Blithe during wartime
Nilufer Yanya! Piero Umiliani! The Weather Station! Sadurn! Jenny Hval!
Hello from the Unskippables, where we’re finishing our morning Four Yolko and getting into the jams.
One side effect of COVID is now every brand and artist have their “how to continue to promote my stuff during a global crisis” muscles in fighting shape, meaning that the continued Russian invasion of Ukraine is addressed via the same donation banners, well-designed Instagram posts, and Notes app statements as the half dozen other crises from the last years. Miles Klee did a great job of collecting the cringiest of the bunch for MEL.
For me, at least, it’s made paying attention to anything new extra difficult between video of potential war crimes - but here we are, and we still have ears. So here’s new music for them!
Before that, here are the Good Links of the week:
DUA SLEEP-A: In his review of Dua Lipa’s MSG show, Jon Caramanica proves that the most brutal thing you can say about a pop star is that they are merely ordinary.
Living Brand To Mouth: Elizabeth Spiers wades into the “should journalists be brands” conversation, and if you’re a musician, the labor expected of younger journalists probably looks the same, along with the finger-wagging from established folks who don’t have to worry as much about content creation.
Introducing Fortnite Fridays: Handwringing abounds around Epic Games’ purchase of Bandcamp via Shawn Reynaldo and Matthew Ismael Ruiz. Personally, I see this as Epic’s continued war against Apple’s walled garden approach and “app store tax” on creators and in-app transactions. It’s not the first shot in the creator economy war, but it’s the biggest so far.
Now for this week’s tracks - you can follow along on our playlist on Spotify and Apple Music, which will update every week along with the newsletter.
THE UNSKIPPABLES #27
Nilüfer Yanya - stabilise
This album reminds me of so many strong voices - Micachu and the Shapes, Chairlift, Pinkpantheress - but feels wholly its own. Every song on the album is densely packed with ideas and restless energy - “stabilise” in particular almost feels like coffeehouse Bloc Party in its more insistent moments. I think my difficulty in placing its sound is the highest compliment I can give it?
Piero Umiliani - Risaie
This track of Italian lounge-funk is taken from Piero Umiliani’s 1971 album PAESAGGI, reissued by Four Flies Records, who specialize in rescuing Italian soundtracks from the dollar bin. “Risaie” is a particularly funky offering from the album, which was made with top Italian session players, both out of time and place yet comforting and fashionable like wood paneling, a tiki drink, or maroon linen car interiors.
The Weather Station - Endless Time
The Weather Station’s last album was about singer Tamara Lindeman’s climate grief, and as I already have an anxiety-inducing amount of that for myself, I skipped Ignorance almost entirely. However, their new album How Is It That I Should Look At The Stars, billed as a companion to Ignorance, is placid and beautiful, perfect for winter walks around a city to focus on the small things in front of us, regardless of the giant crises all around us.
Sadurn - Golden Arm
Taken from their upcoming debut album Radiator, Philly’s Sadurn overdeliver with their breezy, delicate Mirah-esque indie folk, mostly thanks to Genevieve DeGroot’s voice and vocal phrasing. Their melodies clip and slide in unexpected ways (go-oool-dEN arm), pairing with the band’s stark and plain-faced arrangements. The songs feel surprising yet familiar, direct and confessional while still grabbing your attention.
Jenny Hval - Freedom
Jenny Hval’s new album Classic Objects comes out Friday, and “Freedom” is the final advance single. Hval is the only artist I know who I’d give the benefit of the doubt to for lyrics like “I want to live in a democracy / not that it ever was,” as her records often fit in the uncanny valley between the abstract and the human. The song blossoms in its second half, Hval’s line of questioning turning into something resembling a hymn or a prayer. Her words are simple but the effect of the track is dense and unsettling, and I can’t wait for the rest of the record.
THROWBACK CORNER
Jay-Z with the Roots - “Takeover” (Live on MTV Unplugged)
Netflix’s Kanye West documentary jeen-yuhs mostly reminded me of how much of a powerhouse West was from 1999-2006 for larger-than-life sample flips and beats - especially his contributions to Jay’s The Blueprint. “Takeover” flipped the Doors’ “Five To One,” writing effectively the only good Doors song - and better yet is the live version from Jay’s 2001 MTV Unplugged performance, where the Roots insert “Oochie Wally” and “Shook Ones” to reinforce the song’s disses.
Thanks for reading - and see you next week!