@@@ Michael Finnissy: Back on Earth (5Against4, 2019) I got to this classical piece (which isn’t on the streaming stores yet) via the Twatter. I sometimes struggle saying relevant things about classical music as I’m not very bright and it tends to be a more cerebral genre, but I try bitches, I try. Check this guy’s majestic and wise bald head, he looks mad serious. It is starting out as a noodling thing, like they’re getting ready and then it opens up into more, but not a lot more. Instrumentation is violin, piano, oboe and possible other instruments. If I had it all over to do again, I probably wouldn’t choose oboe same as the first time around, but I do love the sound of the oboe. It just looks ridiculous. This is your small scale ensemble playing with some pages from the jazz feels playbook. I dig it. Percolating, it percolates and it meanders. I’m really enjoying listening to the various small shooting up voices while the piano is most definitely the centerpiece here. Don’t stream this introductory nugget thinking your getting Beethoven, this is modern classical business with an emphasis on textures and sonics.
@@@ King Princess: Cheap Queen (Zelig, 2019) I saw this single shouted on NBC News of all places, so that should get a peep, right? A slightly shabby pop diva in the making if an appearance on NBC News is any indication. You don’t get on NBC News as a musician without powerful PR connections. The tune has a decidedly low profile pop sound to it. It has a vocal loop in it, and it’s mainstream but it doesn’t have that soaring element often seen in Arianne Grande’s dirty dishwater music and Beyonce’s queen of everything flow. I’m hearing this is aimed at connecting at a more emotional level. I think the vocal hook is cool but after that it doesn’t dig very deep. Less dank than Billie Ellish and not as regal as the divas mentioned above.
@@@ Sunnyside: Stretch (Mind Detergent, 2019) I got to this Melbourne band’s groovy single via Happy Mag, an Australian music mag. It is slotted as jazz on Apple Music but I hear more chill lounge and jam band music than jazz. It’s got a lot of small plinky guitar parts to it and a pop funk beat. It also has a pile of vocal tracks exhorting the listener to ‘stretch’ and ‘kick back’ which isn’t quite doing it for me. I’m not unwinding. I guess I’m not super feeling this track. It does make me wonder if this music would actually work to get folks to kick back and unwind. Maybe mentally as there’s not much going on to really grab you so you can space out. I left when the MC showed up, I couldn’t deal with that.
YTD recordings listened to: 563
Good music, not list worthy: 332
Not good music: 192
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, Danny Brown, clipping.
Deep In the Music 