2022 Q4

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I wanted to introduce this mix by saying it starts with four instrumentals, but of course “Enviada” features Lucretia Dalt’s luxuriously creepy vocals. This slip-up is a good reminder of my relationship to music sung in languages I don’t speak (so, most languages) - the way it occupies a special category of listening, where I perceive the emotional and attitudinal impact of the vocals without necessarily contending with the meaning. This happens plenty with music in English, too, which isn’t always immediately intelligible. But it’s a little different, especially in how music functions as a work companion. I think one of the reasons I listen to so much non-English music is that I like listening while I work, but find it hard to concentrate if lyrics are grabbing my attention.

It’s difficult to disaggregate the emotional impact of hearing about Mimi Parker’s passing and the absolute sonic blow that is Low’s Hey What. I’ve been a tangential listener of Low, at best, and was moved to check back in when Parker died, realizing with a psychic thwack that their last three records migrated much more into my palette. This song, and the entire record, upends what I thought I knew about Low and what I thought I knew about recorded music - bringing their sublime harmonies into focus by processing, overloading, and transforming anything that sounds like a human playing an instrument. It’s one of those wonderful magic tricks of music, where what you know you’re hearing doesn’t come close to explaining how it makes you feel. It’s such a loss, the idea that this is where this incredible journey in sound will end.

Random observations and provenances:

  • Some favorite moments from this first block of instrumentals: Matt Gold’s wonderful guitar solo on “The Knew Untitled,” the understated groove that kicks in about 3 minutes into “Enviada.”

  • Open Mike Eagle’s great podcast Secret Skin (which is an interesting companion to his What Had Happened Was podcast) provided an introduction to two of the three rap artists on the playlist (Abstract Rude w/Aceyalone and R.A.P. Ferreira). Ski Mask the Slump God came to me by way of my 14 year old nephew, who played “Faucet Failure” for me on a long road trip.

  • Cindy Lee was a surprise delight, opening for Preoccupations recently at Lincoln Hall, creating an uncannily compelling sound and aura with a backing track, artificially pitched vocals, and tasty (but sparse) guitar. Typically, this would be the kind of thing that leaves me cold - especially the dominance of pre-recorded tracks, but something about the pre-existing strangeness of the music made it work.

  1. Makaya McCravern - The Knew Untitled

  2. Lucrecia Dalt - Eviada

  3. Kaki King - Final State

  4. Seamus Eagan - 6 Then 5

  5. Latin Playboys - Mustard

  6. Abstract Rude w/Aceyalone - Like That Like This

  7. R.A.P. Ferreira - MYTHICAL

  8. Ski Mask The Slump God - OOGA BOOGA

  9. Marlon Coles - I’m Man

  10. Cindy Lee - Heavy Metal

  11. Temple of the Dog - Wooden Jesus

  12. Depeche Mode - Policy of Truth

  13. Low - Days Like These

  14. Rozi Plain - Swing Shut

  15. Horse Lords - Zero Degree Machine

  16. Bilou XIV w/Zo Flame - Fatal

  17. Algiers w/Zack De La Rocha - Irreversible Damage

  18. SZA - Kill Bill

  19. Hermanos Gutiérrez w/Dan Auerbach - Tres Hermanos

Full playlist on Spotify

Full playlist on Amazon Music

Click on individual songs to link to Bandcamp, where you can easily buy merch or just give the artists some $$$