Play/Listed Weekly for Sept 11, 2020

As you may already know, I’ve been compiling my highlights from newly released music and sharing 6 songs and 2 albums every week. With a new month, we’ll start fresh with the playlist, but if you want to access the music from last month, you can still find the archived monthly playlists on my Spotify page.

Quick reminder that album covers (and mentions) below link to the Spotify album, and all song links in the text will link to YouTube, so anyone can check out the track, regardless of your preferred streaming platform.

Let’s get to this week’s new releases!

Here are my highlights from today’s New Music Friday:

1. Turntables - Janelle Monáe

   Apparently this song has been available for streaming since last Friday, but I was unaware! Moving could have had something to do with it, but I hope you don’t mind me sharing it a week late.

2. damn Right - AUDREY NUNA

   AUDREY NUNA is new to me and this song is so exciting that I can’t wait to hear more. She raps in quippy punchlines and slides into the smooth catchy chorus with equal comfort. OK, Audrey, I’m listening.

3. OK Not To Be OK - Marshmallow & Demi Lovato

   It’s not a huge secret that I love Demi Lovato, and this was the song she was meant to sing.

4. Beyond the Pine - Tash Sultana

   I love this chill groove from multi-instrumentalist Tash Sultana. If that’s a new name for you, I strongly suggest checking out their Tiny Desk to get a sense of their live performance style.

5. Helpless- Rhye

   I do enjoy Rhye, even though I always wish I were listening to Sade instead. This is another soft and sexy vibe with light synths bouncing below sweet nothings whispered in falsetto. What’s not to like?

6. Lost Powers - Everything Everything

   I tried Everything Everything’s new album Re-Animator as a contender for one of the album suggestions below, and to be honest I couldn’t get past this song. Jonathan Higgins’ drawn-out falsetto gives me early Thom Yorke vibes and I’m into it, but the rest of the album didn’t catch me like “Lost Powers” did.

Nüdes - Moonchild Sanelly

Here is this week’s instalment of projects by artists featured on The Lion King: The Gift! This week, it’s the provocative South African artist, Moonchild Sanelly, and her 8-song album, Nüdes.

I think the first 3 songs, “Bashiri,” “Thunda Thighs,” and “Newtown Chips (Aramboa Remix)” back-to-back are my highlight. She loses me for a minute on “Where Da Dee Kat” as an ode to the penis, but I’m sure it’s the jam of someone who’s not a flaming lesbian. It’s still a bop when I’m not paying attention to her lyrics.

By the time she reaches her bold end, Sanelly gets to my other favourite from the record, “Come Correct”. Nüdes ironically manages to show us everything and still leave me wanting more.

Yellow Coat - Matt Costa

In 2006, I was all about Matt Costa and his debut album, Songs We Sing. In the meantime, I kind of forgot he was still making music. It’s not that he stopped, it’s just that for some reason I haven’t heard his 7 albums since. And then todayYellow Coat popped into my suggested listens and nostalgia flooded me.

I should first say that this is not the kind of album I’d get excited about. It’s mellow acoustic ditties that provide a great backdrop for reading on the porch, or another pleasant, low-key activity. Similarly, my highlights from this album are the bookends. “Avenal” opens with a sense of hope and anticipation, and the on-the-nose closer, “So I Say Goodbye” is explicitly nostalgic, singing of fading slideshows and farewells.

In between, I did find myself wanting to skip the more melancholy tracks, but it’s very beautiful in Vancouver today, so I’m going to give this another go once the rains come.