Welcome to the 40thedition of our mixtape. It has been just over three and half years since my music selections became a regular feature on this very page. Designed to contain four consecutive weeks’ worth of new tunes, from the very beginning those packages required a neat bow tied around them. An introduction of some sort. The writer in me was in a constant search for inspiration. Over the years, I had approached this creative challenge at many angles, carefully laying out beginnings, middles and ends. The calendar always came in handy (summer holiday playlists, end of the year round-ups). So did the map. I also aided myself with list making, recognising current trends and introduction of different themes, moods and grand narratives. Most of the time I was able to connect the dots and produce a fairly entertaining text sprinkled with bad puns, more or less accurate observations and borrowed quotes. But when the writer’s block hit, it was like staring down at the puzzle pieces scattered all over the table in front of me, trying to make out fragments of a bigger picture.
I recall reading a quote attributed to Roisin Murphy, that writing about music is like tapdancing on the flowerbed. There is no sound coming out and the flowers get a nasty beating. Now, that’s not really encouraging, is it? Especially when the cloud of doubt appears above your head as you sit down to write another recap.
This month I have allowed myself to take a break from thinking too much and thrown out the recipe book. So, I’m taking the backseat while the algorithm is doing the driving. And it’s a perfect moment to do so. The music bloggers and journalists have already started putting songs and albums into neat compartments, reviewing the passing year as well as the last decade. I went the other way. Turned on the shuffle mode, pressed “play” and let Spotify randomly select 10 tracks for me to write about.
Here are the results:
Otha – Tired & Sick; Electro pop paradox from Norway. On one hand, withdrawn and wry and an aggressive club banger on the other. With only 3 songs released within the last 12 months Otha, short for Onthaline Husøy, is not the most prolific artist on my radar. The quality of the songs is enough to keep me interested, though.
Metronomy – Le Granade; This bouncy take on the pop chanson by French singer, Clara Luciani, is a welcome gift from Metronomy. Their latest LP, “Metronomy Forever”, was a bit of a let-down for me. This hardly makes up for the disappointment, but I’ll take it.
Boards Of Canada – Happy Cycling (Peel Session); One from the vaults of the cult WARP Records. Recorded for the legendary Peel Session by the Scottish duo in 1998 at the BBC. This version of an underground IDM hit is a proof that electronic music can be performed live. It also features signing seagulls. Genius!
Baths – Wistful (Fata Morgana); A fitting follow-up of the previous selection. Will Wiesenfeld, bedroom pop producer from LA, is clearly a disciple of Boards Of Canada. His latest single offers acidy bass and oscillating beats orbiting around an “end credits” melody. Crisp, yet warm.
La Roux – International Woman of Leisure; It’s been exactly a decade since the fresh-faced Elly Jackson had burst onto dancefloors with her stratospheric alto, boyish looks and Tetris pop (“For The Kill”). Her take on electro pop always features singalong choruses and is bursting with colours, whether neon-like on “Bulletproof” or tropical on “Sexotheque”. On “International Woman of Leisure”, which will eventually end up her album number 3, La Roux seems more adult than ever and, sadly, timid.
Lim Kim – YELLOW; Korean pop equals K-pop, right? Wrong. Lim Kim’s latest dynamite of single is far from the formulaic, overproduced, sugary offerings of the majority of K-Pop artists. The track is a bit of a mixed bag, but an interesting one nonetheless. Think M.I.A going further East.
Pongo – Quem Manda No Mic; Another energetic, kuduro inspired club banger from the Portuguese-Angolan singer. Kuduro was a unique dance pop genre developed in Angola in the late 80’s. Three decades later the charismatic Pongo is ready to take on the world with kuduro revival. This track is on fire!
Villagers – Sunday Walker; The title track from Conor O’Brien’s latest EP. This fragile, indie ballad floating on a cloud of delicate orchestral arrangement resembles the vintage pop of Burt Bacharach. One of my favourites this month. I loop “Sunday Walker” for hours.
Provinz Posen – Chodzony; Here’s one from Poland. Chodzony, literally translating into English as “the walking dance”, is another name for Polonez, a Polish traditional folk dance popular with the nobility. Recreated by Provinz Posen, an electronic project drawing influences from music traditions of the region of Greater Poland, this “Chodzony” sounds like something from the future rather than past.
Burial – Old Tape; The ever-elusive dubstep producer strikes again with a contradicting mix of 90’s rave and nostalgia. “Old Tape” appears on new Adult Swim compilation co-produced with Burial’s mothership, Hyperdub. On repeat since the day it dropped.
Well, this was fun. Ironically, a lack theme became a theme itself. On that note I’ll leave you to conduct your own jumping thought this selection. The game is set up for you. So, press “shuffle” and then “play” and see where it will take you. Shuffle is king!
Until next time! Bye!
