michael Mayer. I selected the following tracks: Yesterday (feat. Mz Sunday Luv), Easier, Lydia, Lost Car And An Untied Shoe, Delta. Instead of listing the mixed tracks directly from the compilation, I included the tracks from the EPs or LPs that they were a part of, so that you could continue exploring on your own.

    The tracks in this last leg are a bit more relaxed, but they definitely carried me through bouts of flow states, as well as relaxation. Goes to show that all the brain needs sometimes is time to itself. If you enjoyed where these beats are going, my recommendation is to explore more from the labels that curate and publish for them. That’s sometimes how I start going down rabbit holes.

    Hyperreality

    I’ve been gripped by the idea of hyperreality. The first time I came across this term was in 2004 during my undergraduate studies. At the time, it seemed simple enough to comprehend. Our perspective of the world is shaped by the media. The way we perceive our surroundings, is an indistinguishable mediated experience. Jean Bauldrillad posited that hyperreality captures the inability of consciousness to distinguish reality from a simulation of reality. Thus, the way to free our minds, was to recognise the mediated intervention, and if necessary, separate yourself from the opiate of the masses. Oh Baudrillard, you would have been proud of me, for I have remained free.

    Simple right?

    Well, 2004 was when Web 2.0 was just starting out. One of the pioneer technologies and ideas then was the concept of self-publishing, which I still participate in today. In fact, many of us have spent the last two decades in a constant state of self-publishing, or being exposed to self-publishing. I myself have negotiated with self-publishing these past twenty years as an attempt to continue exercising my individual independence of thought.

    In those two decades, I dare say that self-publishing has taken over as our defacto understanding of the world. If the world before Web2 was to negotiate with our surroundings based on medium and the message, then it would be akin to “This is the World”. After Web2, this changed has to “This is MY world”. And it’s through these individualised accounts of self-expression in the last two decades, where an unprecedented amount of humans participated in this exercise of self-expression, that we arrive at the post-truth status quo.

    And like an invisible parasite that latched itself into our psyche, that we no longer believe in anything we cannot experience for ourselves. If we do not experience it, if we do not express it, then it is not real.

    And that’s the bit about hyperreality that gripped me.

    After all these years, I was wrong. Hyperreality is not something that you can avoid if can separate the medium, message, sign and signifier. I think if I were to re-read Bauldrillard’s text, then he was saying that we are already in a state of hyperreality. Hyperreality exists in the perspective, and now it is everywhere. Any idea of the truth has now been forever lost, because they only truth that matters is what you consider to be true. This is the hyperreality of the 21st century.

    I am currently not physically with my family. But they are a text message away. In fact, a message from my sister just got delivered to my mobile phone. It’s almost as if she were in the room next to me, but she’s not. It is astounding how through years of conditioning, that we are connecting over text messages, can even be considered as a substitute for a physical connection. Or perhaps this is a new type of connection. A hyper-connection. This is the new reality, this is the hyperreality where everything, everywhere, all at once, is somehow connected, and you’re almost there, except you never were.

    I do not even just mean about connections, I mean, that everything that makes up your perspective of yourself, what you think is the closest approximation to be the truth of you, is ultimately made up of hyper-ideas. Your job, your emails, your bank account, your possessions, your assets, your debts, your relationships, your lacks, your wants, your hobbies, your self-experession… there is a simulation and simulacra of all these elements somewhere online. You exist, because the simulation acknowledges you exist. But dare you exist because you know you exist?

    When did the drug slip into my drink? How did I not realise it sooner? Does it matter that I even realise it now? Probably not. I still know what is real and what is not. I know I am hungry when I do not eat, I know my body is weak when it is sick. I know I would hurt should my relationship cease, I know that even if there is an existential dread about succumbing to a hyperreality, it will not pay my bills to ensure that I can continue to exist in current society. Alas, again, this hyperreality is one that I deemed it to be, it is connected to my hopes and my fears. It is connected to my passions and my apathy. It is here now, and it matters to me, but I know that if it disappears, it evaporates into the ether of chaos, and that is the reality. It’s hyper, because you think it’s part of something, or that there’s a system holding it together. But in isolation, it’s just reality.

    In isolation, everything and every non-thing, is as is.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-31

    WILT_2022-31

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 31 Jul 2022 to 6 Aug 2022.

    1. what if i should fall asleep and slipp under – aya
    2. Why we don’t deserve nice things – VTSS
    3. U (feat. kinseyLloyd) – Space Afrika, kinseyLloyd
    4. Honest Labour (feat. HforSpirit) – Space Afrika, HforSpirit
    5. Uwëm/Creātiōn – Space Afrika

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-31

    Notes

    I tested positive for Covid-19 last Sunday, just a few hours after I published last week’s list.

    Since then, I’ve been sleeping a lot and not really listening to any music this week.

    The tracks here started as a continuation from last week, and what I had been intrigued by just before my body decided that naps trumped everything else.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-30

    WILT_2022-30

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 24 Jul 2022 to 30 Jul 2022.

    1. Emley lights us moor – aya, Iceboy Violet
    2. Cosmologies Pt. 1 – L’Eclair
    3. Taken Back – Rich Ruth
    4. Dervish Chant – African Head Charge
    5. A Shot in the Dark – Dos Santos
    6. Wicked Kingdom – African Head Charge
    7. Wicked Kingdom – Noah House Of Dread
    8. Hold Some More – African Head Charge
    9. Anx – Belief, Boom Bip, Stella Mozgawa
    10. 60 Rutledge – O’Flynn
    11. Like this – 박혜진 Park Hye Jin
    12. Le Temps de la Rentrée – Oke/a/, Philippe Gall
    13. Nobody Home – Brady Watt, Brad Wilk, Robert Trujillo

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-30

    Notes

    I’m not exactly sure when in the year I stopped having the hang up of having 2022 playlists match the quality of 2021’s playlists, and when 2022 started becoming its own thing, and its own pursuits. Somewhere along the weekly repetition of preparing the materials for each week’s playlist, these menial tasks lost its meaning in the grand canvas, or the architecture of the curation philosophy of these lists.

    I’ll be honest, there were days when preparing these posts felt like a drag, and if not for the compulsion of having a finished product, I might have taken a break and potentially ruined the spirit behind this project and its envisioned conclusion on week fifty two.

    But there has been no break. Not since this project started in the final quarter of 2020, and I am actually quite proud of that, now that I happen to have paused and taken stock. When during the times it feels like plodding work, even a tiny bit accrues some meaning through dedication. (Written on Sun, 24 Jul 2022, 6:31pm)

    I started the new listening week by approaching Spotify’s Discover Weekly playlist, which I had not engaged for a few months now. It is pleasant to revisit these algorithms every once in awhile because sometimes your preferences accrue, and that’s when recommendations have a higher chance of landing.

    Emley lights us moor, Cosmologies Pt. 1, Taken Back, Dervish Chant, A Shot in the Dark, are all selections from this listening burst. Rhythmic, and atmospheric, these songs all shine in their endeavour to sound different from the status quo. In particular, the vocal delivery on Emley lights us moor and the guitar tones on Taken Back scream out with a hidden darkness. I was also very taken with Dervish Chant, and so I went to explore more of their music. Wicked Kingdom is the result of those explorations. One, a live version by the band, and the other I suspect to be the original, by Noah House Of Dread, which is a side project of African Head Charge frontman, Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah.

    Hold Some More arose from deeper listening into the reggae genre and features a juicy bassline processed through an envelope filter,

    Anx, 60 Rutledge, and Like this are all recommendations of music like Jayda G’s track IDs.

    The beat and bass on Anx is a tight-fisted flurry of punches, 60 Rutledge is a rolling river of percussion and banter, while Like this is effortless cool of a vibe driving down a boulevard at 4pm.

    Le Temps de la Rentrée came about from my watching of the anime, Hisone to Masotan. I highly recommend this anime because of how warm-hearted it is, and it’s a story that only a format like anime/animation is able to tell. The song is from the ending credits, although I could not find the original performers from the anime. The original song is performed by France Gall.

    Finally, Nobody Home was served to me while I was on YouTube one day. Of course I was intrigued by the line-up of Trujillo and Wilk, paired with Watt for a double bass assault, but I did not anticipate the desert rock psychedelia featured on the song, and I am all in for a double bass arrangement for the desert rock genre.

    Writing this week’s entry was rather difficult, because in a twist of irony, one week after I wrote the initial paragraphs, I caught a cold, and the last thing I want to be doing is actually writing my thoughts on music.

    I don’t know if it shows in the writing. (Written on Sun 31 Jul 2022, 5:57pm)

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-29

    WILT_2022-29

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 17 Jul 2022 to 23 Jul 2022.

    1. Hip Hop Lollipop – Bootsy Collins, FANTAAZMA, Victor Wooten
    2. Happiness – DARGZ, Charlie Stacey, Moses Boyd
    3. Discern/Define – The Poets Of Rhythm
    4. Soul Sequencer – Trees Speak
    5. Rydeen – Yellow Magic Orchestra
    6. Technopolis – Yellow Magic Orchestra
    7. Behind The Mask – Yellow Magic Orchestra
    8. Think Of Home – Sons Of Kemet
    9. In The Castle Of My Skin – Sons Of Kemet
    10. In Memory Of Samir Awad – Sons Of Kemet
    11. My Queen Is Ada Eastman – Sons Of Kemet
    12. Aboa Kyirbin – Ebo Taylor
    13. Chill & Sip – Stimulator Jones
    14. Leaving – D.K.
    15. You’re Alive–There’s Still Time – K15
    16. Axons and Dendrites – Shipping News
    17. Canteen Culture – Athletic Progression

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-29

    Notes

    I came across Bootsy Collins’ Hip Hop Lollipop music video on a Sunday night. The video did not really do much for me, but damn, that groove, courtesy of Victor Wooten, was all killer no filler. As a song, it did not drag on for too long as well, which might have been a problem because the rhythm arrangements were quite simplistic. FANTAAZMA’s vocal arrangement and performance did add the cheeky, “lollipop” vibe that I suppose the song was going for.

    Happiness stood out for me while I was exploring Spotify because I saw that Moses Boyd was one of the performers. I was not disappointed, DARGZ is a producer who actually recorded Moses Boyd, and a lot of his sensibilities come out in his solo offering of beatmaking, sampling, and vibe.

    Discern/Define by The Poets Of Rhythm has a fantastic rare groove, funk and soul vibe that is so chill, but yet allows the background to shuffle on. Listen to this if you need something to take your mind off things.

    Soul Sequencer came on whilst I was walking to the bus stop. Some great post-rock guitar work, that leads into a driving proto-beat. The dynamics do not really climb higher than that, which is a unique exercise of restraint. This song might sit better with the rest of its album, Ohms (2020). Also, I love the cover art of Ohms.

    I went searching for the song Rydeen because I have been watching Sound! Euphonium an anime from 2015 about a Japanese high school band. The scene that drew me to the song, was the first victorious moment of the main characters, when the downtrodden concert band revealed the results of their hard work at the Sunrise Festival in a marching band performance. Some searches on the internet revealed that the song they performed was Rydeen, written and performed by Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), one of the pioneers of electronic music and the use of synthesizers, samplers, and drum machines.

    From there, I continued to enjoy some other songs like Technopolis and Behind The Mask.

    Also, watching live performances (Hyperlink to a live performance of Rydeen by YMO in 1980 at the Budokan, hosted on YouTube) today in 2022, as opposed to back in 1979, the music and innovations still continue to hold true. If anything, the music does not sound dated, but still sounds futuristic and visionary. I think it is a testament to how much before their time that Yellow Magic Orchestra was, and perhaps still is.

    The music of Sons Of Kemet entered my orbit shortly after. What intrigued me was their use of only brass, woodwinds and percussion instruments for their jazz arrangements. Their music is primal, percussive, and most importantly expressive. I could not stop myself but explore the rest of their discography.

    Aboa Kyirbin by Ebo Taylor and the rest of the songs of this playlist were served to me as music like Sons Of Kemet. I do not fully agree with that comparison, but I am also not complaining.

    Aboa Kyirbin is some much needed afro-jazz music with tight guitar and horn section.

    Chill & Slip, Leaving, and You’re Alive (There’s Still Time) all enter a chilled out sequence.

    Chill & Slip by Stimulator Jones features a lo-fi, Dilla-esque beatmaking zone.

    Leaving by D.K. creates a more vapourwave soundscape, but with dreamlike marimbas to guide you through its river.

    You’re Alive (There’s Still Time) by K15 is a sanguine walk through an otherwise desolate wasteland, heading to who knows where.

    When Axons and Dendrites by Shipping News comes on, the mood shifts to a more purposeful gallop of bass and percussion. The jangly guitars come in sparingly, building up towards an eager vocal drop. This is what rock does well, story tell. RIP Jason Noble.

    After a particular long week, but still somehow having a good run of musical recommendations, Canteen Culture as the first song I heard when I woke up Saturday morning. Probably a leftover from whatever playlist was playing in the background as I stumbled home from work. Still, what greets is an urgent bassline sitting underneath angelic keyboards. And that phase-shifting re-arrangement at 1:46. That was the moment my face melted, and I knew I had to add this song.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-28

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 10 Jul 2022 to 16 Jul 2022.

    WILT_2022-28

    1. I Was Gonna Fight Fascism – Soccer96, Alabaster DePlume
    2. Hi, I’m Frank Dukes – Frank Dukes
    3. Mirage – Glass Beams
    4. Taurus (Mixed by Jayda G) – Glass Beams, Jayda G, DJ-Kicks
    5. YourLove – Logic1000
    6. better – Joy Orbison, Léa Sen
    7. limited daps – Kenny Segal
    8. Body of Water(What Is Love?)一线之间 – Mindy Meng Wang 王萌, Tim Shiel
    9. Ragazzo – Big Yawn
    10. Ecce! Ego! – Lyon Vynehall
    11. swag w/ kav – Joy Orbison, James Massiah, Bathe
    12. Echoes (Continental Drift Version) – Directions
    13. Echoes (1995 Demo Version) – Directions
    14. Cocaine Killa (feat. Peking Duk) – Daniel Johns, Peking Duk
    15. Emergency Calls Only (feat. Van Dyke Parks) – Daniel Johns, Van Dyke Parks
    16. Israel’s Son – Silverchair
    17. Cracker Island (feat. Thundercat) – Gorillaz, Thundercat
    18. Ducee’s Drawbar (DJ-Kicks) – Leon Vynehall
    19. SOON – Masayoshi Takanaka

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-28

    Notes

    We start with I Was Gonna Fight Fascism. I picked it out from various album recommendations on my feed, and with its driving staccato piano riff, it was a pleasant way to start a playlist.

    I noticed the album art for The Way of Ging (2021). A truly stupendous illustration. Hi, I’m Frank Dukes is the first track off the album and it is a pleasant enough mache of beats and samples.

    The Mirage (2021) EP by Glass Beams was something I decided to pick out from album recommendations as well. Mirage was an immediate add the moment the bassline came on. You do not get remain unheard with a tone that sounds like sweet-salty anchovy paste squeezed out of a tube.

    After the EP ended, I think this mixed version of Taurus by Jayda G came on. It’s still pretty much the same song, but you should check out the rest of the mix album by Jayda G for DJ-Kicks because it is also a great listen.

    YourLove came about as I was exploring what else Spotify had to offer. Definitely a great pick if you like House music and Techno.

    better by Joy Orbison and limited daps by Kenny Segal also feature tasty beats. The polite kind that does not overflow on your plate like a bad buffet.

    Continuing in the realm of beatmaking, Body of Water(What Is Love?)一线之间 by Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 starts getting more eclectic, especially with some well-blended zither samples. In fact, I have to give props to the entire production. Many times when producers try to fuse different musical concepts, there is very little blend between the concepts. But this, almost feels like the musical scales are approached from different instruments, and they are attempting to play the same thing, just in different voicings.

    Ragazzo, Ecce! Ego!, swag w/ kav are all further explorations into electronica, IDM, and beatmaking. In particular, I do enjoy the discoveries of Leon Vynehall and Joy Orbison. I would put them in the realm of ambient IDM, the kind that I’d like at any time after 3pm.

    Regarding Echoes (Continental Drift Version) and Echoes (1995 Demo Version):

    That record – a scarcely limited 12” on the influential UK imprint, Soul Static Sound – would prove to resonate long after it disappeared from shops. It influenced a diverse array of artists and producers, most notably Kieran Hebden, who would call Echoes “the blueprint for the Four Tet thing,” explaining to prominent UK broadcaster Gilles Peterson, “it’s basically where I got the idea for everything from…it changed my life, this record.”

    Writeup of “Echoes – Anniversary Edition” on Bandcamp

    From here, I was reminded of an Instagram story about Silverchair’s Emotion Sickness (1999) that I had posted earlier in the year. I was very curious about what their lead singer, Daniel Johns had been up to, and to my surprise, he recently released a new album called FutureNever. I listened to a lot of the Neon Ballroom album in my youth, and seeing present-day Daniel Johns, visually and aesthetically he looks very different from his 1999 self. But surely there are bits of who we were in who we are. Intrigued by this thought, I decided to play FutureNever in its entirety, while also just researching a bit more about Johns. There’s a personal story there, and that’s all I’ll bother to say about Johns. And what further intrigued me, that has also intrigued me about multiple things, is how the confluence of the past, and the hope or anxiety of the future shapes the present. With that in mind, I chose two songs from FutureNever that represent a desire to be as divergent from the past as ever, as well as one that embodied a victory of sorts, and contextualised that against Israel’s Son, the first song off the first Silverchair record, Frogstomp (1995).

    While Johns explores the pop genre in Cocaine Killer (feat. Peking Duk), there is something that is still unmistakably Johns in the song. I thing it’s his fearlessness in his delivery. The same fearlessness when I heard Emotion Sickness. Only this time he sheds every last hangup of the grunge-era, and embraces that he is a performer and/or artist all at once. If anything, he sells the electro-pop arrangement with the intensity of someone wholly comfortable with their mental state despite being known for something more than they’d like to forget.

    I read that Emergency Calls Only (feat. Van Dyke Parks) was the song that Johns wanted to perfect, and also ended up delaying the release of FutureNever. However, listening to it, it does feel triumphant and victorious, not just in its arrangement, but in its delivery. Everything I typed earlier about John’s confidence, is apparent on this song as well. It is astounding that this is the way he envisions the vehicle of music, but is also able to back it up with moving performances and sonically expressive arrangements that are both intense as they are innovative.

    Spying a new Gorillaz album featuring Thundercat. Cracker Island is everything I did not know I wanted from a collaboration between the two artists. As musical concepts, they each shine individually, and yet the duets and arrangement styles synergise as much as they contrast. The music is exciting and busy, as it is smooth and laid back.

    When the beat for Ducee’s Drawbar drops, it goes hard, sinks in, and lets up only after you’ve danced it off.

    We end off with SOON by Masayoshi Takanaka. I saw the album The Rainbow Goblins (1981) being recommended to me on YouTube. Intrigued by the name and album art, what greets the listener is breezy and effortless jazz fusion steeped with an element of fantasy. SOON is playful and fun, and features a deep listening experience full of virtuosic playing.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-27

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 3 Jul 2022 to 9 Jul 2022.

    WILT_2022-27

    1. Future World – Every Little Thing
    2. Romanticが止まらない – C-C-B
    3. 空想Kiss – C-C-B
    4. Season – Every Little Thing
    5. Acrid Avid Jam Shred – Aphex Twin
    6. 夏祭り – Whiteberry
    7. Face the change – Every Little Thing
    8. Reason – Every Little Thing
    9. Get Into A Groove – Every Little Thing
    10. Rescue me – Every Little Thing

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-27

    Notes

    One of the genres I did not really delve into during my youth was the Japanese Pop (J-Pop) wave in the mid-nineties. By 1995, I had taken my plunge into alternative rock, and everything outside of the “weird chords”, melancholia, aggression, as well as despondent lyrics, was all deemed “too commercial for my ears”. This was also when the Singaporean airwaves were rampant with music of pop-idol groups from all over the world.

    However, the group Every Little Thing always stood out for me as being slightly different, although back then I did not understand why. They had a pretty lead singer, and the music was quite electronica driven, and this this was enough for me to snub my nose at the music. However they also had a guitarist appearing in their promotional videos, and that always intrigued me.

    Without the access to the Internet, streaming music, the commitment to purchase a CD, or the humility to seek the advice of someone outside my social circle because the snobbery was too high for my meager fifteen year-old self esteem, I never explored their discography. Till today.

    I was decompressing on the previous Sunday night, wondering what I should put on while I relaxed my mind. I remember revisiting the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and that’s when the connection was made. Female-fronted group, three members in total, the groups were active about the same time period give or take five years. Coupled with the curiosity seeded all those years ago, I loaded the first album from their discography, and what greeted me was Future World.

    With a more musical palate, the synthesizer arrangement was immediately engaging as much as it was accessible. But the real genius of the mix are trance elements and rock guitars sitting just under the main mix, making it more dance rock before dance rock became popular (cue The Killers and the wave of indie post-2003.) Coupled with a guitar divebombs before launching into each chorus, Future World truly came from the future.

    Another thing that remains consistent in my choice of Every Little Thing’s curation in this week’s playlist, is that there’s some element of dance music, synthesizers, or guitar virtuosity that I really enjoyed.

    For Face the change it would be the addictive guitar counter-melody that comes on after every line in the chorus, for Season it would be brilliant interpolation of Toto’s Africa in the introduction, as well as for its kickass synth and guitar solos.

    I had to stop listening to ELT’s discography after their fourth album, because by then, synthesizer player Mitsuru Igarashi would have left and their music departed from the synthesizer and electronica elements that they would have been known for. Perhaps I will explore more of their discography from 4 Force onwards.

    In my journey last week, I also came across C-C-B, an all-boy Japanese pop/idol group active from 1982–1989, as well as Whiteberry, an all-girl pop/rock band active from 1994–2004. The tracks I selected for C-C-B also feature some slammin’ slap basslines.

    Aphex Twin also makes a feature this week. Acrid Avid Jam Shred came about from an album recommendation, and some very amazing beats were introduced back in 1995, and holds up amazingly well some 27 years later. These beats sound like they could have been written today.

    The playlist ends on a selection of songs from ELT’s 2000 album eternity, which was the final album featuring Igarashi. This particular curation feature some incredibly strong and anthemic melodies, and it just feels extremely fresh even though these songs were written more than twenty years go. Kaori Mochida and Ichiro Ito have been delivering outstanding performances over their first three albums, and it feels like they’ve done an incredible send-off to Igarashi with their third album.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-26

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 26 Jun 2022 to 2 Jul 2022.

    WILT_2022-26

    1. Sundown – deathcrash
    2. NEW HEART DESIGN – Turnstile
    3. Silver Shadow – Eamon The Destroyer
    4. Squarepusher Theme – Squarepusher
    5. Fifzteen – You Slut!
    6. Sympathetic Cycle – Surgeons Girl
    7. Dawn Of New Day – John Carroll Kirby, Laraaji
    8. The Conversation – Dictaphone
    9. Weight of the Earth, on Paper – Mega Bog

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-26

    Notes

    Heard Sundown on a quiet Sunday night. The kind of music you want accompanying you on a long drive in the dead of the night.

    It was a matter of time before Turnstile found its way to my playlists. I happened to chance across the new promo video for NEW HEART DESIGN, and decided that it would be a worthy inclusion into this week’s list, particularly for its 80’s inspired chorus and reverb-laden guitar riff during the verse, that also launches into the chorus that calls out the tonality of the hardcore genre during the same decade. Outstanding is also singer Brenden Yates, who delivers an enchanting and energetic performance that really sells the urgency behind the song.

    I believe I was exploring recommended albums on Spotify and landed on Eamon The Destroyer, because it is an intriguing name (to me). The first song off the album A Small Blue Car is Silver Shadow. Overall, the entire song reminds me of an intro that could have been written by Silver Mt Zion. But what really drew me in to the song was the recurring guitar (or banjo?) motif that adds that slither of melancholy that sticks out like a thread ready to unravel.

    As I commuted to work one day, Squarepusher Theme came on, and it is a brilliant bass performance atop a sick d&b groove. I think the instrumentation is particularly light, but that just serves to highlight the virtuosity of the producer. I expected nothing less.

    I rarely say no to tasteful math-rock that does not overstay its welcome. Well done by You Slut!.

    Sympathetic Cycle features a mesmerising electronic music arrangement, with many different facets that I could lose myself into.

    John Carroll Kirby does it again. Dawn Of New Day is an ethereal song full of bliss. The kind of euphoria that gently lifts from the ground after the oppression of night and its terrors have passed. But only in that instance.

    To begin to understand Dictaphone, is to get to know the names of multi-instrumentalists Oliver Doerell, Roger Döring, and violinist Alex Stolze. I am still not particularly sure how to approach this music as it contains many elements of classical, rock, and electronica. The instrumentation is particularly nostalgic, yet repurposed for contemporary listening. It is very captivating to say the least, and I would not mind exploring more works of these artist musicians.

    What first drew me into Weigh of the Earth, on Paper was the driving bassline that peppers the chorus. Full of colour and urgency, everything pays off during the refrain when gang vocals come on and the piano in the background starts losing its shit.

    And with shit lost, I stopped including music for the week.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-25

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 19 Jun 2022 to 25 Jun 2022.

    WILT_2022-25

    1. Haldern – Black Country, New Road
    2. Snow Globes – Black Country, New Road
    3. Cut End – Goth-Trad
    4. Save Our Place – Solomon Fesshaye
    5. Folsom Prison Blues (Live at Folsom State Prison, 1968) – Johnny Cash
    6. The Long Black Veil (Live at Folsom State Prison, 1968) – Johnny Cash
    7. Shadows & Light – Saudade, Chelsea Wolfe, Chino Moreno
    8. Night in the City (Live) – Joni Mitchell
    9. Crisis – Saudade
    10. Chill of Death – Saudade, A.A. Williams, Lee “Scratch” Perry
    11. Full Moon, Plat a Tree – Sly & Robbie, Roots Radics, Addis Pablo, Don Camel, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Marcus Urani
    12. Alive – Together Pangea

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-25

    Notes

    I have about three hours left to publish this, so let’s see if I can get it right.

    The week started with interesting albums recommended to me by Spotify. I selected Black Country, New Road’s Ants From Up There, thinking it might be something related to sludge metal or some form of electronic music. Read the bio of the band, and also became curious.

    “The were declared ‘the best band in the world’ by The Quietus…”

    I wasn’t expecting something that sounded like Silver Mt Zion, but here we are. The music is good. I’m not sure about the best. But it’s up there with good. Might check them more out in the future.

    Also came across a Daily Mix that featured more electronic music. I think I was searching for such music at this stage in the week. Goth-Trad came early on, and that’s always a good time. I added Save Our Place by Solomon Fesshaye because the off-pitch synthesiser caught my attention, but the thumping bass drum sealed the deal.

    I put on Johnny Cash’s At Folsom Prison album because I was looking in the mirror one day, and realised that it had been awhile since I actively tried to get better at any of the skills I had picked up along the way. One of them was guitar playing and songwriting, and that’s when I was also reminded of the goal I had once to be able to play and sing Folsom Prison Blues and Long Black Veil, two of my favourite songs performed by Cash.

    From there, I stumbled upon this video of Johnny Cash performing Long Black Veil with Joni Mitchell, and I dare say it’s one of the most beautiful versions of the song. There’s a whole new perspective when a woman sings the third verse.

    From there, I was reminded of Mitchell’s seminal work with bassist Jaco Pastorious and guitarist Pat Methany on the album Shadows & Light. I could not find it on Spotify, but there is an amazing concert caught on film.

    However, it’s also from there that I discovered that there was a musical group known as Saudade, who also had a song called Shadows & Light. Because the word “Saudade” was referenced in last week’s playlist, this discovery at least elicited a listen. What greeted me was a surprise, because I was not expecting dark melodic grunge, courtesy of the bassist who collaborated with Chino Moreno (Deftones) on the project †††. I also learned that said bassist goes by the alias “Chuck Doom” who also claimed to be an early student of Jaco Pastorious. Who was the reason why I sought out Joni Mitchell’s Shadows & Light in the first place.

    It was at this stage that the universe somehow decided to coalesce around me.

    I figured I would listen to what meager offerings Spotify had on Joni Mitchell, but ultimately, I explored more on Saudade. I added Crisis because the introduction featured an arrangement on the fretless bass. For a moment, it was as if Jaco Pastorious found his way into the realm of rock. It is intriguing to say the least.

    From there, another collaboration featuring Lee “Scratch” Perry surfaced. And that’s when I started being confused because, the Lee “Scratch” Perry I knew was a reggae guitarist. But they collaborated on the track Chill of Death, and here we are.

    Still ever curious, I went to explore more of Perry’s discography, and that’s also when I came across Root Radics, and the brilliant Full Moon, Plant a Tree. The introduction is the stuff of legend, because that is the cough of of someone who just took an amazing drag and couldn’t keep it in. The guitar riffs are so subtle, but so evocative, and the bass playing is so purposeful, playing on the back beat, pushing you forwards as you chase whatever it is that you’re chasing. This might be one of my favourite reggae performances.

    At this point, I was ready to wrap it up. But on a Saturday afternoon, my wife put on a playlist of her own, and that’s when I heard Alive by Together Pangea. The driving rock arrangement kisses rebellion on the cheek, and soon you’ll be fist-pumping the air with the abandon of whoo-oooh-oooh-ooooohs.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-24

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 12 Jun 2022 to 18 Jun 2022.

    WILT_2022-24

    1. We Could Stay – Josin, Ólafur Arnalds
    2. Pictures – Ralph Heidel, Homo Ludens, Josin
    3. saman – Ólafur Arnalds
    4. The Bottom Line – Ólafur Arnalds, Josin, Reykjavik Recording Orchestra
    5. Saudade (When We Are Born) – Ólafur Arnalds
    6. Avril 14th (Aphex Twin) – Murcof, Vanessa Wagner
    7. Bless Those Tired Eyes – Clem Leek
    8. 1st Soundscape – James Blake, Endel
    9. The Whirling Ways of the Stars That Pass – Floraleda Sacchi
    10. Become – Launder, Soko
    11. The Truth (Ron Trent Remix) – Fort Romeau, Ron Trent
    12. Lady in the Darkest Hour – Kate Bollinger
    13. Parking Lot – Hana Vu
    14. Who Am I But Someone – Kate Bollinger
    15. Untitled IV – Fort Romeau
    16. (In The Rain) Fort Romeau
    17. Spotlights – Fort Romeau
    18. Gutter – Hana Vu
    19. Keeper – Hana Vu
    20. Ultra Blue (feat. Newborn Jr) – Heathered Pearls, Newborn Jr., Somniac One
    21. Forest Dark – Nailah Hunter
    22. Green To You – Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, Emile Mosseri
    23. Luos Higher – SAULT

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-24

    Notes

    For the start of the new week, I thought I would explore something with more tempo. I started off based on some notes I made from previous weeks, but nothing stood out and the idea got thrown out the window the moment I heard We Could Stay by Josin and Ólafur Arnalds.

    The next few songs after The Bottom Line are from a series of recommended songs.

    Saudade (When We Are Born) refers to the deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for something or someone that one cares for and/or loves. I don’t think that I have felt this way for a very long time because I have been blessed with a wonderful relationship with my partner. But I hazard that should I ever lose her, this would be the state I find myself in until my winter ends.

    I attempted to explore more of the universe surrounding Clem Leek after reading his bio. A composer from England, but nothing really stood out although I remember some were accompaniments to a bout of copyediting that I was doing.

    I restarted the exploration process with James Blake’s 1st Soundscape, a piece that he did in collaboration with Endel.

    That followed up beautifully with The Whirling Ways of the Stars That Pass by Floraleda Sacchi, a haunting harp piece evoking the falling of leaves. Unfortunately I have not truly experienced the passing of stars because I live in a light-polluted city. But perhaps it would be an experience I seek out in my lifetime. Speaking about this does evoke a memory of the expanse of the empty ocean, for I sailed once on a large ship when I was nineteen during my national service. It was a quiet unlike any other.

    I revisited the playlist Ghostly: Latest Releases, and that led to many new discoveries that I did not know had been added to the Ghostly International stable of artists. New standouts to me included Hana Vu, Kate Bollinger, as well as Launder and Soko, alll whose brand of melody, and indie shoegaze guitar all deserve attention as breakouts and fresh ideas.

    There’s a lot of music by Fort Romeau here, which I am surprised by, but also, I think I miss the classy house beats that the talented producer seems to be so eloquent with.

    The final three songs in the playlist were first noticed for their interesting titles, but ultimately added because of the unique ambience, arrangements or beats that are used to evoke a sense of adventure and promise toward the hopeful power of music. In particular Luos Higher by SAULT is just a thrilling string and choral performance, and caps off the playlist with a certain purity and rebellion, book-ending against the electronic genesis at the behest of its creator.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-23

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 5 Jun 2022 to 11 Jun 2022.

    WILT_2022-23

    1. Still – Just Mustard
    2. deepfake – deep tan
    3. Reckoner (Chambord Remix) – Radiohead, Chambord
    4. CANDLEFACE THEME – 72-HOUR POST FIGHT
    5. MEDITATION ON INSTAGRAM FEEDS – 72-HOUR POST FIGHT, Kamohelo
    6. A Nambra – Mong Tong

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-23

    Notes

    I was feeling a little lost with what to listen to on the new week, so I broke out of Spotify to check out what was being curated on BBC Sounds. There was a podcast episode for 6 Music Artist in Residence featuring Fontaines D.C. The song Still by Just Mustard came on and I was immediately hooked.

    Dark, droning, sinister, and primal, it has all the makings of no-wave punk elements that I love. It’s encouraging that music like this is still being made in 2022, but from another perspective it is no surprise because even subcultures can be universal amongst the fragments.

    deepfake stood out for me with its punkish minimalism and seductive vocal performance in French. Are they really French? I don’t know.

    The Chambord remix of Radiohead’s Reckoner is a thrilling electronic dance music remix with a heart-pounding tempo and psy-trance elements. I would happy get lost in its swirl of ever-expanding consciousness.

    I discovered 72-HOUR POST FIGHT through Spotify’s recommended albums.

    72-HOUR POST FIGHT’s 2022 album, NON-BACKGROUND MUSIC features some great avant free-form jazz. They hail from Italy.

    A Nambra by Mong Tong surfaced after NON-BACKGROUND MUSIC ended. The bassline was what immediately hooked me, although the rather sleazy wah-wah guitars also made me sit up to take notice. Mong Tong hail from Taiwan, and their 2020 album, Mystery 秘神, is a mashup of sleazy funk, psychedelic soul, and other-wordly sounds.

    A slightly shorter list this week, but a good springboard to more unique genres in the coming weeks.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-22

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 29 May 2022 to 4 Jun 2022.

    WILT_2022-22

    1. Unnsa – Lord Of The Isles
    2. Untitled A1 – SW.
    3. Creature, Pt. 1 – DjRUM
    4. Untitled B1 – SW.
    5. Crackdown – Psyche/BFC
    6. Chemare Cosmică – Ada Kaleh
    7. Taken Effect – Shed
    8. On The Magic Bus – Move D, Benjamin Brunn
    9. Bounce Erec – Roy of the Ravers
    10. 700007A – Wax
    11. 653 Miles – No Moon
    12. Cycle – Human Space Machine

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-22

    Notes

    I started the listening week with a craving for the voice and words of Ellen Renton, accompanied by the atmospheric arrangements of Lord of The Isles. From there Unnsa, Creature, Pt. 1 and the music of SW. were introduced to me. This helped set a tone for the rest of the week, that a mild, minimal techno was what I wanted to explore.

    Crackdown and Chemare Cosmică are generated recommendations from music like the SW. EP Moving IN Moving OUT, because that’s when I started being intrigued by SW. and went digging around his discography.

    Taken Effect and subsequently the tracks after till 700007A were added from generated recommendations of the current list thus far. I do this sometimes when I am enjoying the current development of a playlist, and use the algorithm as a tool to unearth tracks of a similar vein. Sometimes they converge and sometimes they diverge.

    Taken Effect is a showcase of techno beats that I would dream about on a night leading to another night. It’s a prelude to something even if it ends up as nothing. Sometimes the prelude is the something.

    On The Magic Bus is a chilled mid-tempo track with just the right amount of bustle without needing to hustle.

    Bounc Erec starts out like a 16-bit video game of old with its ostinato piano intro that also makes up the majority of the song.

    700007A is the sort of beat that I fondly remember during the clubbing of my youth. It still leaves me slightly drunken, and that is a fond sentiment.

    653 Miles has the sort of ambient flourishes that remind me of a compilation album known as Inspirational Moments. Specifically Return To Announce by Enigma.

    I think I added Cycle for its slightly more upbeat bassline. I do tend to be a downer most times when it comes to music, but I think that is also why I do enjoy the euphoric moments of music. And in the electronic realm, it is somewhat manufactured although it still tricks our senses enough to surrender to the abstract and less tangible. For a brief moment, loneliness lifts and you connect as the ego breaks down.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-21

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 22 May 2022 to 28 May 2022.

    WILT_2022-21

    1. The Heart Part 5 – Kendrick Lamar
    2. The Heart Part 4 – Kendrick Lamar
    3. Spaceships & Woodgrain – Stalley
    4. Never Catch Me – Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar
    5. So Slow (feat. Anderson .Paak, King Chip) – Blended Babies, King Chip, Anderson .Paak
    6. Grift – M|O|O|N
    7. Carin’s Locked Groove – M|O|O|N
    8. To Have Trust In You – M|O|O|N
    9. I Want You – Marvin Gaye
    10. I Need Your Lovin’ – Teena Marie

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-21

    Notes

    I was curious about the recently dropped Kendrick Lamar music video for The Heart Part 5. After watching it, I agree that the hype was justified and I got closer to understanding the artistry of this amazing rapper of his generation. The moment of silence for Nipsey Hussle is particularly impactful.

    Lamar’s lyrics are introspective, explosive, and also empathic. It did make me wonder, when along my path to be a more responsible adult, did I stopped communing with my emotions and spirit? Facts and method are great and all, but emotion is also an effective tool to drive action.

    I started getting curious about the series for The Heart, and found Part 4 to also add to the playlist.

    From there, more hip-hop music entered my orbit and I selected those that stood out for their musical arrangements and performances.

    Phenomenal arrangement on Flying Lotus’s Never Catch Me. Thundercat’s bass arrangements and performance are also prominently featured on this track, and it evokes a lot of Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke’s work as Return to Forever.

    The grooves on Spaceships & Woodgrains and So Slow are light and tight. Perfect for lazy afternoons or if you need to get some focus going.

    Found out that there’s a new M|O|O|N album. Grift reminds me of why I love this producer and Cairn’s Locked Groove is a dark atmosphere piece with some toned-down big beats.

    I Want You by Marvin Gaye, featuring Wilton Felder on bass, is the original song that The Heart Part 5 is based on. I got curious about the original when I read that The Heart Part 5 was an interpolation.

    Ending this playlist off on Teena Marie’s I Need Your Lovin’. The lead track of her 1979 album Irons In The Fire features a fierce bass riff intro by Allen McGrier that leads into a very tasty and measured slap groove for the chorus. Measured it may be, it is bursting with flavour that helps season the dish, but does not necessarily define it.

    I would also like to note that this is the first post been typed out on my new Keychron K2 mechanical keyboard. I selected it for it’s Mac and PC compatibility, wireless connectivity via bluetooth, as well as its ability to pair across up to three devices. All this while being a great entry-level mechanical keyboard. I selected brown (tactile) switches in case I ever needed to bring this into the office, or enter a shared workspace where blue (click) switches might bother others in the space with the noise generated. Typing on a mechanical keyboard is one of life’s little joys for me. I feel slightly more connected to the words that I type, because the tactile feedback connects me more the to text appearing on the display.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-20

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 15 May 2022 to 21 May 2022.

    WILT_2022-20

    1. The Ape Prince – Dawuna
    2. The General – Dawuna
    3. Bad Karma – Dawuna
    4. Intimate Immensity – Tomaga
    5. Song for Making Things Right – Mark Guiliana
    6. Curse of the Contemporary – LUMP, Laura Marling, Mike Lindsey
    7. Gamma Ray – LUMP, Laura Marling, Mike Lindsey
    8. Climb Every Wall – LUMP, Laura Marling, Mike Lindsey
    9. Lovergirl – Teena Marie
    10. Help Youngblood Get to the Freaky Party – Teena Marie

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-20

    Notes

    I noticed the thumbnail for Dawuna’s 2021 Glass Lit Dream in Spotify’s “Trending albums for you”. It featured a melancholic and introspective man smoking a cigarette, with a single light source cast over the side of his face. I was intrigued to say the least, so I selected the first song of the album and what greeted me was The Ape Prince, a slow burning tempo of electronic beats and whispered soul. It was a bold opener, and it beckoned me to listen to the rest of the album.

    The General is a ritual of percussion, modulation, and synthesizer. A dark fantasy of digital heart of darkness, it is quite amazing that a sense of dread is achieved through obsessive programming and arrangement.

    Bad Karma immediately follows The General, and was added because of how seamlessly the guitars blended with the previous song. You immediately notice the guitars because the album has been devoid of such instrument thus far.

    Intimate Intensity came as a continuation of music similar to the album, Glass Lit Dream. I think I added it for the unorthodox beats and atmospheric layering of arrangements.

    Song for Making Things Right came from another batch of album discovery sessions enabled by Spotify. I sampled the rest of the album, and while it was interesting, I was also looking for a different flavour. I think I found an aspect of that flavour in the discovery of LUMP.

    I do not know much about Laura Marling’s discography, and I definitely do not know anything about Tuung’s Mike Lindsay, but together they form LUMP.

    I believe Lump’s 2021 album, Animal , also came about as a discoverable album recommended to me by Spotify. In this instance, I was drawn to the upper-case presentation of LUMP, and the familiarity of Laura Marling’s name. What greeted me when I streamed the album was Gamma Ray, dark and brooding electronic folk number with a saccharine vocal performance, and a bass performance that was not afraid of using the chorus effect.

    Such arrangements continue with songs like Climb Every Wall and Curse of the Contemporary, and I am here for it.

    I started listening to Teena Marie’s 1985 album, Starchild, because of pdbass’s video “The Top 10 Teena Marie Bass Lines”.

    Now, I have only watched up to the introduction of the first recommendation before I had to leave my home for dinner. So currently, I do not even know what the first recommendation is actually. All I know is, I am curious about an artist called “Teena Marie”, and I have a visual memory of the album artwork that the first recommended song is supposed to come from.

    As I start the car, I load up those two pieces of information and find the album, Starchild.

    What greets me is Lovergirl which begins with a bold guitar squeal, and playful falsetto, and some very confident bass thumbing going on. By the time Teena Marie’s voice comes on, I am hooked. The lower register reminds me of Stevie Nick’s Gold Dust Woman era music. But at the end of the day, Teena Marie has a voice well-suited for R&B and Funk with strong melodic leanings into Pop. The vocals and musical arrangements are incredibly catchy. And damn, those guitar solos are so full of heart.

    Help Youngblood Get to the Freaky Party is just a great reminded that our Gen X managers of today were youth once. And they listened to music like this, and they enjoyed going to the freaky party. The melody of the chorus so infectious, groovy, and in the moment. The cadence of the vocal performance is pure genius. It borders on being off-time without actually going there, and that adds so much forward momentum and tension you just want to throw down and get freaky.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-19

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 8 May 2022 to 14 May 2022.

    WILT_2022-19

    1. Turn – Rufus & Chaka Khan
    2. Feelin’ That The Feeling’s Good – Minnie Riperton
    3. When It Comes Down To It – Minnie Riperton
    4. Inside My Love – Minnie Riperton
    5. Dreaming About You – The Blackbyrds
    6. Thin Thing – The Smile

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-19

    Notes

    I got to checking out Rufus & Chaka Khan’s Street Player (1978), as well as Minnie Riperton’s Adventures In Paradise (1975) because of the recommendations in pdbass’s 10 Bassists That Went OFF During the Fade-Out. What great albums to add to my musical knowledge.

    Bobby Watson played bass on Street Player and Ed Brown played on Adventures In Paradise.

    Shoutout to the bass tones on When It Comes Down To It and Dreaming About You. It’s on the edge of something, and I love over-driven tones like this because the performer is consciously crossing a threshold, and they have decided that it is worth crossing.

    The Smile have a new album out and Thin Thing is one of those songs that reveal Radiohead to still be an important guitar-based band. The whole album is pretty good, it’s like punk-Radiohead. About 50% manic, 50% languishing.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-18

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 1 May 2022 to 7 May 2022.

    WILT_2022-18

    1. Loa – Camo & Krooked
    2. Blood Moon – Phizix
    3. Wobbo Dub (Lens DJ Mix) – Degs, Keeno, Royalston, Unglued, Whiney
    4. Decades (Lens DJ Mix) – TC
    5. Run the Streets – DJ Marky, Pola & Bryson
    6. Dreams – skantia
    7. Unbroken Loop – Circuits
    8. Neiges – IMANU, The Caracal Project
    9. Breach – Gerra & Stone
    10. Train Yard – Sl8r
    11. Venom – Sl8r
    12. Course of Action – Mark System

    Hyeprlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-18

    Notes

    I started this week really wanting to listen to Drum & Bass. Maybe it was because I watched Tokyo Drift for the first time last week, and even though the music style does not feature prominently in the movie, it was the mood I retained after watching it. I think something in me associates neon lights with cyberpunk, which reminds me of The Matrix, and makes me think of the cave-rave scene in Matrix Reloaded, and I don’t even think they were playing Drum & Bass.

    Drum & Bass was an electronic music genre that I discovered in the early-2000’s. I never really got the opportunity to attend many DJ nights, but I remember thinking that the way I saw people dance was really cool.

    Skipping forward a decade and a half, and I think the D&B beat is still the same, just in different variations. But there are a lot more flourishes, and I realise I like it when there’s a good dub element, or when the producers mess around with the tempo, samples, and grooves, just so it’s not so straight ahead.

    So yeah, welcome to a little peek into Drum & Bass. I started by trying out a few different playlists before landing on some that I liked. Loa and Blood Moon stood out for me, and somewhere along I started to generate a radio playlist for Phisik. I hope the beats are interesting to you.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-17

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 24 Apr 2022 to 30 Apr 2022.

    WILT_2022-17

    1. Supposed To Be Free – Steamhammer
    2. Another Travelling Tune – Steamhammer
    3. Skrting On The Surface – The Smile
    4. The Woven Web – Animals As Leaders

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-17

    Notes

    A very short list this week because I barely listened to any music with much intent. I just did not feel like it. Might have been due to Elden Ring though.

    I was also listening to Endel as my primary work/focus/relaxation accompaniment, and I highly recommend it if you are on this path of aural therapy. I am very impressed with how it almost procedurally generates sounds and tones based on however much data you choose to integrate with it, and within the parameters of what you want the sounds to do.

    I think I started the week wanting to listen to more Steamhammer, but the rest of the album ended up being quite meandering.

    I am getting into The Smile quite a lot. It feels like a downsized Radiohead playing A Moon Shaped Pool era music. Which it is.

    And there’s new music by Animals As Leaders, but I decided to feature one of their older songs as I explore more of the new album.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-16

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 17 Apr 2022 to 23 Apr 2022.

    WILT_2022-16

    1. Crest Of A Wave – Rory Gallagher
    2. In My Time of Dying – Led Zeppelin
    3. Emotion Scroll yes/and
    4. Evil – Cactus, Gene Paul, Jackson Howe
    5. Boogie – UFO
    6. Memphis – Faces
    7. Restrictions – Cactus, Gene Paul, Jackson Howe
    8. Bag Drag – Cactus
    9. Situation – Josefus
    10. Freelance Fiend – Leaf Hound
    11. Superstition – Beck, Boggert, Apprice
    12. Junior’s Wailing – Steamhammer
    13. The Snake – The Pink Fairies
    14. Freedom – Buffalo

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-16

    Notes

    Sundays just feel too lazy to write these entries sometimes.

    I remember starting this week being curious about rock music from the late 60’s and 70’s. I proceeded to listen to a radio playlist generated from Led Zeppelin.

    It has been pretty successful listening experience. A lot of new music surfaced for me, and it also reminded me of the difference in contemporary rock approach between the 60’s and the 2020’s. Music from the earlier period does sound freer, looser, and generally more relaxed. Yet, from hearing how the rock genre has developed in the last 60 years, you can see how pioneering some of these early bands were.

    For example, Led Zeppelin’s In My Time of Dying really pushed what a blues-based rock band could do, offering an eleven minute masterpiece of hurricane drumming, stratospheric slide guitar playing, and foundational bassplaying, all glued with the natural charisma of Robert Plant wailing about mortality like a prophet in the wilderness.

    I also got to discover UFO and Cactus, and through Cactus, the phenomenal bass playing of Tim Boggert. I think that’s another reason that draws me to this period of rock music, in that the arrangements that stand out to me, are those where musicians looked at their instruments and decided, “I’m not going to play what the radio’s telling me to play. I’m going to play the sounds I hear in my spirit.”

    Because with the advent of amplification technology, everything about expression changed.

    I also say this after attending a string quartet performance (which was brilliant by the way), and while the levels of musical virtuosity is there, and even the expression through performance, to have something amplified louder than what a speaker is supposed to contain, or lords over the thunderous applause of the audience, the amplified instrument commands thee kneel.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-15

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 10 Apr 2022 to 16 Apr 2022.

    WILT_2022-15

    1. What The Living Do – Mary Lattimore
    2. Ballroom Dance Scene – Horsegirl
    3. Soft Night – CARM
    4. Looking Backward – Melody’s Echo Chamber
    5. New Fiction – Little Dragon
    6. Dear inferiority – Gridman
    7. Journal of Ardency – Class Actress
    8. Feathers – Poppy Ackroyd

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-15

    Notes

    We did not manage to break ten songs for this playlist. I am somewhat biased toward the quantity of ten being a completion of a musical curation likely due to the consumption of an album’s worth of music back in my teens during the late nineties and early two thousands.

    But in reality, this count likely has little bearing in today’s playlists of an almost infinite number of songs. The potential is there, but so is the madness.

    I was drawn to the reverb drenched synth sounds of Mary Lattimore’s What The Living Do. Both angelic as well as contemplative, I think it helped set a mood for where we are going.

    Horsegirl is a new band I discovered, and I think they much to offer.

    CARM brings some delicious trumpet compositions to the table.

    I definitely added Looking Backward by Melody’s Echo Chamber for its bassline. It did make me think of early Little Dragon.

    So I did search out Little Dragon to see what the Swedish group had been up to, and New Fiction brings some of that charm and sensuality from their earlier discography, but combined with the maturity and cheekiness in their later songwriting and arrangement. It’s a mood of sorts.

    Plenty of interesting beats on Dear inferiority by Gridman and likely bears further research.

    I think there has been an undercurrent of pop music in this week’s playlist, and that is probably why Journal of Ardency by Class Actress has found its way to the playlist.

    Poppy Ackroyd once again finds her way into my playlists. I am definitely drawn to her piano compositions. If anything, their contemplative offer some solace amidst the chaos or melancholia that accompanies everyday life.

    A part of me also wonders if I have not heard as much music this week because I started playing Elden Ring.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-14

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 3 Apr 2022 to 9 Apr 2022.

    WILT_2022-14

    1. Feather – Ishmael Ensemble
    2. The Doctrines of Swedenborg – Hieroglyphic Being, Sarathy Korwar, Shabaka Hutchings
    3. Loosed – Ill Considered
    4. Theme 002 – Jaimie Branch
    5. theme 001 – Jaimie Branch
    6. First Light – Ishmael Ensemble
    7. Fractuals – Chelsea Carmichael
    8. Bone And Soil – Chelsea Carmichael
    9. Mustard – Ben Marc
    10. Breathe Improv A – Ben Marc
    11. Solo? Repeat! – Anne Müller
    12. Nummer 2 – Anne Müller

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-14

    Notes

    What a great list this week. I consciously sought out the world of jazz, mainly due to some conversations I was having with new people that I had met over the previous weekend. I am excited to bring the worlds of Chelsea Carmichael, and Jaimie Branch into your orbits, musicians who have very bold ideas and expressions that they convey through their music. Bone And Soil in particular I breathe in, and fill my lungs with the melancholy presented in the fog of notes.

    The selections from Ishmael Ensemble also represent some of the very beautiful soundscapes that I think the band is capable of, as well as the excitement that is generated through their constraint without launching into the frenzy and free form that we sometimes associate with jazz.

    The Doctrines of Swedenborg by Hieroglyphic Being, Sarathy Korwar, and Shabaka Hutchings, as well as Loosed by Ill Considered combine many other sonic cultures and ideas into their vision of music.

    Breathe Improv A by Ben Marc is a daring improvisation on the double bass, with bowed elements, fingerstyle, and a unsettling spoken word performance with a children’s ensemble. Music is an idea, and sometimes that is all you need.

    We end off with music by Anne Müller, a german composer-cellist who plays with a subtle emotion of watching the leaves fall, and you taste the slight breeze passing through the hairs on your arm.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-13

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 27 Mar 2022 to 2 Apr 2022.

    WILT_2022-13

    1. The Dial – Squid
    2. GIRLKIND – Sinead O Brien
    3. Kid Stuff – Sinead O Brien
    4. Ariya (Mixed) – Tony Allen, Motor City Drum Ensemble
    5. Planted A Thought – Arthur Russell
    6. Sweet – Porridge Radio
    7. Sofa Surfing – Enola Gay
    8. Farmhands – KEG
    9. Scratchcard Lanyard – Dry Cleaning
    10. Butt No Rifle – Folly Group
    11. Alexa! – The Cool Greenhouse
    12. Russian Winter – Tamar Aphek
    13. Crossbow – Tamar Aphek

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-13

    Notes

    A lot of post-punk, post-rock, and post-hardcore feature in this week’s playlist.

    I am still head over heels with Sinead O Brien, and I love their approach to instrumentation, melody, groove, and vocal performance.

    Planted A Thought features a unique cello arrangement.

    I liked the start-stop rock energy on Sweet. Reminds me of my teenage angst.

    Sofa Surfing is really well-executed post-punk hardcore, and really makes me want to sling that bass guitar again.

    Please enjoy Farmhands and Scratchcard Lanyard. It really is a mood when you’re listening to such songs. As Dry Cleaning sings, “Do everything and feel nothing.”

    I really enjoy the ideas presented on Butt No Rifle and Alexa!

    Finally, I stumbled upon some music by Tamar Aphek. The ones I selected for the playlist were rather frenetic and thus, I enjoyed them as such.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-12

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 20 Mar 2022 to 26 Mar 2022.

    WILT_2022-12

    1. i walk this earth all by myself – EKKSTACY
    2. Это сильнее – Nikita Kamenskiy, Charusha
    3. Pica – Bloodslide
    4. 2020 – Midwife
    5. Back From The Dead – Part Chimp
    6. Fast N All – Enumclaw
    7. Grass Jeans – Kim Gordon
    8. Breathe Suite A (feat. Midnightroba) – Ben Marc, MidnightRoba
    9. 3D Warrior – Nightmares On Wax, Shabaka Hutchings, Haile Supreme, Wolfgang Haffner
    10. Swoon – Slow Crush
    11. Gloom – Slow Crush
    12. Hush – Slow Crush
    13. Too Wild – Seasurfer
    14. Berimbau – Naima Bock
    15. Dancin Tony In Cuba 1959 – CAVS
    16. Swordfish – CAVS
    17. Basic Instinct – CAVS
    18. Don’t Lose My Number – Phil Collins
    19. Classic – Adrian Gurvitz
    20. I Can Hear Your Heartbeat – Chris Rea
    21. Nice While It Lasted – Famous
    22. Most Modern Painting – Sinead O Brien

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-12

    Notes

    I am pretty excited to be putting together this week’s playlist. The song selections are strong, and there is also a good mix of genres and styles. Even better yet, I became a new fan of some of these musical acts.

    I was curious about EKKSTACY’s music from the previous week’s playlist, so I went to listen to more of the artist’s material. i walk this earth all by myself is a very pleasant lo-fi pop/indie production with earnest songwriting and arrangement. I did not find the rest of his EP living up to the potential of what I have heard thus far, but I will chalk it up to subjectivity in taste.

    I was also curious about the music of Yuri Usachev and Nikita Kamenskiy, and they each have their own projects. Somehow along the way, I added Это сильнее for haunting melody and dynamics. There is a folk quality to songwriting, and I think it adds to the flavour of the song.

    I probably stumbled on a cache of shoegaze, grunge, post-metal for the upcoming section. If I recall correctly, it would have been Spotify’s Discover Playlist. So what got recommended to me?

    Pica by Bloodslide presents us with some evil-sounding guitar tones that deliver an atmosphere of an unpleasant mist through a dark forest, a full moon masked by clouds.

    2020 is a slow burn of no-wave glory. The scooped-mids of what sounds like a metal zone distortion pedals delivers the main flavour for the primary guitar motif, while a ghostly falsetto whispers horror into your ears (And it feels like heaven’s so far away).

    The first three chords to Back From The Dead sound almost like Just by Radiohead, but by the fourth chord, the song launches into its own trajectory. A mix of grunge and alt-rock, the guitar tones are familiar, and warm. Almost welcoming you back to a familiar era of music, but with the urgency of the present.

    Fast N All shares with us an angelic guitar riff, but if it was stoned out of its mind. The reverb on the guitar tone takes you slightly off the ground, but then shatters you back to slumber. Nothing to see here, don’t wish too hard because you might burst a blood vessel.

    Almost by design, Grass Jeans by Kim Gordon comes on. A chorus-processed bass tones sets the current of this alt-rock river. The song trudges along, Gordon’s vocals carrying like the wind. We travel fast, but we travel to nowhere.

    A bit of a slight interlude, but Breathe Suite A by Ben Marc gives us some very fierce musical concepts that meld jazz, classical, electronica, and film scores. This music is very exciting.

    3D Warrior is a great sampling of the moods created by Nightmares On Wax. If you are calling the evening in, then offer your final ruminations with this track.

    And somehow, we stumble back into shoegaze territory. But this time, I am more receptive than I have been in years. When Swoon really blasts off, it reminded me of why I like the genre. When reverbed-soaked minor chords drench a song while being stirred by a demonically-distorted bass guitar and the drumming is sprinting down and highway full of traffic, those are times when shoegaze songs tend to shine bright. Also, when they’re not self-indulgent to last beyond three minutes.

    I also added Gloom and Hush because the tempos so achingly stretch time, that it is more of a vibe than an analysis.

    Interestingly, I had included Slow Crush in WILT_2022-05 seven weeks ago, but back then it was more of an oddity inclusion.

    Too Wild is a brilliant dreampop (dreampunk?) inclusion. Let’s go.

    I have to say, I thought the playlist would end with Naima Bock’s Berimbau. A tremendous latin-jazz afro-beat fusion that just stands counter to all downer music prior. But somehow, this playlist has just a little more to give.

    At the corner one of the playlists, I noticed “Fans also like…”

    The album art by CAVS was right there. A psychedelic painting of a drummer floating in the air, pieces of the drumkit floating alongside the drummer. Some of the cymbals were UFOs. Evoking a sense of a drummer trying to transcend the physical plane, and attempting to enter a cosmic one.

    You bet I was curious.

    And my hunch was also met with validation. It is a whole album’s worth of one man playing the drums. And it is glorious, hypnotic, energetic, and incredibly freeing.

    I knew I had to add Dancin Tony In Cuba 1959 because the flavour of the composition was such a great introduction to the potential of this concept. Swordfish and Basic Instinct I added because of the boldness of expression in the performances.

    Obviously I did not recognise the artist’s name, but he is one of the two drummers in King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard as I later found out. This also helps explains how such a concept became a recording, and why it is not outside the ordinary to have happened.

    Almost finally, Phil Collins? Well, I was curious as to what other famous drummers were doing in their careers besides drumming for bands. Collin’s solo material was a great starting point. I had always known how critically celebrated Collins was as a drummer, singer, musician, etc… but I was never that familiar with his body of work apart from the most commercially successful of his hits. Along the way, music by Brand X came up, which would have been great additions to any jazz, or progressive jazz playlists, but Don’t Lose My Number just stood out with its stellar production, as well as musical and vocal performances. It is music like this that also appears to have been co-developed alongside Japan’s new-music movement in the mid-eighties.

    Classic is a song that I heard countless times as a child, considering it was on Class 95 FM a lot in the nineties, and I listened to this particular radio station a lot through my father. Still, it was pleasant to be reacquainted with this song. A bit of nostalgia, but also a bit of appreciation for the arrangements and constraint displayed on this recording were some of the reasons I included it in the playlist.

    I Can Hear Your Heartbeat is the kind of pop-rock that came out of the eighties. Some new ideas, new production methods, new innovations towards songwriting, instrumentation, and recording. I think I will explore this record a bit more in the future.

    I almost thought we would have ended off with Chris Rea, but we end off with Nice While It Lasted and Most Modern Painting instead. The former is a clanging post-punk industrial track that fires on all cylinders from the get go, while the latter is a tremendous vocal performance amidst the an almost post-hardcore musical arrangement where the backing band seems meandering in one direction, and the vocals pull on a leash dragging everyone back in another direction. Absolutely brilliant.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-11

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

    WILT_2022-11

    1. Lotus Bass – Aroma Pitch
    2. Barter – Yuri Usachev, Nikita Kamenskiy
    3. One Inna Million – Tony Allen, Lava La Rue
    4. STILL BREATHING – HEALTH, EKKSTACY
    5. We Give Thanks – Kokoroko

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-11

    Notes

    I started this week’s playlist with some highlights from Spotify’s Lo-Fi House playlist. I was in need of a hypnotic and rhythm-forward sound to help me plough through my tasks for the week. I think what I have selected through Lotus Bass and Barter are representative of the balance between repetition and atmosphere that help me create a brain-state of focus.

    I cannot exactly remember how One Inna Million surfaced into my orbit, but the moment the beat came on, I thought, “Tony Allen?”

    Right on the money. Classic rhythm and drumming from the master himself, with music that pushes you forward. Do not miss the amazing distorted bass break at 2:29. Like the light falling of sea-salt flakes on your favourite dish. A light seasoning with an effortless texture.

    I remember exactly when I added STILL BREATHING to this list. That guitar motif that comes on during the chorus. Just before Jake Duzsik sings, “It could happen to anyone / The tears on your face are drops in stream…” those achingly melodic and simple guitar line comes on. With a squeeze of reverb, and a twinge of overdrive, a cry of anguish screams over the cosmos barely making a sound. The duet between EKKSTACY and Duzsik is also a beautiful call and response, and you can truly feel the reflection in their performance.

    We are ending this playlist with We Give Thanks. I believe as with STILL BREATHING, I was on my Release Radar playlist, and it can get pretty eclectic. Yet somehow, when the songs came on in succession, there was a particular warmth that was consistent between the two. Of course the sound of Kokoroko is something that spreads warmth and joy, drawing upon some Caribbean-style melodies and instrumentation. The spectrum between the two does make me hopeful that such depression and such joy can exist in the same reality. It draws a particular perspective that we co-exist, rather than just exist.

    I stopped adding tracks and notes after this because I was preparing for a raid (Vow of the Disciple from Destiny 2).

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-10

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 6 Mar 2022 to 12 Mar 2022.

    WILT_2022-10

    1. Angelica – Wet Leg
    2. Wet Dream – Wet Leg
    3. Sludge – Squid
    4. You Don’t Want This – Pip Blom
    5. Holding Pattern – Big Brave
    6. Wited. Still and All… – Big Brave
    7. Vital – Big Brave
    8. Strawberry Cough – FACS
    9. Rainbow Meat – Chat Pile
    10. Oxygen Tent – Kowloon Walled City
    11. Lost Meaning – Cloakroom
    12. Alone Without – FACS
    13. Daddy Issues – Pip Blom
    14. It Should Have Been Fun – Pip Blom
    15. Signal From The Noise – BADBADNOTGOOD

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-10

    Notes

    Starting out with some very catchy and straight up indie rock with Wet Leg. Added because of what I thought were cheeky lyrics.

    Somehow found my way to Squid. Exactly what I wanted to hear at the time, which was more unorthodox melodies, rhythms, and a rippin’ bass tone.

    First instance of music by Pip Blom, but not the last. What grabs me is the sense of laziness and melody.

    I think Big Brave was the result of listening to a lot of Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and their music got recommended to me. I am definitely in the mood for these sprawling, and leviathanous guitar arrangements.

    Also very excited with my discovery of FACS. They are like a sludgier version of Foals, and I have no qualms about that musical direction.

    I think things are starting to get heavier, and I am all for this abyssal exploration. Chat Pile stood out with its frenetic digging rock bassline.

    Wow. When the music of Kowloon Walled City came on, I had to pause. This is the kind of hardcore, punk, no-wave rock that puts me in a tizzy. I cannot think straight when something like this comes on. It is as if a dome of sonic dissolution surrounds me and I lose myself to the ether.

    More FACS and Pip Blom comes on, but not after I heard the Kowloon Walled City album, Piecework in its entirety. Nevertheless, more music by FACS makes you feel like you’re being rear-ended by the apocalypse.

    Ending on Signal From The Noise which is not an arrangement I was expecting from BADBADNOTGOOD, but does an incredible job rounding out the form and formless noise of this week’s playlist.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-09

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 27 Feb 2022 to 5 Mar 2022.

    WILT_2022-09

    1. DEAD FLOWERS – HEALTH, Poppy
    2. FAST LAND – Moderat
    3. Invaluable Waste from the Outlying Districts, Pt. 2 – Moderat
    4. East London Street (No Drums Version) – Hidden Orchestra
    5. Too Much / Too Little – Talking Therapy Ensemble, Emma-Jean Thackray
    6. telepatía – Scary Pockets, Vidya Vox
    7. Short Change Hero – The Heavy
    8. What Makes A Good Man? – The Heavy
    9. Downer Surrounded by Uppers – Mrs. Piss
    10. Pump Organ Song – Emma Ruth Rundle
    11. Magickal Cost – Emma Ruth Rundle, Thou
    12. Let Us Rest Our Dead Anon – Big Brave
    13. Greener Pools – John Dwyer, Nick Murray, Brad Caulkins, Tom Dolas, Greg Coates

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-09

    Notes

    I started this week’s playlist on a vibe. I remember seeking out music by HEALTH, and was happy to find out that they had a bunch of new material, in this instance, COLD BLOOD, an EP of collaborations with three other music acts. I am finding the new material less aggressive than their earlier work, but they are exploring more atmospheres and soundscapes. When it hits, it really hits home.

    FAST LAND came as a recommendation from my friend, Rudi, and I was telling him that I had never expected Moderat to create something so downtempo. He highlighted that it’s similar to Massive Attack’s Teardrop beat, and now I cannot get it out of my head.

    Invaluable Waste from the Outlying Districts, Pt. 2 is also another atmospheric highlight by Moderat. There is a compounding sense of desolation that I never expected to be captured.

    A few other oddities here and there. I picked up Short Change Hero from a Tik Tok video trend of recordings of VR gamers super-imposed on the arenas they were gaming in. It was a rhythm-based game and this was one of the songs. The game was called Pistol Whip.

    I started seeking out music by Godspeed You! Black Emperor, because I needed something to power through work with, and after one or two albums, Mrs. Piss and a new Emma Ruth Rundle song were recommended to me. I added Downer Surrounded by Uppers because I loved the visual idea of it, plus it is a banging guitar riff. Pump Organ Song is a haunting duet between Rundle, and an pump organ, and I am all for this new development.

    From there, the music took a bit of a darker turn, back to a mish-mash of black and transcendental metal. At times, it feels like a counterpoint to the more compressed arrangements of HEALTH.

    We close off on some more experimental rock that I forgot that I still really enjoy.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-08

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 20 Feb 2022 to 26 Feb 2022.

    WILT_2022-08

    1. Emotion Sickness – Silverchair
    2. Duel – Swervedriver
    3. Last Train To Satansville (Satansville Revisited?) – Swervedriver
    4. Pretend to Be Here – Pia Fraus
    5. Kill Rhythm – Catherine Wheel
    6. Crank – Catherine Wheel
    7. Isle of the Cheetah – Hum
    8. Son Of Mustang Ford – Swervedriver
    9. Savory – Jawbox
    10. Surrender – Leave the Planet
    11. Non Photo-Blue – Pinback
    12. Sender – Pinback
    13. Chaos Engine – Pinback
    14. My Only Swerving – El Ten Eleven
    15. Tangerine Dreams – Curb

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-08

    Notes

    I remember how this one started.

    I pined softly for the music I used to listen to. To some extent, I looked back on my youth and tried to remember if there was anything that I particularly wanted to explore. Silverchair surfaced into my consciousness, but specifically the turnabout album, Neon Ballroom.

    I used to listen to this album on end, now I appreciate the intensity and creative defiance a lot more as an adult than when I was just shy of seventeen when the album came out. I specifcially sought out Emotion Sickness because i remembered it had an orchestral element to it, but listening to it now with more experienced ears, I am astounded than Daniel Johns wrote and arranged this at the age of nineteen, after two successful grunge albums. The scope of the arrangement is sprawling and unlimited, and truly is a defining signpost in the band’s career.

    From there, i suppose I sought out more grunge-based alternative rock music. For a moment I wanted to only feature songs from 1999 and before, but that turned out to be limiting, or ill-disciplined, depending on your perspective, because I also chose to include songs from outside that scope.

    I was however trying to capture a mood. A sort of grungy, defiant, and experimental era of guitar-based rock music. I think the music Swervedriver captured my interest when I decided to explore their catalogue, but the music Catherine Wheel were the ones that solidified my approach to this week’s playlist. It still sounds exciting, and the quite unlike anything that has come before or after.

    Pinback was also another great find for me this week. I am immediately drawn to their musical arrangements, seemingly bass-forward, but holding a melody and groove with a delicateness that really should not work when the instrument is so far up in the mix. Still, I was surprised and we are all the better for it.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-07

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

    WILT_2022-07

    1. Seek Refuge – Jaubi, Latarnik, Tenderlonious, Vox Humana
    2. 將冰山劈開 (Break the Iceberg) – Anita Mui
    3. Nova – Burial, Four Tet
    4. Three Friends – Gentle Giant
    5. 3分29秒 – Hitorie
    6. アルケミラ (Alchemilla) – Regal Lily
    7. Hibana – THE SIXTH LIE
    8. Midnight Blues – Pavel Milyakov, Yana Pavlova

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-07

    Notes

    A bit of a quiet listening week today as I spent more of my free time watching the anime, Eighty-Six, after it was recommended by Youtuber, Mother’s Basement.

    I suppose the week started normal enough, when I was recommended the free flowing Seek Refuge. I do recommend checking out the rest of the album.

    I was also interested in more of Anita Mui’s music after I watched the first episode of the singer’s biopic. Mui is played by Louise Wong in this depiction.

    Came across the new track by Burial and Four Tet, and it is a very tasty addition.

    Three Friends came on after I put on a Brand X album, and the song got recommended to me. I added it for the Pink Floyd psychedelic vibes, and I am starting to wonder why I did not listen to more music by Gentle Giant this past week.

    3分29秒 is the opening track to season one of Eighty-Six. It is very attention grabbing, and a fluster of energy. I did enjoy listening to this one.

    アルケミラ (Alchemilla) is the closing track to season two of Eighty-Six. I am not sure why the vocal performance is off-pitch, but it kind of works in that it conveys that absurdity of what the characters of the Eighty-Six anime go through. However, I did like the way the singer sang the oyatsumi line. Might be an acquired taste.

    Hibana is the closing track to season one of Golden Kamuy, another anime that I am watching. I suppose I added this only because it has been what I have been listening to this week. It is a pretty by the numbers post-hardcore Japanese rock number.

    Midnight Blues features a pleasant, repeating baritone guitar line. It came on after the fragments EP by Rachika Nayar had finished playing.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-06

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 6 Feb 2022 to 12 Feb 2022.

    WILT_2022-06

    1. End Times – Hanging up the Moon
    2. Here’s to Coming Out – Chloe Ho
    3. Capitol Theatre – 10vacations
    4. Human Thing – MATTIE, Black Taffy
    5. Roden – The Growth Eternal
    6. Big Science – Laurie Anderson
    7. Goldmine – Kimbra
    8. Namami Gange (Obéissance au Gange) – Houeida Hedfi, Planningtorock
    9. Envol du Mékong – Houeida Hedfi
    10. Cheminement du Tigre – Houeida Hedfi
    11. Bottle Episode – Mandy, Indiana
    12. Lilith – The Narcotix
    13. Stuck – Martha Skye Murphy
    14. Lilac Moon, Reflected Sun – Dear Laika
    15. Black Moon, Lilith – Dear Laika
    16. Adonai – The Narcotix
    17. Remove The Talk – Shay Hazan
    18. Virtual Self – Deantoni Parks
    19. Une foule – Gaspar Claus
    20. 2359 – Gaspar Claus

    Hyperlink to Spotify playlist: WILT_2022-06

    Notes

    Last week I mentioned that shoegaze band names and song titles were more interesting than the music itself (subjective to my connection to the genre at the point in time). That sensation placed in brief moment of curiosity as to what would be the local zeitgeist for the moment? I have been listening in vacuum for the most part, so it made sense to seek out what other curators were compiling. In doing so, I sought out the indiego broadcast on meLISTEN, which is Singapore’s recently relaunched indie music station featuring some stalwarts of our local scene as curators.

    Some locally composed tunes came into my orbit (props to Chloe Ho for writing a banger of an indie-guitar tune), and I thought that this might be a good moment to feature a playlist of locally written songs that I had not heard before. That idea lasted until the radio programmes shifted to FUTURE PROOF with Daniel Peters (new broadcast every Tuesday, 9pm–12am SGT/GMT+8), and some stupendous sonic ideas were heard. They were: Human Thing, Roden, Big Science, and Goldmine. The songs were bold and daring in their arrangements, particularly Big Science by Laurie Anderson, which creates a sprawling soundscape of organs, synthesizers, and an intimate and introspective vocal and spoken word performance.

    If you have not given indiego a go, you ought to.

    I cannot remember how Namami Gange (Obéissance au Gange) by Houeida Hedfi was introduced to me, but it really shaped the later half of this week’s playlist. Hedfi is a Tunisian multi-instrumentalist, and I am absorbed in the multitude of rhythms, melodies, and gorgeous instrument tones that paint a different sunset to the ones I experience on my side of the world.

    Other standouts include music from The Narcotix, a West African art-folk band based in Brooklyn that seems to be combining Afro-centric musical elements with some elements from indie and art rock from America. I also enjoyed the music of Dear Laika (the moniker of the classically trained musician Isabelle Thorn), who presents a discordant and dissonant arrangement and performance on most of her music. Thrills from an assortment of stringed instrument coalesce into fragile, random sounds from the prepared piano as Thorn’s vocals emerge from the submerged, before suddenly being pulled back under. You never really feel at ease listening to the music, but somehow if you allow the chaos to embrace you, you do feel honesty’s warmth breathing on you.

    I think the last four songs were from a Daily Mix playlist, for which I can thank for my new obsession with French cellist Gaspar Claus. I do gravitate toward the range and tones of the cello, and I think Claus is a masterstroke in the contemporary classical world who combines a multitude of techniques to express a spark of the existing human condition and potential.

    What I Listened To: WILT_2022-05

    A playlist of songs that intrigued me from Sunday to Saturday. Week of 30 Jan 2022 to 5 Feb 2022.

    WILT_2022-05

    1. The Fallen – Boris
    2. Huge – Boris
    3. Seedless Star – Cloakroom
    4. Hey Man Nice Shot – Filter
    5. Kaleidoscope – Ringo Deathstarr
    6. Blaster – Pinkshinyultrablast
    7. Glow – Slow Crush
    8. Jolene – Lingua Ignota
    9. Compassion For M – Aerial M
    10. Dazed and Awake – Aerial M

    Hyperlink to Spotify Playlist: WILT_2022-05

    Notes

    I was actively looking for new music at the start of the week, and came across the new Boris album, W. It has been awhile since I’ve listened to the monolithic drones Boris, but entering the halls of their sonic splendor was a familiar experience, and one that I welcome very much.

    I did also want to further explore the post-grunge movement a bit more, and started putting on old bands that I used to listen to in the nineties and early-2000s, but all I could land on was adding Hey Man Nice Shot by Filter for its delicious guitar riff during the chorus. There were more songs that I came across that were good, but they did not feel like new discoveries, and I wonder if there is a subconscious block in me not wanting to feature music that I had already found incredible, as if I only looking to feature new discoveries on my listening journey. Perhaps I will reflect on this more at a later time.

    While drone and post-grunge were the active searches I made, the algorithm decided that shoegaze would be the recommended genre. I included the songs that I thought had interesting counter-melodies, but overall, I find shoegaze band names and song titles more interesting than the music.

    Rather bored with the listening experience, I started randomly generating radio playlists based on song titles, and stumbled across a cover of Jolene by Lingua Ignota. It doesn’t have the same desperation as the original, but there’s a certain anguish that Lingua Ignota does so well.

    On the Saturday night, I decided to revisit the nineties post-rock band, Slint, to see if there were any interesting ideas that I might have missed out on. In the end, I decided to take a look at Slint guitarist, David Pajo’s other works, and under the moniker Aerial M, we find some of the gentlest and most introspective guitar work, expressed by a very innovative musician and arranger.

    This week’s playlist seems a bit lackluster to me, but it might be a new experience for you. Who knows?