Blood Harmony Vol. 25: Spring Mix
Discover more from Blood Harmony
That’s right everyone. It’s mix time. Let’s shimmy our way into Spring.
And for all of my non-Spotify folks, here’s the YouTube playlist!
Moves by Suki Waterhouse, I Can’t Let Go, Sub Pop Records, 2022.
I told you her music is really good! This song has been stuck in my head for days. Waterhouse has dated a bunch of famous men and as a result I spent some of my first listen-through wondering which of these songs were written about my novio, Diego Luna. The Suzi Quatro reference in this track is so very British that I’m guessing it’s actually about Robert Pattinson. I can live with that. She gave a very interesting short interview on EmRata’s podcast during which she talked about being a touring musician right now after the pandemic, etc. She seems rad.
Hotline Bling by Bacao Rhythm and Steel Band, Single, Big Crown Records, 2023.
German steel pan band continues to kick ass.
Dibujos De Mi Alma by Y La Bamba, Single, Tender Loving Empire Records, 2023.
Portland, OR band Y La Bamba brings us a soothing, mystical journey of a song that nearly goes off the rails at the end in the best way.
Abobi by Patoranking, Single, Amari Music, 2023.
Super talented Nigerian artist comes through with this extraordinarily catchy song about suffering.
I Like The Things About Me by the Staple Singers, Soul’d Out: The Complete Wattstax Collection, Craft Recordings, 2023.
This recently released box set is INCREDIBLE. How have I not watched this documentary yet? What are these amazing lyrics? “I like the things about me…that I once despised”. Right up there with Prince, I wish I had seen the Staple Singers live in their heyday.
Only Daedalus by U.S. Girls, Bless This Mess, 4AD, 2023.
From the Pitchfork review by Brady Brickner-Wood, this song “is a gold-streaked fusion of R&B and funk that uses the ancient Greek myth to comment on the hubris of our overbearing technocrats, Remy asking, ‘Where is your soul?’ before chiding that ‘the world is not your wheel.’ You don’t need to unlock the writing to have a ball, though; ‘Only Daedalus’ begs you to lose yourself in the rhythm, to dance before wondering what it all means.” Daedalus is also the name of a restaurant in Cambridge, MA with a great roof deck.
Candle Flame by Jungle ft. Erick the Architect, Single, AWAL Recordings, 2023.
Let’s fucking dance. Jungle are British, Erick the Architect is from Brooklyn.
Pearls by Jessie Ware, Single, EMI, 2023
This song was designed to be blasted on the dancefloors of P-town. She’s great! I love the podcast she does with her Mom.
What You Wanna Try by Masego, Masego, EQT Recordings/Capitol Records, 2023.
Masego’s Spotify bio is brilliant. “For those who came in late, maybe parts of Masego’s backstory need to be spelled out here. The singer-songwriter mother who directed the church choir in Virginia, and the Jamaican father whose roots he retraced on 2020’s Studying Abroad EP. The teenaged hip-hop obsession, the university jazz studies, the birth of his bespoke genre, TrapHouseJazz, designed to digest all this and more; the narrative genius of Outkast, Duelle, Wale; the intoxicating Brazilian mystery of Trio Mocoto and Joao Gilberto…”
People by Libianca, Single, 5K Records, Sony, 2022.
I’m late to the party on Libianca because I don’t watch The Voice and I’m not on TikTok but this song is gorgeous. Libianca is originally from Cameroon but is based on MN and calls her music “afrosoul.” Love that. “Banga” is slang for weed, FYI.
Other Things:
Podcast recs: I finally started listening to Work Appropriate by Anne Helen Peterson who writes one of the best newsletters of all time. The podcast is obviously fantastic! I particularly enjoyed the episode about ambition.
I’m catching up on NPR’s Louder Than A Riot which is just incredible. Via their site, this season “examines who hip-hop marginalizes, and how misogynoir — the specific racist misogyny against Black women — is embedded into the fabric of the culture that we love.” Louder Than A Riot was recently canceled by NPR as part of major layoffs across the organization. What a loss. I hope they are able to find a home elsewhere!
Cooking: I served these cookies at a recent get together and they were a huge hit. I would not have expected toffee, chocolate and pistachio to meld together into the cookies of my dreams. I bought this green Szechuan pepper oil from Mala Market and now I put it on everything (stir fry, eggs, roasted cauliflower). It’s got that Szechuan numb in a vegetal setting.
Movies: I took myself out to the movies this past weekend and saw this great French movie called The Innocent. It was written, directed and stars Louis Garrel (the hot guy who played Friedrich in Little Women) alongside Noémie Merlant (also very attractive in Portrait of a Lady on Fire). The movie was a lovely mix of caper and meditation on grief, love and family.
As always, thanks for reading and listening! I think the world of you! If you are looking for more music, check out The B-Sides playlist which is full of tracks I love but can’t make fit into a mix.
*There are no examples of blood harmony in this season’s newsletter as far as I know. Please listen to the Louvin Brothers episode of Cocaine and Rhinestones for more info.