@@@ ELAGE DIOUF: Melokaane (Pump Up The World, 2016) Some uplifting African music I got to via this week’s WRIR weekly email. Diouf was born in Senegal and now lives in Quebec. This first tune has elements of funk, African single line guitar playing, a horn section and a true world music flavor. This first tune is about Nelson Mandela so it’s gonna be positive. Let’s peep more. I’ve listened to pieces of five tunes here and I would say if you are a fan of Peter Gabriel’s mash of world music but you want an African on the microphone this record will work for you.
@@@ The Breath: Carry Your Kin (Real World, 2016). Here we have more world music off a WRIR weekly email from June. The opener, Harvest, is slow with big production and an inward focused female singer. This is some Tori Amos/Kate Bush/Sarah McClachlan sounding music with big reverbs and an orchestral feel to the arrangements. This is signified as big, meaningful music — I’m not sure I experience it that way but if you’re into the epic female soft rock marinated in a stew of strong feelings you might dig this big time.
@@@ Warpaint: Heads Up (Rough Trade, 2016) Blurbed as gauzy post-punk I got to this record via this week’s All Music notable release email. I get the angular minimalism of this tune, but I usually think of the term post-punk as code for kinda punky and I don’t hear that on the first track Whiteout. The second tune By Your Side confirms that this is more of a stripped down krautrock take on 1980’s mainstream rock/pop bands that I can’t remember. The band is tight and tough and I dig the vocals.
@@@ Spencer Ludwig: Diggy (Warner Bros, 2016). Wow, Mr. Ludwig sounds a whole lot like Prince. He’s trafficking in the same blend of funk and black music influences but unfortunately not at the same level Prince did. This is big updated disco track with a big slather of trumpet sauce over the top. Maybe a tad too much trumpet. Pop music is a tough sell for me and I guess the genius of Prince was the guitar work he threaded through his music that gave it more muscle.
YTD recordings listened to: 763
Good music, not recommended for purchase: 430
Not good music: 286
Buys: 15
Honorable Mentions: 12
Possibles: Chris McGregor, Dave Arner Trio, Zomby, Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, The Ballantynes, Slidhr, The Chewers, Toxic Holocaust, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, Lenguas Largas, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Fofoulah, Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Leviathan, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, Janelle Monae, Luther Dickinson, Destruction Unit, Graeme Barrett, Fast Asleep, Goldlink, Cavanaugh, Gentleman Surfer, Satoko Fuji, Mystic Braves, Divanhana, Unrestrained, Moken, Systema Solar, Brian Eno, Juan Atkins, Drone, Lantern, Twin Peaks, Djelimady Tounkara, Miramar, The Oh Sees, Denny Zeitlin, MILF, Joe Sticky, Unfun, De La Soul, Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes, Neurosis
Deep In the Music 