Lovely life-affirming sounds from the midpoint of a tropical residency.
Badly Drawn Boy - The Shining
How long has it been since you heard that gorgeous elegiac intro? I heard it just the other day, thanks to my rich, life-spanning iTunes library.
The Beatles - Let It Be
Far from my favourite Beatles tune (I'm a Lennon-guy, obviously), but when you're driving zig zag up a Taiwanese mountain and that excellent George-solo comes on just as you turn a corner and gasp at the view of some most spectacular bluish green hilltops, you can forebear some Paul-schmaltz. And those tom-tom tumbles by Ringo are so funny and brilliant.
Angel Olsen - All Mirrors
What a stunner of an album this is! String arrangements and vocal performances to bore into your soul. This is what an artist sounds and looks like at her most invincible.
Chance the Rapper ft. Darius Scott and Nicki Minaj - Zanies and Fools
Been having Nicki-times in the studio. Revisited Queen, and then she popped up again on the jittery conclusion to Chance's latest, with another awesome verse. I love how she can just nonchalantly pull out this kind of super-flow as a little side thing.
Swet Shop Boys - Birding
This might be the best song in the world. I love it so much! I listened to it back when it came out and then just suddenly remembered it the other day, and astonishingly hadn't included it on a list til now. And yes, it happens to be about a dear interest of mine, and it's funny, but it also happens to be genious! The amount of mileage he can get out of this wordplay, or the bit where he tries to figure out the very sample he is rapping over (personally I believe it is a common loon, heavily edited)! In total he manages to namecheck no less than 46 birds, together with the wry ironic challenge "If you tried to rhyme bird names you would fail!"
Here're five multicultural party tunes. Because life is a multicultural party.
Run The Jewels - Paw Due Respect (Blood Diamonds Remix)
I'm getting itchy waiting for RTJ4. So much so that I even give Meow The Jewels a spin. For being a remix made of cat samples, it's not bad. Not bad at all.
Cut Chemist - The Garden
That's a track off my favourite Astrud Gilberto album, wrapped up in a wondrous concoction of other samples. Heeeere weeeee go!
Panjabi MC - Mundian to Bach Ke
This is one of the best-selling singles of all time. It's because it's good.
Wu-Tang Clan - Gravel Pit
Irresistible classic clan. Each verse a gem, the hook a diamond.
Youssou N'Dour - Birima
One more blast from the past, then I have to get back to studio work. The quintessential sing-along-with-words-you-don't-understand song.
