Timely Tunes ~ February 4, 2016

 

Shearwater “Wildlife in America” (From “Jet Plane and Oxbow”)

Jonathan Meiburg initiated Shearwater as a side outlet while still a member of Okkervil River, a lyrically dense band whose songs scanned like screenplays. Meiburg is an ornithologist, and perhaps his sharp birder eye is what allows him to tell such detailed stories as a songwriter; a writer who seems to only be growing sharper with each new release.

Operators “Cold Light” (From “Blue Wave”)

Dan Boeckner’s passionate, catchy anthems for his former and again current main gig Wolf Parade have aged particularly well in comparison to much indie aughts-rock. He must be one of the busiest men in Canada, because Operators is at least the fifth band he has been a member of, and their new single is propelled by a terrific Peter Hook-idolizing bass line.

Mikael Seifu “How to Save a Life (Vector of Eternity)” (Single)

Seifu is from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and makes entrancing dance music that manages to respect his country’s deep folk music past but also sounding like a song that Jamie xx could drop into a DJ set for a huge festival crowd.

Adrian Younge “Ready to Love” (From “Something About April II”)

Younge’s “Something About April” was a revelation when I stumbled upon it in 2012. That was partly because I mistakenly thought it was a lost 1970’s movie soundtrack, and partly because I continued to love it so much even when I realized it wasn’t. And the sequel is even stronger. This track, along with several others on the album, features the sublime vocals of Stereolab’s Laetitia Sadler.

The Range “Florida” (From “Potential”)

The Range, aka James Hinton, builds dense, emotionally resonant dance music out of the detritus of YouTube’s wannabe stars. This track takes a sample of a YouTuber singing an impassioned a capella cover of Ariana Grande’s “You’ll Never Know” and flips it into an incredible track that somehow manages to sound as big and world-conquering as anything Ariana has released herself. No shade to Ariana.

Spotify Playlist: Timely Tunes, Vol. 12 

Tracklist:

1. Simon & Garfunkel “America” (From “Bookends”)
2. Yo La Tengo “Pablo And Andrea” (From “Electr-o-pura”)
3. Shearwater “Wildlife in America” (From “Jet Plane and Oxbow”)
4. Spoon “Chicago At Night” (From “Girls Can Tell”)
5. Divine Fits “Baby Get Worse” (From “A Thing Called Divine Fits”)
6. Operators “Cold Light” (From “Blue Wave”)
7. New Order “Ultraviolence” (From “Power, Corruption & Lies”)
8. Mikael Seifu “How to Save a Life (Vector of Eternity)” (Single)
9. Mulatu Astatke “Asiyo Bellema” (From “New York – Addis – London: The Story of Ethio Jazz 1965-1975”)
10. Chicano Batman “Itotiani” (From “Chicano Batman”)
11. Adrian Younge “Ready to Love” (From “Something About April II”)
12. Don Blackman “Holding You, Loving You” (From “Don Blackman”)
13. J Dilla “Time: The Donut of the Heart” (From “Donuts”)
14. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib “Harold’s” (From “Pinata”)
15. The Range “Florida” (From “Potential”)
16. Burial “Shell of Light” (From “Untrue”)