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Music

yehno – Our Best Selves

Our Best Selves is the lead single from a forthcoming six-track EP from Canadian experimental producer yehno, and will be the first release on a new label, Collection Disques Durs. Visceral and hard-hitting, there’s also an incredible amount of nuance and subtlety here. One the one hand, yes, I feel on the verge of a panic attack while listening to it, but on the other, it’s actually warm and reassuring, like watching all your worldly possessions burn while realising you’re probably better off without them. I imagine.

https://yehno.bandcamp.com

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Music

Noname – Rainforest

Warm and soulful on the surface but packed with a political directness in its lyrics which are, as ever, flawlessly delivered by Noname, Rainforest packs in an outrageous amount into its relatively short running time. There are so many lyrical earworms here, but “A rainforest cries / Everybody dies a little / And I just wanna dance tonight” is the one that’s stuck with me. On paper perhaps this comes across as a little cliche, but the understated delivery makes dancing seems like the most understandable – and perhaps only – reaction to one of the many approaching global calamities we’re faced with on a daily basis.

https://www.instagram.com/nonamehiding

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Music

DJ Danny – On A Mountain

I can already feel the backlash building against the new album from former PC Music-affiliate Danny L Harle aka DJ Danny, but frankly if you don’t find even the tiniest bit of joy in this album you’re dead inside and there is no hope for you. On A Mountain perfectly blends rave sounds from the peak of its 90s ridiculousness with crisp, thumping PC-ish production, injecting us with a mighty pure shot of rave nostalgia. Gas masks at the ready.

https://dannylharlepcmusic.bandcamp.com

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Music

ttypes – For Robert Downey Jr. Pt 1

ttypes is the solo project of Michigan-based songwriter Tim Krauss whose music ranges from ambient instrumental, to piano pop, rock, electronic pop and various other styles. His latest – as the title suggests – is an ode to Hollywood icon, (former) cocaine enthusiast and everyone’s favourite irreverent cyborg, Robert Downey Jr.. Not that you’d necessarily be able to tell from the record itself which is a frantic rush of syrupy bleeps and washed out vocals, but check out the video for one of the purest hits of RDJ you’re likely to find outside of a Marvel set.

https://ttttypes.bandcamp.com

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Music

Small Black – Duplex

Keeping this brief today cos reasons but this is some really amazing synthpop from Small Black’s forthcoming LP. So stop wasting my/your time and go and listen to it.

https://www.100percentelectronica.com

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Music

MUNNYCAT – The Bygone Goodbye (you got it)

The new single from LA noise-pop duo MUNNCAT is, according to the band, “about the growing frustration of trying to meet people in the middle who have no intention of compromising”. Now, generally speaking I am terrible at paying attention to messages in songs, but I can hear no discernible frustration in The Bygone Goodbye at all: only pure, unadulterated fun and positivity. I haven’t been this wrongfooted by a track for a while, as it’s not what I generally consider the music I gravitate towards (see: moody, nostalgic, synthy, maybe a little depressing), but I absolutely love it. So much energy, kinda reminds me a little of The Phenomenal Handclap Band, but with a lot more edge.

https://www.munnycat.com/

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Music

Lost Girls – Menneskekollektivet

Lost Girls is a collaboration between Jenny Hval and Håvard Volden. Despite having worked together for close to a decade, they announced their debut album Menneskekollektivet (which roughly translates to “human collective’) only last week, along with this 12 minute epic which starts life as a contemplative, spoken-word piece before progressing through lumbering rhythms and increasingly weird, chattering synth lines. I’ve loved pretty much everything Hval has released previously, especially 2019’s incredible The Practise of Love, and everything about Menneskekollektivet suggests that trend will continue.

https://lostgirls1000.bandcamp.com/album/menneskekollektivet

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Music

JUNKHEART – Queen of the Nile

A welcome to return to JUNKHEART whose new single Queen of the Nile landed today. He cites Tears for Fears, Blood Orange and The Japanese House as key influences – all of whom I love, obviously – and while inviting comparisons to other artists can be a risky business, Queen of the Nile is just so good he completely gets away with it. Without doubt one of the most vital, exciting new artists of the year so far.

https://soundcloud.com/thejunkheart

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Music

Grøte – Prognosis I

Sometimes all your want to do is sit back in a comfy chair and be made to feel increasingly anxious for 12 or so minutes. And while, sure, you could just drink several strong coffees and watch the news, there are better ways of achieving this sometimes weirdly pleasurable state of disquiet, so here come Grøte – a drone collective based in Croatia – with Prognosis 1 – which slowly overwhelms you to the point that all you can think about is the vastness of everything and the futility of your own existence in comparison. But, you know, in quite an enjoyable way.

https://grote.bandcamp.com

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Interviews Music

One Track Mind: Anna B Savage

The singer-songwriter discusses her abiding love for a Nat King Cole staple

The premise of One Track Mind is pretty simple: I ask artists to pick one track that means a lot to them – either something they’ve discovered recently, something that’s been with them for years, or one that reminds them of a specific time in their life or career – and tell me what makes it so special to them. I get to talk to the artists I love, and they get to talk about the artists they love. Love all round!

Released last month, Anna B Savage’s debut album A Common Turn was three years in the making and the result is remarkable, sounding at once defiant and deeply vulnerable and exploring themes both lightweight and profound. Throughout, her voice is never short of extraordinary, with tracks frequently starting life as exposed, skeletal frames before building to triumphant, roaring crescendos.

For her track, Anna has selected an artist and record that will doubtless be familiar to most, and speaks about it with such passion that we should probably all take a moment to truly appreciate its magnificence.

Continue reading “One Track Mind: Anna B Savage”