@@@ Hatari: Klefi (Svikamhylia, 2019) I can’t remember how I got to this Icelandic electro drama group. I like the heavy, slightly dark weight to this dancefloor banger and I like the Arabic/Middle Eastern flavors in both the arrangement and the vocals though I don’t dig the standard kick-bap rhythms that come to the forefront. It’s mad dramatical that’s what’s key to the tune. I have no idea what the tune is about but it’s got that Nine Inch Nails aggro dancefloor thing but with the Arabic spicing. If it didn’t have such a clunky beat I would feel it more for sure.
@@@ ALMA AFROBEAT ENSEMBLE | Monkey See, Monkey Do (Slow Walk, 2019) Off this week’s WRIR playlist email. I don’t see this record up on my Apple Music so you have to head out to the righteous bandcamp to peep this Spanish Afrobeat band’s latest record. The music seems pretty strongly tied to Fela which is great for fans of Fela. I like Fela all right but I also dig Tony Allen’s stylized Afrobeat and I’m open to other variations. There is some resonator guitar/banjo type instrument that really switches up the vibe in the third tune and that’s the favorite of mine to this point. Some unusual instrumentation and sounds appear in the the brief fourth tune so I will take back my statement that these guys are so strongly connected to Fela’s music. I’m enjoying the horn section most here.
@@@ LUKA PRODUCTIONS: Falaw | Sahel Sounds, 2019 Also some African music from Mali off the WRIR weekly playlist email. Blurbed as a blend of Afrobeat, folk and hip hop on Apple Music. It opens up with a laidback more traditional arrangement and some mellow singing. The second tune Bbni brings in the African rhymes but the overall feeling is not very similar to American hip hop. There are African MCs that aspire to American style African hip hop but this is not that. However there is an updated and more energetic vocal approach to this music from Mali. You still get a blast of kora and guitars and kit drumming.
YTD recordings listened to: 545
Good music, not list worthy: 324
Not good music: 186
Best: 0
Honorable Mentions: 0
Possibles: Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, Slidhr, The Chewers, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, Luther Dickinson, Graeme Barrett, Fast Asleep, Goldlink, Cavanaugh, Satoko Fuji, Moken, Juan Atkins, Lantern, Twin Peaks, Djelimady Tounkara, The Oh Sees, Denny Zeitlin, MILF, Unfun, De La Soul, Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes, Noname, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, Oddisee, RAM, Fiver, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, Tuba Skinny, The Expanders, Criolo, Billy Strings, Flowers of Sulphur, Portal, Lawaii, Etran De L’Air, Ruby Karinto, Elysia Crampton, Parquet Courts, Moskus, Kendl Winter, Tkay Maidza, Barro, Daniel Khan, Tallawit Timbouctou, Sumac, Tropical Fuck Storm, Harriet Tubman, Ammar 808, Anais Maviel, Chaka Khan, Pom Poko, Fried Egg, Horndal, Wyxz, Tarek Atoui, Hawktail, Saicobab, Shannon and the Clams, General Purv, Shipping News, Big Thief, Emma Louise, Andre Bratten, Nathan Corder/Tom Weeks, Oli XL, Buzzherd, Logistic Slaughter, The Muslims, Tobe Nwigwe, Saint Abdullah, Bug Martin, Kaleta and the Super Yamba Band, Toko Telo, Brittany Howard, The Garifuna Collective, Mariachi El Bronx, Bonnie Baxter
Deep In the Music 