Jun
1
2016
Current Events
By David Byrne
| Song | Artist | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Hi | Erykah Badu | Amazon |
| Brokedown Palace | Richard Reed Parry with Caroline Shaw & Little Scream [feat. Garth Hudson] | Amazon |
| untitled 08 | 09.06.2014. (Explicit) | Kendrick Lamar | Amazon |
| Green Garden | Laura Mvula | Amazon |
| The Place Goes Quiet | Nicholas Krgovich | Amazon |
| One Dance [feat. Wizkid & Kyla] | Drake | Amazon |
| Burn The Witch | Radiohead | Amazon |
| Hold Up (Explicit) | Beyoncé | Amazon |
| The Werewolf | Paul Simon | Amazon |
| Mixtape [feat. Young Thug & Lil Yachty] | Chance The Rapper | ChanceRaps |
| White Privilege | Macklemore | Amazon |
| Radio Silence | James Blake | Amazon |
| iT | Christine and the Queens | Amazon |
| Mama's Gonna Give You Love | Emily Wells | Amazon |
| Far Cry | Jack Garratt | Amazon |
| Summer Friends [feat. Jeremih, Francis & The Lights] | Chance The Rapper | ChanceRaps |
| The Orange Monkey | PJ Harvey | Amazon |
| Saint Claude | Christine and The Queens | Amazon |
| Millionaire | Thao & The Get Down Stay Down | Amazon |
| The Answer | Savages | Amazon |
| Talátur | Tigermilk | Bandcamp |
| Let I Go [feat. Anthony Joseph] | Mop Mop | Amazon |
| Worry | Jack Garratt | Amazon |
| Watch Me | ANOHNI | Amazon |
| Daddy Lessons | Beyoncé | Amazon |
| All We Got [feat. Kanye West & Chicago Children's Choir] | Chance The Rapper | ChanceRaps |
| Tilted | Christine and the Queens | Amazon |
| Like the Morning Dew | Laura Mvula | Amazon |
| Holding On | Gregory Porter | Amazon |
| Leaving Nara | alt-J | Amazon |
| Can't Get Used to Losing You | Andy Williams | Amazon |
| Breathe Life | Jack Garratt | Amazon |
| Feel No Ways (Explicit) | Drake | Amazon |
| Symphony 1 In the Barrel of a Gun | Emily Wells | Amazon |
| Blessings [feat. Ty Dolla $ign] | Chance The Rapper | ChanceRaps |
It’s been a little while since I’ve added a playlist here and while this doesn’t have the surprise and conceptual brilliance of the mixes Eric Welles Nystrom has been curating—Swedish disco from Leolyxxx, Mahgreb funk from DJ Fitz or the Syrian pop from Boshra AlSaad—it does give me cause for optimism. While the world is going to hell in a handbasket, musicians are doing some wonderful stuff. It’s a good moment.
Some of this is mainstream—Drake and Beyoncé are top of the charts, whatever that means now—but quality-wise it’s nice that there isn’t a big discontinuity between them and some new or less-well-known artists like Jack Garratt, Mop Mop, Emily Wells, and Christine and the Queens. A lot of these artists, well known or not, are pushing the boundaries of the genres that might confine them. Chance The Rapper’s record verges into pretty straight up gospel sometimes. ANOHNI (formerly Antony) delivers an issue-saturated dance album and Radiohead has some gorgeous piano ballads on their new record.
It may be tough time for musicians financially, but it doesn’t seem to have dampened their adventurous spirits. In tough times one might expect artists to play it safe—hew to the pop formulas and get by as best they can. But everyone here is taking chances; it’s heartening.
DB
New York City
Jun
1
2016
Current Events
By David Byrne
| Song | Artist | Purchase |
|---|---|---|
| Hi | Erykah Badu | Amazon |
| Brokedown Palace | Richard Reed Parry with Caroline Shaw & Little Scream [feat. Garth Hudson] | Amazon |
| untitled 08 | 09.06.2014. (Explicit) | Kendrick Lamar | Amazon |
| Green Garden | Laura Mvula | Amazon |
| The Place Goes Quiet | Nicholas Krgovich | Amazon |
| One Dance [feat. Wizkid & Kyla] | Drake | Amazon |
| Burn The Witch | Radiohead | Amazon |
| Hold Up (Explicit) | Beyoncé | Amazon |
| The Werewolf | Paul Simon | Amazon |
| Mixtape [feat. Young Thug & Lil Yachty] | Chance The Rapper | ChanceRaps |
| White Privilege | Macklemore | Amazon |
| Radio Silence | James Blake | Amazon |
| iT | Christine and the Queens | Amazon |
| Mama's Gonna Give You Love | Emily Wells | Amazon |
| Far Cry | Jack Garratt | Amazon |
| Summer Friends [feat. Jeremih, Francis & The Lights] | Chance The Rapper | ChanceRaps |
| The Orange Monkey | PJ Harvey | Amazon |
| Saint Claude | Christine and The Queens | Amazon |
| Millionaire | Thao & The Get Down Stay Down | Amazon |
| The Answer | Savages | Amazon |
| Talátur | Tigermilk | Bandcamp |
| Let I Go [feat. Anthony Joseph] | Mop Mop | Amazon |
| Worry | Jack Garratt | Amazon |
| Watch Me | ANOHNI | Amazon |
| Daddy Lessons | Beyoncé | Amazon |
| All We Got [feat. Kanye West & Chicago Children's Choir] | Chance The Rapper | ChanceRaps |
| Tilted | Christine and the Queens | Amazon |
| Like the Morning Dew | Laura Mvula | Amazon |
| Holding On | Gregory Porter | Amazon |
| Leaving Nara | alt-J | Amazon |
| Can't Get Used to Losing You | Andy Williams | Amazon |
| Breathe Life | Jack Garratt | Amazon |
| Feel No Ways (Explicit) | Drake | Amazon |
| Symphony 1 In the Barrel of a Gun | Emily Wells | Amazon |
| Blessings [feat. Ty Dolla $ign] | Chance The Rapper | ChanceRaps |