artsy april
thinking outside of the box, coloring outside of the lines
another month of living, listening, and learning. i’m in the midst of a metamorphosis that’ll meld my dream world with the physical. i feel my hands reaching through the static to touch clarity. i’m three months away from a new decade of life, only looking back to retrieve and reclaim those parts of myself that are evolving on the next part of this journey.
i cherish and honor all my past selves, yet in this season, i ceremoniously feel like Tyra handing out a photo during the judging panel on ANTM (but without the shame). thinking to myself, “well everybody can’t go now, but maybe i’ll circle back later.” life is funny and cyclical that way.
anyways, let’s get into the music and other assorted things that have been on my mind during this existential moment. if it hasn’t been apparent until now, the song choices often allude to how i’m feeling or recurring themes in my life. more likely than not, i’ve just identified the standout tracks from each album, but sometimes they are more pertinent to my experience. this is one of those times.
i only had one project in the “music i missed last year” section, as i will be phasing it out until 2025.
John Glacier & SURF GANG — JGSG
i think i’ll still share music i haven’t heard yet throughout the year (regardless of when it was released), but i want to rename the feature within the newsletter. more to come on that later.
new releases
Smerz & Allina — Allina
Seafood Sam — Standing on Giant Shoulders
MGMT — Loss of Life
John Glacier — Like a Ribbon (EP)
Khruangbin — A LA SALA
Yellow Days — HOTEL HEAVEN
Vampire Weekend — Only God Was Above Us
girl in red — I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY
Baby Rose & BADBADNOTGOOD — Slow Burn (EP)
Shabaka — Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace
Jean Deaux — Nowhere, Fast
Local Natives — But I’ll Wait For You
Tei Shi — Valerie
Salami Rose Joe Louis & Flanafi — Sarah
Brainstory — Sounds Good
BbyMutha — Sleep Paralysis
Chanel Beads — Your Day Will Come
Filah Lah Lah — ON AIR
Adult Jazz — So Sorry So Slow
Justice — Hyperdrama
St. Vincent — All Born Screaming
Liv.e — PAST FUTUR.e
albums to look forward to
Willow — empathogen (5/3)
Tems — Born in the Wild (TBA)
Jordan Rakei — The Loop (5/10)
Rapsody — Please Don’t Cry (5/17)
La Luz — News of the Universe (5/24)
NxWorries — Why Lawd? (6/7)
Peggy Gou — I Hear You (6/7)
L’Imperatrice — Pulsar (6/7)
Zsela — Big For You (6/14)
Brijean — Macro (7/12)
more music musings
i never really stop talking (or thinking) about Absolutely by Dijon, and i still find new favorite moments with each listen. “End of Record” took me to church during a recent vinyl spin, as it has such a devotional spirit to it. i was harmonizing and waving my hands in the air towards an imaginary pulpit.
paradoxically, the song was recorded in a haunted house (according to the liner notes). maybe it was actually anointed?
Kara Jackson’s cover of “Right, Wrong or Ready” (originally by Karen Dalton) moved me to tears with its folksy, melancholic beauty. a song for real lovers only.
sights to see
Loot (season 2, episode 4: “Mr. Congeniality”)
— i think this episode was just an excuse for Maya Rudolph to be in a steamy moment with Benjamin Bratt (starring as himself), but i was into it.
The Girls on the Bus
— kind of a slow burn, but very timely considering the upcoming election season.
Yaya Bey’s Tiny Desk concert
Living Single
— i’ve been watching every season of Living Single and living for how the fashion evolved from the early to mid 90s (you can certainly tell when the budget went up!). i also enjoyed noticing the pieces that reappeared throughout the series (like Overton’s hat collection or Synclaire’s lavender denim jacket).
a relatable short film portraying and demystifying the experience of living with OCD
artsy april: the playlist
the notes: boundaries, standing on business, yellow butterflies, key lime pie, smiley faces, carpenter bees, rest, orange soda, shadows, sunsets.