Timely Tunes Volume 55 had already been written when the world received the sad news of Glen Campbell’s passing. We couldn’t publish this issue without a mention, however, so one of his songs was added to the playlist. He brought so much to the world of music and he will be greatly missed. 

Timely Tunes 

 

 

Sabrina Malheiros “Clareia” (from “Clareia”)

Sabrina Malheiros’ music is a refreshing update on Brazil’s rich musical tradition of bossa nova and Samba. Joined by her father, the bassist of legendary samba jazz-funk group Azymuth (a favorite of hip-hop crate diggers), the music on her latest record is a joyful and summery blast recorded overlooking Gunabara Bay. As Malheiros herself describes, the album title means “to clear, light, brighten or illuminate, which, after seeing Brazil and the rest of the world go through some very difficult times, is exactly what the writing of the album brought into my life.”

 

Kelela “LMK” (from “Take Me Apart”)

Remember when Timbaland was producing absolutely bonkers pop hits for Aaliyah that sounded beamed in from the future? The new Jam City-produced Kelela single sounds like we have caught up to that future. I can never begin to guess what is going to turn into a hit, but this certainly sounds like a hit.

 

Four Tet “Planet”

Twelve years ago, at a music festival in Chicago, I saw a vinyl-meltingly hot mid-day DJ set by Four Tet and watched while Diplo cooled himself off by doing cannonballs in the pool adjacent to us. Why tell that story now? I don’t know. This gorgeous new track is hard to not daydream to, I guess.

 

Moses Boyd “Sirens” (from “Absolute Zero”)

Virtuosic London drummer, composer, producer, and electronic musician Moses Boyd has worked with everyone from the aforementioned Four Tet to Tony Allen, and his new EP is stunning, boundary-pushing space jazz.

 

Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet “Eh Ya Ye” (from “Ladilikan”)

A mesmerizing collaboration between three Malian griot artists and one of the world’s great string quartet experimentalists. The full album comes out in September, and I’m excited for the full meal after this teasing taste.

 

Destroyer “Sky’s Grey” (from “ken”)

I’m never exactly sure what Destroyer’s Dan Bejar is talking about, but I always FEEL like I get it, and that’s what makes him one of my favorite songwriters. Here, apparently, he has been working on “the new Oliver Twist”, while “the groom’s in the gutter” and “the bride just pissed herself”. Playfully daft as always. Be sure to stick around for the second half of the song when it suddenly expands into something that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Suede album.

 

Randy Newman “Wandering Boy” (from “Dark Matter”)

At age 73, Randy Newman remains the mordant anchor of American pop. No one can mix sweetness with irony and satire quite like he, and “Dark Matter” is a wonderful late-career addition to an excellent discography. “Wandering Boy” is a sad and tender song based on a neighborhood boy that his daughter thought would be president one day. The boy died of heroin addiction, instead.

 

TIMELY TUNES, VOL. 55

 

TRACKLIST:

1. David Axelrod “Warning Talk Part 1”
2. Sabrina Malheiros “Clareia”
3. Azymuth “Seems Like This”
4. London Posse “How’s Life In London”
5. Mariah Carey “Vulnerability (Interlude)”
6. Kelela “LMK”
7. Tricky “Makes Me Wanna Die”
8. Lloyd Clifton Miller “Gol-e Gandom”
9. Four Tet “Planet”
10. Shivkumar Sharma “Bhopali – Gat Composition In Ektal”
11. Moses Boyd “Sirens”
12. Weather Report “Non-Stop Home”
13. Trio Da Kali and Kronos Quartet “Eh Ya Ye”
14. The Human League “Seconds”
15. The System “Promises Can Break”
16. Destroyer “Sky’s Grey”
17. Brian Eno “Julie With”
18. Randy Newman “Wandering Boy”
19. Sparklehorse “Painbirds”
20. Glen Campbell “Wichita Lineman”

 

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