January 11, 2020
Listening selections for the week of January 10, 2021, best enjoyed with a pour over cup of Barista Parlor’s Daredevil blend, for bright and exotic notes of fruit.
Streaming Links:
Highlights include:
An evergreen cover of The Honey Drippers, revitalized for the Trump era by Kelly Finnigan and The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble
Bombastic, horn-heavy grooves from Seattle funk and soul collective The True Loves
Nuevo flamenco pop from the singular talent that is Rosalía
Electrifying math rock from guitar-drumkit duo Aiming for Ernrike
Air, electro pop vibes from producer-vocalist Jessy Lanza
A swelling synth pop anthem from Nashville trio COIN
Foster The People impersonating Tame Impala to great success
Shimmering blue-eyed soul from Aaron Frazer of Durand Jones & The Indications fame
Fuzzy West Coast psychedelia from tonal voyagers Triptides
Lucid fusillades from Peachcurls and Free Black!
A low-building, quintessential Hold Steady jam from the group’s forthcoming Open Door Policy
Yearning dream pop from Canadian singer-songwriter Jessie Reyez
A classic MF DOOM cut sporting one of his best rhymes: “Only in America could you find a way to make a healthy buck / And still keep your attitude on self-destruct.”
Swaggering, sun-kissed disco jazz from Teaspoon Ndelu and The Waves
The latest from one of the UK's leading lights in Afro-Jazz, featuring K.O.G
A breathtaking B-side ballad from the deluxe edition of Devon Gilfillian’s sprawling Black Hole Rainbow
A glistening pop cover of an Irma Thomas classic from Cleveland’s own Uptight Sugar
Breezy, effervescent city pop from Japanese singer-songwriter Taeko Onuki
A brilliantly deranged remix of Ratatat’s Shempi from one-man band Zongamin
Proof of the Arctic Monkeys influence and status among rock’s great acts
Airy, alternative R&B from Jonah Yano and instrumental powerhouse BADBADNOTGOOD
A cinematic synth soundscape from Altın Gün’s forthcoming LP YOL
One of many exhilarating highlights on Yves Tumor’s experimental Heaven To A Tortured Mind
Space jazz excellent from The Comet Is Coming’s 2017 EP Death to the Planet
Arguably the most entrancing cuts on the tour de force that is Definitely Maybe
The Chayla Hope Choice Find of the Week
Pensive musical contemplations from producer extraordinaire Madlib
A look into the past from the future from the always fertile UK jazz scene for Blue Note Records
A heart-rending Open Mike Eagle cut I revisit often