since i'm at a computer for a large part of most days, and not necessarily always with things to do, i try to be productive with my time. i've been writing a lot more. but also, i've been searching for and listening to a lot of new music. so, i thought i'd share with you all the music i've been learning and loving and living during my time here this summer. most of it's not in english. but, who actually knows the words to the music they listen to? so don't write it off just because it's in a different language.
1. ximena sarinana--album "mediocre"
this album came out last year, and i'd heard her before coming here (in fact, one of her songs is my favorite to play/sing on guitar, called 'las huellas'). she has a really unique, jazzy, soulful voice. this album is a kind of satirical criticism of a "woman's role" of mediocrity.
sample: mediocre
2. 'dark was the night' by various
this is a compilation album put together by 2 brothers from the band 'the national', one of my favorites. they have their own label and for this, they also worked with an organization that does aids relief work. it's a double album, 31 songs, half of which was their attempt at capturing some of the best blues today. the other half (it's all kind of mixed, actually) is their attempt at capturing the best independent music today. it has all the highlights. you can hear each song on youtube, but here are a couple links to my favorites. of course i have to put the sufjan on there, because he is my favorite artist.
sample: 'train song' by feist and ben gibbard
'you are the blood' by sufjan stevens
3. 'youth novels' by lykke li
this is a great, unique album. she has a very unique sound, with a mix of electronic and hip hop beats, with her light, young voice on top. some songs lyrically emotional, others just fun to dance to.
sample: 'little bit'
4. 'vid og vid' by olof arnalds
i know. it's crazy. this is an icelandic artist that i actually learned about by listening to an npr podcast with bjork, another icelandic artist. she mentioned arnalds as one of her favorite new artists and they played one of her songs and i really loved it. she has almost a similar voice to bjork (maybe it's the crazy language too) but much more of a folksy sound. it's been very peaceful for me the last month or so.
sample: 'i nyju husi'
5. 'the spirit of apollo' by N.A.S.A.
nasa stands for 'north america south america' and they aim to capture the best sounds of both continents on this debut album. and i can't say i know the best sounds on both continents, but they definitely have a great mix. with a stellar list of cameos--david byrne, chuck d, method man, rza, krs-one, karen o from the yeah yeah yeas, odb, tom waits(!), kanye west, santogold, lykke li, george clinton, mia, the cool kids, etc. the first song below is one of my favorites from the album--talks a lot about the history of hip hop. the second is probably the most famous from the album, with kanye, santogold, and lykke li, all faves of mine.
samples: 'hip hop'
'gifted'
6. 'hu hu hu' by natalia lafourcade
this is another brand new one that i just got a few days ago, and just came out about a month ago. i reallllly love it. i actually started listening to her in high school, thanks to my amazing spanish teacher, barb lipnick. she has a very similar style to ximena, very similar to what i like to play/sing/write. in fact, i thought they were the same people for a while...it's a really great album that i'm still discovering, and listening to constantly.
sample: 'hu hu hu'
ok. i could go on, i'm sure. but for now, those are the highlights. i hope you enjoy them and give them a chance! they might just change your life...
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