Blood Harmony Vol. 42: Winter Mix
Hello from icy North Carolina! See evidence of this below in pictures of my yard post-storm:
We made it through the onslaught of holiday gift guides and best-of lists (truth be told, I love those) only to make it to…January.
Let’s listen to some music! And also on Youtube!
Music de Carnaval by Magdy Al Hussainy, Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection of Music from the Arab World (Part 2), Habibi Funk Records, 2021.
Al Hussainy is an Egyptian keyboardist of Kurdish origins and this song slaps (as the kids sometimes say).
Uzozisola by Justin Vibes, Diamonds of Gwijo and Azul Serene, Single, Vibeyy Music, 2024.
Justin Vibes is a Baltimore born, Trinidadian musician, producer and vibraphonist. Per Vibes, “This song is a cover of Mas Musiq's ‘Uzozisola’ which means ‘You'll Regret It’. It’s about being a nice guy but if pushed over the edge, you'll regret it. Diamonds of Gwijo (the kids), only sang part of the song's lyrics. Azul Serene sang the breakdown".
Apricots by BICEP, Isles, Ninja Tune, 2021.
BICEP are an electronic music duo from Belfast.
Cross the Street, Junior Varsity, Single, Key Records, 2024.
LA-based trio making music that makes me want to dance around just like the person in their video!
She Cleans Up by Father John Misty, Mahashmashana, Sub Pop Records, 2024.
You cannot convince me that Joshua Tillman is not a huge Cake fan.
DENIAL IS A RIVER by Doechii, Alligator Bites Never Heal, Top Dawg, 2024.
I LOVE Doechii! Have you seen her Tiny Desk? Have you seen this?
My Fun by Suki Waterhouse, Memoir of a Sparklemuffin, Sub Pop Records, 2024.
Dancing it out with Suki who apparently has been in-and-out of Durham for the last several years recording music and somehow I have yet to run into her (although I’m reasonably sure I saw her sister once at the Carolina Theater).
Life Is by Jessica Pratt, Here in the Pitch, Mexican Summer, 2024.
Slightly spooky, Wall of Sound-esque number from acclaimed LA singer songwriter. This whole album is great.
Cherish by Nina Simone, Silk & Soul, 1967, Sony Music.
Incredible cover, incredible artist.
Road of the Lonely Ones by Madlib, Sound Ancestors, Madlib Invazion, 2021.
Describing himself as "a DJ first, producer second, and MC last," Madlib is the primary alias of Otis Jackson, Jr., who has become one of the most celebrated, prolific, and eclectic artists in hip-hop since emerging on the scene in the early '90s. This track samples “Lost in a Lonely World” by The Ethics, a Philly soul band from the 1960s.
Other Things:
My sister-in-law gifted me Didion & Babitz by Lili Anolik and I loved it. It was such a great mix of literary gossip and insight into the creative process. I followed the Lili Anolik rabbit hole down to her two fantastic podcast series: One Upon a Time...in the Valley about Traci Lords and the world of 80s porn:
And Once Upon a Time…at Bennington College about Bret Easton Ellis, Donna Tartt and a bunch of other literary stars’ time at college together in VT:
recommended The Art of Repair by Molly Martin to me. It’s a beautiful, thoughtful book about mending and clothing sustainability. I really enjoyed it.On the viewing side, I saw Babygirl. First, the soundtrack was incredible. 5 stars. Second, I had a great time watching it and have thought about it a lot ever since. You can quibble all you want about plot holes, realism, etc. but I really liked it as a creative work. I also watched The Iron Claw and found it pretty challenging to get through. I don’t know anything about wrestling but I thought Zac Efron was excellent and found the family’s story unrelenting sad.
My son has started letting me curate our movie watching so we hit up some good action-y films over the last month. He thought Rumble in the Bronx was pretty fun (I hadn’t seen it since a midnight showing on my prom night!), he really liked Barbie (has been asking me when we can have a beach off), loved The Fall Guy and Spy (both criminally underrated) and enjoyed the 1-2 punch of Whip It! and Bend it Like Beckham. He astutely noted that they were basically the same movie and liked Whip It! a little better.
In other “things that blew my mind” news, I cannot recommend this story more (gift article!).
I recently co-hosted a clothing/cookie swap and the stars of the cookie share were two NYT Cooking recipes. I made the Mexican hot chocolate cookies (almost too much) and my wonderful friend Anna made the rosemary shortbread (incredible). I also made the gochujang caramel cookies for a different party and they were delightful. But the star of the NYT cooking app for me right now is this no knead bread. So easy, so good.
My friend gifted me this really great cookbook for Christmas if you’re looking for new inspiration.
In Trader Joe’s snack news, these umami crunchy rice crackers are to die for. AND the Spanish omelet from the breakfast section makes a wonderful take-to-work lunch.
Things to look forward to: it’s the return of Severance!
Thanks so much for reading! If would like to hear more music, please check out The B-Sides playlist1:
Currently clocking in at a cool 23 hours.
Gonna listen right now! I would love a January play list.