YTD recordings listened to: 681
Good music, not recommended for purchase: 4422
Not good music: 207
Honorable Mentions: 8
Buys: 12
Possibles: Boyd Rivers, Chris McGregor, Alvin Youngblood Hart, Dave Arner Trio, Bill Horist, MAKU Soundsystem, Zomby, Retox, About Group, Jello Biafra, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Kendl Winter, Bone Dance, Defeater, Sidi Toure, Lindi Ortega, Jonwayne, Christian Kjellvander, Okkyung Lee, The Ballantynes, Debruit and Aljawal, Slidhr, The Whammies, The Chewers, La Misa Negra, Alexander Hawkins, Cheryl Pyle, Toxic Holocaust, Equal Stones, Comeback Kid, Third Coast Kings, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, Eccodek, Bio Ritmo, Pacifika, Kasai All Stars, Viet Cong, Lenguas Largas, Ruthie Foster
@@@ Sunbeam Sound Machine: Cosmic Love Affair (Dot Dash/Remote Control, 2014). A track off an impending November drop. Some shoegaze, some psych chorused/phased guitars, and some slack indie. I hear some a nice vocal melody, I have no idea what they’re on about, and the emphasis here is on big happy psychedelic waves of sounds. So if you’re on the Xanax this might chill you out….or not. I’ve never been on Xanax so I shouldn’t put that out there without any personal experience, I just thought Xanax is for folks who are anxious and wound up and this is like a happy sonic washing.
@@@ Zongo Junction: No Discount (Electric Cowbell, 2014). Off a WRIR weekly review email. Some Afrobeat music with some space jam action to it — alternating macho horn lines and Grateful Dead-esque space organ noodling. Big spaces for solos and a nice addition of hippie jam ingredients to the Afrobeat stew. I dig the drummer and the keyboard player — they’re both catching my ear repeatedly.
@@@ M-Dot: Chances & Changes (EMS Productions, 2014). Some indie hip hop I got to via a promo email and I’m checking it out because Skyzoo is on this track and I’m a Skyzoo fan. The flow is rapid and the lyrics are focused on the struggle of black life and the rap game. I like the bass line but not the beat as much.
@@@ Somi: The Lagos Music Salon (Okeh/Sony, 2014) Off the WRIR weekly playlist email. After a skit opener we get into the music which features Somi singing in English and a soft Sade smooth soul approach to the arrangements. The third tune, The Lady Revisited, pumps the tempo a bit and brings some African horns while retaining the buttery singing and the horn section. Lots of layers to the vocal arrangements.
Deep In the Music 