For a supposedly “slow” week for music releases, I found PLENTY of things to enjoy. For the record, the Kurt Vile song “Girl Called Alex” is alas, not about me. Here are the week’s most entertaining releases, as always click through to listen on Spotify. Or not, YOUR BODY YOUR CHOICE.
Listen:
Let’s start with Kurt Vile’s Wakin On A Pretty Daze. This album made me really homesick, not because of the themes but because it’s something that would sound absolutely perfect with the backdrop of the California desert. Think about it: you’re driving down a winding, dry, and yellow mountain landscape, the city in your sights, windows rolled down, sunglasses on. I’m starting to sound like fuckin’ Don Henley, I know. Wakin On A Pretty Daze feels like one extended song, which isn’t really a bad thing in this case. It just means the album is definitely cohesive. If you don’t have a car and desert readily available, at least listen to “Wakin on a Pretty Day,” “Never Run Away,” and “Pure Pain.”
Apparently Villagers’ little gem {Awayland} has been out since January in the UK and Ireland but wasn’t released on Spotify until this week? Regardless, it’s an album full of lovely folk songs. My favorite is definitely “In A Newfound Land You Are Free,” a pretty little lullaby towards the end.
Other than the inescapable “Heartbeats,” I’m not really into The Knife. I do appreciate their originality, intensity, and they obviously work very, very hard. That being said, Shaking the Habitual has spawned many a think piece because of the band’s outspoken political and social views. They are pretty obvious throughout the album––one of the songs even has “fracking” in the title. It doesn’t feel at all like the band is trying hard to drill their ideas into you, though, which proves the music trumps the politics. I didn’t love the album as a whole but I’m sure I’ll be listening to “Full of Fire,” “Without You My Life Would Be Boring,” and “Ready to Lose” often.
James Blake’s work has never really intrigued me, but I went into Overgrown with an open mind. I was especially excited to see that RZA is featured on “Take A Fall For Me,” but I don’t think his feature was of much value to the song. Blake obviously has a beautiful voice, and the single “Retrograde” has quickly become a favorite of mine. Fans of his earlier work will definitely not be disappointed.
Watch:
Jessie Ware is so freaking cute in every video. “Imagine It Was Us” is her totally owning the disco diva vibe she has going for her.
I Want My Sons to Be Like Questlove but They Might Love 2 Chainz More, you know you want to read it just based on the title.
“The entire premise of the song, right from its very title, is garbage. There is no such thing as ‘accidental’ racism. On an individual level, a White person may unintentionally say or do something racist, because they are cloaked in the ignorance of unexamined privilege. But that doesn’t make it accidental. That is the result of an entire culture carefully built around structural racism that privileges Whiteness and viciously defends White people’s ability to coast through life never having to become familiar with any perspectives or lived experiences but their own. That is no goddamn accident.” PREACH (read the rest over at Shakesville).
Random Nostalgia:
I went to a 90s sing-along this weekend and this is the result of that.