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Music

Armina Ederra – You’re My

Arima Ederra for Image magazine, October 2022. Photographed at Teo Halm's studio in Los Angeles, CA. Creative direction by Emi Farai, Simone Niamani Thompson.

Arima Ederra is a Los Angeles–based singer, songwriter and visual artist whose work blends alternative R&B, folk and indie pop into a soft-edged, emotionally detailed sound. Born in Atlanta to Ethiopian parents and raised in Las Vegas, her music draws on East African influences alongside jazz, soul and contemporary songwriting. Her new album, A Rush To Nowhere, moves through various genres and influences, some channelled more effectively than others; however the soul/country/pop/r&b blend of You’re My is a clear standout.

https://www.arimaederra.com/

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Music

Beth Gibbon – Sunday Morning

HELP(2) is a new collaborative album inspired by the landmark 1995 release ‘HELP’, bringing together an impressive array of artist in support of War Child’s vital work delivering immediate aid, education, specialist mental health support, and protection to children affected by conflict around the world. HELP(2) carries forward the spirit of the original ‘HELP’ album and was brought to life under the stewardship of acclaimed producer James Ford as executive producer. The list of artists involved is too extensive to list here, but includes this gem of a cover of The Velvet Underground’s Sunday Morning from Portishead’s Beth Gibbon.

https://warchildrecords.bandcamp.com/album/help-2

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Music

Joshua Idehen – This Is The Place

Apparently at Joshua Idehen’s live shows he strongly encourages you to turn to your neighbour and give them a hug / some show of love, which means I’ll probably never see him perform. This song is great though! And his entire album is pretty fun and positive – I just want to listen to it in solitude, without having to interact with other people, thanks very much. I also just found out that he was in Benin City who did some interesting stuff a while back, which has made me like him ever more.

https://joshuaidehen.bandcamp.com/track/this-is-the-place

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Music

OHYUNG – Nevada

Bruce Springsteen had his Nebraska, a bare-bones, notably bleaker record. OHYUNG now has her IOWA; stripped-down and self-produced. Ghostly echoes, mouth sounds, simulated tape hiss, late night gloom. Though beautiful, there’s an illness-of-ease to the music, a fog of threat, numerous points of rupture in otherwise serene tracks, massive subwoofer activations that could be heaven’s kick drum or the slam of a bomb. Sampled choirs in rapture, a fine line between terror and reverence. Happy Friday!

https://ohyung.bandcamp.com/album/iowa

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Music

GENA – This Is So Crazy

GENA (short for “God Energy, Naturally Amazing,”) is a new collaborative project from drummer and producer Karriem Riggins and singer-songwriter, rapper, and producer Liv.e. Their debut The Pleasure Is Yours is informed by jazz, soul, and hip-hop, with enough electronic weirdness to keep me happy. There’s definitely something about this that feels special, I’m just not entirely sure I love it yet. What I do know however is that This Is So Crazy is insanely good, coming in like Prince’s I Could Die For You as seen through a spectral haze.

https://genagenagena.bandcamp.com/album/the-pleasure-is-yours

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Music

Caterina Barbieri & Bendik Giske – Impatience, Magma

Caterina Barbieri and Bendik Giske’s collaborative project started during an artistic residency in Milan’s ICA in 2021, by invitation of Swiss artist and curator Jan Vorisek. This meeting, and the preceding closure of sites for cultural exchange, made their work together “feel like springtime” according to Barbieri. Throughout the tour, they continued to develop material live, and their album, At Source, feels true to that ever-evolving process of creation. Impatience, Magma feels like the centrepiece of this extraordinary EP, glowing and languorous, with Giske’s saxophone at its most affecting.

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Maria BC – May this rain

Written and recorded throughout the US West Coast, Maria BC’s new album Marathon is both expansive and intimate, ranging from aerial acoustic songs, to glitchy distorted tracks channeling chaos and disillusionment, all while maintaining a strong lyrical through line. “For this record I decided to spend less time on production and recording and more time on songwriting” she says. “The result, I think, is more thematically consistent, lyrically speaking, and more concise”. On first couple of listens, I agree.

https://mariabc.bandcamp.com/album/marathon

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Music

Niko Demus, Merely, MFM – Oscillate

Dreaaaaaaaamyyyy….

https://nikodemus1.bandcamp.com/album/wade-1

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Music

Choker – Geppetto

Choker put out two excellent albums close to a decade ago – 2017’s Peak and 2018’s Honeybloom – and then disappeared, so it was excellent to see Heaven Ain’t Sold appear last week. Often compared to Frank Ocean (for good reason), the latest LP sees him pick back up where he left off, with deeply reflective and beautifully restrained r&b. The story of his rise and disappearance is a sad and interesting one, and his music has lost none of its promise and power in the intervening years.

https://chokerchokerchoker.bandcamp.com/album/heaven-aint-sold

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Music

Isabel Pine – Sun Dog

Loads of interesting stuff out today including albums from Choker, Altin Gun and perennial TPW favourite 36, but I’m choosing to highlight Isabel Pine’s new album Fables as it’s been the perfect, chill start to the day I needed.

https://isabelpine.bandcamp.com/album/fables