Timely Tunes

 

Anderson Paak “The Season I Carry Me” (From “Malibu”)

Anderson Paak is a singer-songwriter, producer, and musician from California straddling the line between R&B and soul-influenced hip-hop, orbiting in the same solar system as Miguel or Kendrick Lamar. Paak appeared on a sizeable chunk of Dr. Dre’s surprising “Compton”, and frequently stole the spotlight in the presence of legends. “Malibu” more than lives up to high expectations and cements him as one of the most exciting voices in music right now.

RJD2 “Peace of What” (From “Dame Fortune”)

Put simply, this lead single from RJD2’s new album has made me more excited for a new RJD2 album since sometime in the middle of last decade. The album was recorded in Philadelphia, and there is more than a little of that city’s rich musical DNA in this track.

dvsn “Hallucinations” (self-released single)

The identity of whoever has been singing these impeccable dvsn tracks is still a mystery. There is a connection to Drake, and the cloaked rollout of tracks is reminiscent of our introduction to The Weeknd half a decade ago, but there is nothing gimmicky about any of these gorgeous songs. dvsn has a perfect batting average so far.

Savages “Adore” (From “Adore Life”)

Savages established themselves as one of the world’s great post-punk revivalists on their debut LP “Silence Yourself”. But rather than merely copping the basic genre signifiers and fashion motifs of post-punk, as many bands did in the early 00’s, there is a ferocious honesty and realness to Savages that sets them apart and makes them especially fascinating to follow. “Adore” finds its tension in restraint, but is just as powerful as their more unhinged moments.

Last week I wrote about the passing of David Bowie and the impact that his music had on my life. This week we learned about the death of Eagles co-founder Glenn Frey, another artist who has been a huge presence in the lives of millions. I can’t say that I was ever an Eagles devotee growing up, but I also never completely understood the hate that they seemed to attract from music snobs. At their worst, they seemed inoffensive, and at their best I thought they were great songwriters with fantastic vocal harmonies. Over the past couple of years, I have spent more time digesting their catalogue, and just a few weeks ago I watched their exhaustive (but not exhausting) documentary. Whether or not you are a fan, it’s undeniable that Glenn Frey was a colossal force upon the musical landscape.

Spotify Playlist: Timely Tunes, Vol. 10 

Tracklist:

1. Anderson Paak “The Season I Carry Me” (From “Malibu”)
2. Sun Ra “Where Is Tomorrow” (From “The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra”)
3. RJD2 “Peace of What” (From “Dame Fortune”)
4. Teddy Pendergrass “The More I Get, The More I Want” (From “Teddy Pendergrass”)
5. dvsn “Hallucinations”
6. Vic Chesnutt “Flirted With You All My Life” (From “At the Cut”)
7. Eagles “Take It Easy” (From “Eagles”)
8. Sparks “Forever Young” (From “Introducing”)
9. Chris Stamey “(I Thought) You Wanted to Know” (From “Ork Records: New York, New York”)
10. Echo & the Bunnymen “Over The Wall” (From “Heaven Up Here”)
11. Savages “Adore” (From “Adore Life”)
12. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds “Blind Lemon Jefferson” (From “The Firstborn Is Dead”)