Hey kids, what time is it? Why, it’s time to get hipped to the jive that is my weekly musical recommendations! I have a panoply of titles (eight in all) that span the globe. So grab a bevvie and relax!
A single to start my recommendations for this week comes from South London’s Sampha. The 2017 Mercury Prize-winning Electronic Producer and Vocalist has been silent as a solo Artist since 2017; filling his time with collaborations with the likes of Drake and Kendrick Lamar. His return this week is Spirit 2.0, a lovely five-minute track that is a dive into the meaning of Physical Love. Sampha’s voice is tremendous, and his production is full of tasty beats and aural treats.
A collective of musicians from Bali, Indonesia, known as Bali Gamelan Sound has been charming my soul for the last couple of years. Gamelan is a style of Music performed as a group on metal percussion instruments, dating back hundreds of years. Angklung & Semar Pegulingan is the recordings of Hindu ceremonies by Argentinian musicologist Augustin Oscar Rissotti, and it brings a beautiful slice of life from the other side of the world.
Mong Tong is an Electronic trio from Taiwan. Their music is sample-based, incorporating sounds from traditional music from throughout the Asian diaspora, including Gamelan. Their latest, Tao Fire 道火 is fifteen tracks, spanning forty-five minutes of beautiful sound escapism.
Snarky Puppy is a band from New York City that has been around a while. Their bassist, Michael League, has formed a side-project that caught my attention this week. Bokanté consists of nine members, fronted on vocals by the terrific Malika Tirolien. Their third album, History is a journey, sung in Guadeloupean Creole, and it is fantastic.
Brazil continues to be one of my favourite sources of New Music. There is a certain style of Music, steeped in both the traditional sounds associated with the area, and fierce electronic beats, fronted by an equally fierce female vocalist. Enter Letícia Pinheiro de Novaes. Her musical name is Letrux, and her new album, Letrux Como Mulher Girafa is glorious.
My BandCamp Wishlist came through again this week. Also, it’s just about time to Rock. Big Clown’s fourth album, Beatdown is eight bouncy and fun tracks from the Memphis quartet.
The Cheesy Synth-heavy new (to me) genre of Music known as Egg Punk has given me no end of enjoyment. Continuing the trend is Australian band Busted Head Racket. JUNK FOOD is their eight-track album, released by Polish label Syf Records. And it rocks.
One of my New Music Heroes, local Singer-Songwriter Danny Michel has released his first album in over five years. Ghost Town is a grand ten-track demonstration of Michel’s enduring lyrical skill that evokes Paul Simon and Bob Dylan, with tasty Pop production. Steve Poltz is a co-writer on one of the tracks, A Brief History Of My Life, which serves as an excellent Wikipedia entry for Danny, set to Music. My wife and I will be seeing the two of them in Guelph in November, and I’m sure to be singing along. Ghost Town is my Feature Pick for this week.
Wasn’t that tasty? I hope you were able to find some sounds that brought joy to your ears. Let me know in the comments. And I keep forgetting to remind you like ‘Like’ and Subscribe to yourself!
Take care! Talk soon!
New Music Jason’s Picks 
Working my way through them, and an early favorite is “History” by Bokanté, which is utterly captivating. Busted Head Racket’s “JUNKFOOD” is trippy and fun, sort of like a lo-fi variation of the B-52s on acid, and Big Clown are wild! Couldn’t listen to “Beatdown” very often, but it would be a great soundtrack for when you want to break some shit!
LikeLike