I was checking out some sounds for a Saturday night adventure when I encountered Gavin Turek’s personal blend of discoey beats and soulful high vox. The almighty algorithm had been feeding me pictures of her late 70’s glamour and magnificent afro coiffe in a vaseline filter, advertising her upcoming visit to Elsewhere. Clearly a fresh… Read More Saturday Night with Gavin Turek, The Dragon Sisters, and Val Fleury
In the category of “your favorite band’s favorite band,” this little ditty is about my first foray into the discography of the legendary Afrofuturism pioneer Sun Ra and his Arkestra. The name Sun Ra had bounced around my consciousness for decades courtesy of the praise of Lester Bangs and LCD Soundsystem referencing Sun Ra in… Read More Coming Back to Life with Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra
Today is International Women’s Day. Radio stations have been blasting us with a higher-than-usual ratio of kickass female artists, giving me the urge to spread some love on my forever faves, older and newer. Here are five songs by or featuring women that I want to give some International Women’s Day love. Ain’t Nuttin But… Read More A Little International Women’s Day Love
Kovacs is the name of baldy-rocking Dutch songstress Sharon Kovacs. After the initial success of her 2014 EP, My Love, Kovacs released full length albums Shades of Black (2015) and Cheap Smell (2018), as well as several successful singles. In 2022, she whet the European public’s appetite with four of the album’s tracks as singles… Read More Dutch chanteuse Kovacs stuns with new album Child of Sin
In the winter of 2021, while poking through shelves of thrift shop CDs, I posed a pitch to Soda Survive about Music Survival Guide. My favorite band’s new album was underrepresented by people who make words mean things, and I was frustrated about it enough to act. “Sure,” he said, handing me an inbox full… Read More Music Survival Guide 2022 – Year in Review
I have been a sucker for prettyboys in makeup and scarves ever since I started experimenting with heterosexuality in my late teens. Royal Sugar know exactly what they are doing with every painted nail and pouffed curl in their new video, “Fleeting Love.” Check out this Raven-haired nephew of Robert Plant serving drama. This is… Read More Glam Rockers ROYAL SUGAR premiere video “Fleeting Love”
FreQ Nasty and his dreadlocked crown hail from desert festivals and underground dancefloors writhing with experimental madness. Known mostly for his instantly recognizable work with Santigold, and a long resumé of well-known collaborators and remixes, FreQ (Darin to his mum) also pioneers with his own bass and breakbeat collection. His newest video release, “Hubble Bubble,”… Read More Witchy new video “Hubble Bubble” by FreQ Nasty feat. Chris Munky and MARF
Jem is an English artist hitting the British jazz pop scene with her EP, Love Me or Lose Me. Motifs about forbidden love come through Jem’s rich tones and smooth jazz rhythms in its four tracks. The EP starts with “Juliet,” which introduces the more self-conscious and exploratory parts of starting a new relationship. The… Read More Jem debuts “Love Me Or Lose Me”
Nova Scotia’s soulful songstress Reeny Smith released smooth ballad “Amber Lights” in late September. “Amber Lights” are warning signs to slow down and heed some caution. Reeny’s gospel-trained pipes are warm to the ears. It’s a sweet track with a good message, especially if you’re the kind of person that sees an amber signal and… Read More Reeny Smith’s New Single Amber Lights & Holiday EP Where You At Santa?
The front page of his bold bright-on-black website welcomes you with the following: “You’re finally home, my fellow weirdo.” He might as well have rolled out a red carpet for a dweeb like me. Basic Printer (Jesse Gillenwalters) and his color-blocked universe hail from Nashville’s underground, where he has developed a small but mighty following… Read More Basic Printer’s HAHA YEAH Drops A Week Early
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