Blood Harmony Volume 33: Winter Mix
Welcome to 2024 everyone! We made it!
Pinking Shears by Mandy, Indiana, i’ve seen a way, Fire Talk, 2023.
From the Pitchfork review by Ryan Leas: Three Mancunians and a Parisian came together under a name inspired by Gary, Indiana—a Rust Belt symbol of post-industrial American decline—to make a sound that thrashes like an angry Hydra. Every time you think you have Mandy, Indiana cornered, they mutate again. You could call their music post-punk, electronic, or noise, but no single genre signifier satisfactorily conveys what they do. This is by design. Mandy, Indiana trade in chaos and severe contrasts.
Di Hawks by Sho Madjozi, What a Life, Black Cinderella Inc, 2020.
Sho Madjozi is a South African artist. This song is a about a law enforcement group called “Di Hawks” that captured a group of criminals who were stealing state funds.
Mujeres by Y La Bamba, Mujeres, Tender Loving Empire, 2019.
From the label description: The record exists in the post-2016 landscape of a national identity crisis, and Mendoza explores what it means to be a Mexican American woman by leading us through places we are afraid to go. Mujeres ventures in to the discomfort of the stories we tell ourselves. Those of our past, our futures. We all have these stories somewhere inside of us, but with Y La Bamba, Mendoza forges new narratives from old stories of heritage and family, tracing history while forging modern chicana feminism.
Ana Many Raidah by Matar Muhammad, More Bouzouk, Roots Music, 1973.
Muhammad was a Lebanese artist who played the buzuq (similar to the lute).
Sintayehu by Hailu Mergia and The Dahlak Band, Wede Harer Guzo, Awesome Tapes from Africa, 2016.
These Ethiopian artists recorded in the 1970s and got a re-release in 2016. Sintayehu in Amharic loosely means “I have seen many things”.
Back on 74 by Jungle, Volcano, Caiola Records, 2023.
They’re British! They make dance tunes!
You No Fit Touch Am by Dele Sosimi and Medlar, Single, Wah Wah 45s, 2015.
Wah Wah 45s are proud to present a unique collaboration between the U.K.’s very own Afrobeat Ambassador, Dele Sosimi, and a producer who’s been at the forefront of the South London electronic music scene for a decade now, Medlar.
Slow Down by Walter the Producer, Single, Self Produced, 2023.
From Onestowatch.com by Jazmyn Kylene: At 20 years old, much of Walter The Producer is an enigma. Producing, mixing, and mastering the project himself, his music is all we truly know of him, though luckily, it’s dense enough to glean a good picture. He has the ability to both feel deeply yet alchemize that emotion into funk, from soul-consuming yearning to heart-wrenching disappointment.
Automobile by Nation of Language, Introduction, Presence, Self Produced, 2020.
I saw Brooklyn’s own Nation of Language recently at Cat’s Cradle. They were great! The only drawbacks were that I could barely see them because it was a packed house and I forgot that I needed cash to buy a beer (FFS). This song gets stuck in my head all the time.
Invincible by Omar Apollo ft. Daniel Caesar, Ivory, Warner Records, 2022.
Omar Apollo is a Mexican-American artist and Daniel Caesar is a Canadian singer-songwriter. I think this song is so, so beautiful.
Other Things:
Saw Poor Things (looked incredible, costumes were mind-blowing, some excellent performances, needed a little editing, still figuring out how I felt about it in total). Saw May December (blew my mind). Saw Saltburn (HAHAHAHA…yes).
I’ve been watching The Gilded Age which, much like The Morning Show, is a terrible and yet compulsive watch.
Winter is a good time to care for yourself (whatever that means to you). To that end, Yoga with Adriene is a doing a January program that’s free and sure to be lovely. You can sign up or just go to her YouTube page and do it whenever you have the time.
I also really love doing Qigong classes with Mimi Kuo-Deemer. She has an excellent course that I signed up for (info below) but she also has some great free videos on YouTube.
A Sad Thing (in case you’re not in the place to read sad things right now):
I attended a memorial service this past week for a friend and former co-worker who died due to mental illness and substance abuse issues. At her service, her brother led a sing-along to her and her wife’s favorite karaoke song, “Dreams” by the Cranberries. People sobbed (not just me).
In honor of my friend, here’s the version of that song I always remember best from its heavy rotation on MTV at the time. Dolores O'Riordan is and was a total rock star.
Thanks so much for reading and Happy New Year!
If you are looking for more music, check out my playlist The B-Sides where I put songs that I love but can’t fit into my quarterly playlists.
*As far as I am aware, no one in any of these bands is related. So there isn’t any actual blood harmony in this issue! Please listen to the Louvin Brothers episode of Cocaine and Rhinestones for more info.