ANOHNI “Drone Bomb Me” (From “HOPELESSNESS”)
I chose ANOHNI’s “4 Degrees” as my second favorite song of 2015. This, the second single released from the upcoming full-length, is every bit as emotionally devastating and sonically rich. ANOHNI has said that it is written from the perspective of a young girl whose family has been killed by a U.S. drone strike. With production from Hudson Mohawke and Oneohtrix Point Never, and a haunting video starring Naomi Campbell, everything about this track is perfect.
M83 “Do It, Try It” (From “Junk”)
One of the things that I have most respected about M83 through the years is Anthony Gonzalez’s ability to mine his nostalgic impulses while remaining grounded in sincerity, building massive walls of emotive sound in the process. “Do It, Try It” is built on a Chicago House piano roll and then blasts off into arpeggio space synth, dancing perilously close to full-on cheese on the way to the top. I bet this song sounds fantastic while riding on “Space Mountain”.
Kendrick Lamar “untitled 05 09.21.2014” (From “untitled unmastered.”)
I was cooking dinner last week when I got a notification on my phone about a surprise new Kendrick Lamar release and nearly burned up the vegetables on the stove. Kendrick is an undeniable force at the top of his game, and the fact that he can release an album of “unfinished” “sketches” that is full of this much fire and passion and beauty is yet another testament to how incredible he is as an artist.
(*Note from Dee: I was unable to locate a video for this yet. Keep in mind that the lyrics are rated “explicit”.)
Fatima Al Qadiri “Aftermath” (From “Brute”)
Fatima Al Qadiri’s “Desert Strike” EP, released in 2012, was an electronic exploration of her experiences as a child growing up in Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion and subsequent Operation Desert Storm. Her latest record is informed by the police brutality faced by black Americans, and the overarching dread of state-sponsored oppression. A quietly fantastic and instrumental album, save for some politically-charged samples sprinkled throughout.
Spotify Playlist: Timely Tunes, Vol. 16
Tracklist:
- ANOHNI “Drone Bomb Me” (From “HOPELESSNESS”)
- Joe Smooth “Promised Land” (From “Promised Land”)
- M83 “Do It, Try It” (From “Junk”)
- Penny Penny “Dance Khomela” (From “Shaka Bundu”)
- The Beatles “It’s All Too Much” (From “Yellow Submarine”)
- Horace Andy “Money Money” (From “Dance Hall Style”)
- Pharaoh Sanders “Astral Traveling” (From “Thembi”)
- Kendrick Lamar “untitled 05 09.21.2014” (From “untitled unmastered.”)
- Sonny Sharrock “Black Woman” (From “Black Woman”)
- Earth, Wind & Fire “Bad Tune” (From “Earth, Wind & Fire”)
- Ebirac All Stars feat. La “Piena Matrimonial” (From “Cult Cargo: Salsa Boricua De Chicago”)
- Taj Mahal “Ain’t Gwine Whistle Dixie (Any Mo’)” (From “The Hidden Treasures of Taj Mahal: 1969-1973”)
- Spooner Oldham “1980 (Keep on Smiling)” (From “Pot Luck”)
- John Cale “Taking Your Life In Your Hands” (From “Music For a New Society”)
- Laurel Halo “Out” (From “Chance of Rain”)
- Fatima Al Qadiri “Aftermath” (From “Brute”)
- Henryk Gorecki “Already It Is Dusk: String Quartet No. 1, op. 62” (From “A Nonesuch Retrospective”)
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