Vengeance is a festive celebration
Mix 44: Big songs I missed, small songs I didn't, an amapiano block, a "smell" block, and the imminent end of the yearly series at the 1,000 song mark
Happy Thanksgiving! A quick one chock full of things I missed this year so far, as various friends and comrades clue me in to stuff I missed, including some very big omissions that will soon be discussed at length in [redacted], which means I won’t write about them too much here. I hope that you are not that hungry for content today, and instead eat exactly whatever it is you want to eat.
Speaking of content, I’m reaching the end of my yearly content — I will throw in the 2023 towel at 1,000 songs, which I’ll hit next week with the 45th mix. Then I’ll do some year-end playlist posts, collect songs I’m finding in year-ends through the first half of January, and decide whether I can keep up this pace. Probably not, but maybe!
Mix 1 // Mix 2 // Mix 3 // Mix 4 // Mix 5 // Mix 6 // Mix 7 // Mix 8 // Mix 9 // Mix 10 // Mix 11 // Mix 12 // Mix 13 // Mix 14 // Mix 15 // Mix 16 // Mix 17 // Mix 18 // Mix 19 // Mix 20 // Mix 21 // Mix 22 // Mix 23 // Mix 24 // Mix 25 // Mix 26 // Mix 27 // Mix 28 // Mix 29 // Mix 30 // Mix 31 // Mix 32 // Mix 33 // Mix 34 // Mix 35 // Mix 36 // Mix 37 // Mix 38 // Mix 39 // Mix 40 // Mix 41 // Mix 42 // Mix 43
MIX 44: VENGEANCE IS A FESTIVE CELEBRATION
1. Tyla: Water
South African Tyla makes a huge play for crossover with this putatively amapiano (but to my ears more of an afrobeats blend with amapiano elements, not that I’m complaining) and is the first solo South African artist to hit Billboard’s Hot 100 since Hugh Masekela’s “Grazing in the Grass.” Maybe this will, appropriately enough, open the floodgates?
2. Bella Alubo: African Barbie
Meanwhile here’s a Nigerian song that’s straightforward amapiano, albeit with a more charismatic and showy lead.
3. Ze2, X-wise, & OSKIDO: Wena Kphela
And….more amapiano!
4. Berri-Tiga & Tekno: Egopiano
Almost done with the amapiano block, promise—another Nigerian track with a strong naija pop element in the verse vocals and a great group chant for a chorus.
5. Flowaboi & Dj 787: Ake Tsebe Ke Tsubile (Twerka)
Thus concludes the amapiano block.
6. Victoria Monét: On My Mama
Here is one of the songs I can’t write much about here for [redacted] reasons, which I’ll probably reveal next week, but it’s a huge omission in my year-end reckoning, fantastic mid-aughts minimal R&B vibes with verve and charm and (gasp) a sense of humor.
7. Tierra Whack: Chanel Pit
Haven’t heard much from Tierra Whack lately—this one is part of the “smell block” (comes after “heaven scent” and before what I’m pretty sure is a “smell” sample in the next song) with Tierra Whack stretching out an idea that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on her miniatures album Whack World to nearly three luxurious minutes.
8. GOSHI f. Yurufuwa Gang & Ralph: Cho Fast
Another Japanese rap recommendation from Ryo Miyauchi. Don’t know the Yurufuwa Gang duo but should obviously remedy this.
9. Anna Sofia: ACHOO!
Bless you! (Light hyperpop from Toronto, if I found the right Anna Sofia)
10. Yassin D f. Ashafar: Door
Dutch hip-hopper hops on a Saxobeat.
11. Sidhu Moose Wala, Sikander Kahlon, & Mxrci: Watch Out
Another posthumous release from Punjabi rap titan Sidhu Moose Wala, timed with Diwali. Verse apparently translates to “We carry either rifles or funerals on our shoulder / For us, revenge or vengeance is a festive celebration.” Happy Thanksgiving!)
12. A Boogie Wit da Hoodie: Did Me Wrong
Wrote a bit about A Boogie’s relationship to modal rap in my Taylor Swift post on the subject. I have a soft spot for him because he’s always seemed to have minor aspirations to sing hooks beyond the modal style, and here he picks up what sounds to me like a new trick, also a common pattern in millennial rap, playing between the notes in a fifth, one of Nelly’s go to moves.
13. Tate McRae: greedy
Is Tate McRae supposed to be bad? I thought this was pretty good!
14. Claudym: UOMINI ALFA
Italian! Annoying! I like it!
15. TVAM: Ephemerol
Gloomy electropop that sounds like someone trying to re-create a Knife song under White Stripes production conditions. They must have some sorta industry connection because I’ve never heard of them but they got a primo sync in Succession.
16. Mashinomi f. 80KIDZ: Heartbreak
Japanese pop song that starts a bit twee and then veers unexpectedly into a vibe (well, close-but-not-quite the vibe) that Brad Luen, not satisfied with my clumsy term dRum&B simply calls PostPantheress, which I think is a more versatile term for the general tempo increase PinkPantheress helped usher in. PP can be overrated as long as she likes, she’s made my life much more bearable.
17. DJ CORA: Sefemapmi
Sadly here is where my jury-rigged holiday internet situation has failed me, no good background on this one. Sorry!
18. Bounaly: Wato To
This, however, has a Bandcamp that can thankfully do my work for me:
First heard by global audiences on Sahel Sounds’ Music from Saharan WhatsApp series, Malian guitar hero Bounaly (the stage name of Ali "Bounaly" Traore) makes his full-length debut with “Dimanche à Bamako” (“Sunday in Bamako”). Recorded live on location, the music on "Dimanche à Bamako" is a mix of regional favorites, traditional standards, and originals. Long songs with looping rhythms, pounding kick drums, and electric shredding guitars, punctuated by shout-outs to the guests of honor. A raw and frenetic take on Northern Mali desert sound, playing for the diaspora at a Bamako wedding.
19. Ranking Ann & Mad Professor: Moonlight Lover [c. 1980]
Very early Mad Professor, from a new compilation of his dub and lovers rock work between 1979 and 1981. More info on Bandcamp.
20. Brittany Howard: Red Flags
Never really got into Alabama Shakes but Brittany Howard has showed more promise solo, this one’s foreboding and drum-driven, with a great build of her voice(s) in a crescendo as the track progresses.
21. Klavdia Petrivna: Уже світає
Ukrainian and good, but again not a ton of info this week. I know there’s at least one person interested in my compilation of Ukrainian music from this year that I’ve pulled, so look out for that soon if you are that person or indeed an entirely different person.
22. Prateeksha Srivastava & 6091: Chhan Chhan
Another one with little info, which is a shame because I’m intrigued by the production (by 6091) and his collaboration with Indian singer Srivastava. Maybe next time (or maybe never — that’s sort of how these go).
23. yurt f. Eefje de Visser: Cool
Has a bit of In Rainbows era Radiohead to it, Belgian, tricky time signature, good vocalist. Nice one to close out the penultimate mix of the year.
***
That’s it! And will soon be it it. Enjoy your Thanksgiving…I hope you get stuffed! Erm…
—Dave Moore (the other one)
Title translated from Sidhu Moose Wala, Sikander Kahlon, & Mxrci’s “Watch Out”: “sade modde chakiyan raflan ya bas arthiyan ne, sade layi tan badle hunde waang tyohaaran de”