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diSKOAver weekly: week of February 15, 2023
OMG hi! ✨👋🏻
I did it! Two playlits in a a week! I know this isn’t wednesday but I was tryna give you some space to sit with all of those lovely love songs. Isn’t that just a vibe point five? ✨💖
(Yes, as in a vibe and a half. Just let me have this okay?)
ANYWAY!
I had planned on gushing to you about something else but in the last 24 hours I have just been ravenously reading that new Rick Rubin book The Creative Act: A Way Of Being that came out last month.
oh my fucking god. This book has me so excited to be alive. Mostly because I am so relieved that I am not alone in treating music and overall creativity this sacredly. It’s made me reflect a lot on how sacred I treat the act of sharing music with people. This shit just lights me up so much. GOT ME THINKING ABOUT ALL THESE OTHER DRAMATIC THINGS I COULD EXPERIMENT WITH HERE NOW THAT I REALIZE JUST HOW FEW FUCKS I GIVE ABOUT BEING COOL. 🤩 But yeah, that book is really good. According to the data on the Kindle app, I’ve got about an hour left to go before I have completely absorbed the wonders of that book.
I was going to share a sweet lil rando anecdote, but in an attempt to keep my promise to myself (and you) that I’d keep DW fresh on a weekly basis while also making time for this thing that’s got me all inspired I’d like to share an excerpt that I really needed to hear this week in hopes that it helps someone else (and demonstrates how good this fucking book is so you’ll go get it, too!)
FORMATTING AND FLAIR ALL MINE BC WE KNOW I LOVE BEING DRAMATIC WHEN I’M REALLY INSPIRED :
“Patience is required for the nuanced development of your craft.
Patience is required for taking in information in the most faithful way possible.
Patience is required for crafting a work that resonates and contains all that we have to offer.
Every phase of an artist's work and life benefits from cultivating this achievable habit.
Patience is developed much like awareness. Through an acceptance of what is.
Impatience is an argument with reality.
The desire for something to be different from what we are experiencing in the here and now. A wish for time to speed up, tomorrow to come sooner, to relive yesterday, or to close your eyes then open them and find yourself in another place.
Time is something that we have no control over.
So patience begins with acceptance of natural rhythms.
The implied benefit of impatience is to save time by speeding up and skipping ahead of those rhythms. Paradoxically, this ends up taking more time and using more energy. It's wasted effort. When it comes to the creative process, patience is accepting that the majority of the work we do is out of our control.
We can't force greatness to happen.
All we can do is invite it in and await it actively. Not anxiously, as this might scare it off. 😑
Simply in a state of continual welcoming. 👋🏻
If we remove time from the equation of a work's development, what we're left with is patience. Not just for the development of the work, but for the development of the artist as a whole.
Even the masterpieces that have been produced on tight timelines are the sum of decades spent patiently laboring on other works.
If there is a rule to creativity that's less breakable than the others, it's that the need for patience is ever-present.”
😮💨
I’m telling you, there’s so much good stuff in there!!!
There’s so much good stuff in this week’s update too! Left you lil notes bc ilysm.
You know you’re always welcome to HMU if you wanna talk more about any of these sweeties right? My DMs are always open.
also: Briefly thought about actually making discord happen on an ✨official SKOA basis✨ so people could come hang and find people to talk to that are into the bands I cover on here. Would that interest anyone? 🤔 Anyway it’s an idea and I wrote it down so we’re still doing better than usual.
Talk soon bestie!
💖
1. Purple Disco Machine x Bosq- “Wake Up! (feat. Kaleta)”
I didn’t realize that Purple Disco Machine won a Grammy for his Lizzo remix of “About Damn Time”! Those categories should get more screen love. NARS still has… a lot more room for growth with The Grammys.😅
2. Kinder - “Bus Stop”
Speaking of remixes, one of my favorite Aussie angels Mickey Kojak did a really sick remix of this Kinder track. But you deserve to hear the original first!!! This shit s l a p s ⚡️. Think it’s been awhile since I found a new baby band that were sisters! Anyway I am adding Briony and Savannah to the list of dope women in Australia that I hope wanna be my friend one day.
3. Amtrac - “Last Chance”
There is something in the new Amtrac record that is like I got reunited with a part of my soul or something.🥺 Yes I know how dramatic that sounds. I really can’t get enough of it. There’s something I’ve been putting it on to journal in the mornings. I need to spend an evening obsessing over all the little details of it. So fucking good! 🤩
4. Nilüfer Yanya - “the dealer”
Still in the ✨getting to know you✨ phase with Nilüfer but I really love this quote about “The Dealer”:
“When I was writing this song I was thinking about the transient nature of life and the cyclical nature of the seasons. I find it interesting how we attach certain memories and feelings to different seasons and tend to revisit them time and time again, yet our lives move in a more linear motion and even when we feel like we are going back we never really get to go back anywhere. Musically speaking it’s a bit more playful and relaxed.”
5. Celebrity - “Disconnected”
This song randomly comes back to me about once a year since I first heard it when I was living in Nasvhille for college. I feel like once you hear this chorus it will never leave you for as long as you live. It’s just so well made. I always feel like I’ve gotta pay extra close attention to my relationships when it suddenly comes roaring into my brain.
Side Note: Does that kinda stuff happen to you with music?
6. I Know Leopard - “Nothing Is Real”
Oh I just realized how many Australian baby bands are in this update 😂. Anyway ICYMI I Know Leopard dropped such a beautifully earnest EP last year. This bleak lil upbeat ditty is the title track. I love energetic sad songs. It seems like you can process feelings faster the more forcefully you are able to sing along to something.
7. MID CITY - “Compromise”
More Aussie babies!!! I’m so excited to see MID CITY is back at it! Allegedly there’s an arsenal of more music on the way. 2023 really is going to be the fucking best year, isn’t it?
8. We Are Scientists - “Operator Error”
Okay I don’t have time to explain everything you need to know about what lobes is and why it’s the name of their new album, but I thought the story behind this song was cool and thought I’d share. Here’s the story from vocalist/guitarist Keith Murray:
"I have a tendency to deliver hot takes and to get extraordinarily overheated about utterly inconsequential things. I got into a multi-hour argument over whether Top Gun: Maverick is a halfway decent movie. Maybe it’s weird, then, that I also tend to be pretty sanguine over big issues. It’s fairly hard to drag me into a heated fight, or to get me to say something that I’ll later come to regret," continues Murray. "On important matters, I like to keep quiet, to listen to everyone else’s take, and to silently build my own bullet-proof argument, which nobody else will ever hear. I operate in dual modes – one where I’m apt to deliver my dumb opinion with little provocation, and one in which it’s almost impossible to get me to say what I’m really thinking. It’s probably a pretty frustrating character trait for the people who are trying to engage me in consequential conversation, and I apologize to my friends and my enemies, alike."
9. Oliver Tree - “Miss You (feat. Robin Schulz)”
I really appreciate all of the chaos that is Oliver tree. That said, I never ever want to beef with Oliver Tree ever. 😳
10. Clive From Accounts - “You Understand”
I really gotta spend an evening going down the rabbit hole on this corner of the internet. THere are so many little nooks and crannies full of these fun dance projects with punny names that are all about that vaporwave windows 95 aesthetic. For the most part I’ve never had any complaints about what I’ve come into contact with. These kinds of artists make me feel like I have more friends to find out in the world, you know?
11. Marxist Love Disco Ensemble - “Engineers”
I think if I hadn’t found this record so late in the year it would’ve been my album of the year. Seriously. This is the blurb from the label that put out this record. I am so fucking obsessed with this vibe:
“The format and message of pop and disco are commonly viewed just to entertain and move bodies around a dancefloor; however, lyrically, the subjects range from dialectical and historical materialism, class struggle, Marxist theory and praxis, as well as the concept of Marxist disco music. In the words of band member Paolo, "MLDE was written in response to hearing 'I love America' by Patrick Juvet. The song prompted the question: why does disco, a genre originally created by oppressed minorities, eventually become synonymous with Western capitalist excess?" MLDE seeks to break this connection.”
12. Benoît Pioulard - “Tet”
I would like to have Thomas Meluch (dba Benoît) on call to lull me to sleep on command. His voice is so enchanting. I came to know him from a feature he did on this Lusine record. Proof that his voice is a versatile and really incredible instrument. Swoooooon 🥰
13. Thomas Azier - “Invisible”
Speaking of epic voices, Thomas Azier really has one of the most elegant and debonair voices in recent memory. The precision in his delivery can really kick up a multitude of feels in any given moment. He definitely knows how to weild his powers.
14. Kings Of Convenience - “Love Is A Lonely Thing”
So so so so so happy to have discovered that Kings of Convenience put out a record in 2021!! I have been enamoured with these guys since college! 😍
15. Lola Young - “Stream Of Consciousness”
I’m really excited to have tumbled into Lola Young. I watched this video the other day that was essentially an overview of Lily Allen’s career and how she really ushered this new era for British women in music with her experimentation and vulnerability while building off of the kind of storytelling that Mike Skinner was doing with The Streets. Since then when I’ve put on this song I’ve thought about how a song like “Stream Of Consciousness” is such a beautiful evolution of that work and how much a song like this would mean to me if I were in my 20s. Happy for the zoomers that they get to have her. 🥹
16. Flavien Berger - “Les yeux, le reste”
I have watched his performance of this song on Colors a few times now and still can’t figure out why you can see his breath in this. I don’t know enough about how they film these but for the sake of my sanity I’m gonna assume he’s just so chill as fuck that when he sings you always see his breath. Doesn’t matter either way, still think he’s smoochable as hell 😘
Nothin But Fuckin Love Songs vol. 4
OH HULLO! ✨👋🏻
How’s my Valentine!?!?! 💘
Yo remember when I had a lot of intense but well meaning things to say about love on Valentines Day when I dropped vol. 2 back in 2021? I just had such a moment looking back at that post now, it’s so beautiful to be able to witness myself at the beginning of this healing journey I’ve been on. I’ve really been committed to making space for everyone to feel loved since I got in the thick of this. (She’s always been such a sweet sweetie! 🥹)
So wild to think of how little space I was actually making for myself in that moment.
It can be really hard to see the love around you, let alone be open to receive all of it. I didn’t realize just how bad I had gotten at receiving love until I was fortunate enough to enroll in yoga teacher training in the fall of last year. During the week when we were covering the heart chakra, we were told we would be doing an exercise where we were going to sit in a circle with our knees touching, hands on our knees, and then have someone sit in the center of the circle. That person was then supposed to make eye contact with you, say something they loved about you, and you were just supposed to take a breath and receive whatever they said while maintaining eye contact.
You had to rotate and have this experience with every single person in the circle.
Yeah.
I remember thinking to myself, “OMG That sounds so uncomfortable. Watch, they’re going to make me go first or some shit.”
THEY TOTALLY FUCKING DID. 😂
Let’s just say thankfully(?) it was just about as overwhelming for everyone else as it was for me. 😮💨 I probably had the most snot on my hoodie tho 😪. It was so fucking sweet. We all got so much closer after that.
I’ll never forget that experience. It’s made me think a lot about how it seems like it’s become just as hard to receive love as it is to feel comfortable asking for it, and not just from other people, but also from ourselves.
I’ve recently started to use love songs as a litmus test to see where I’m at with my relationship with myself on any given day. 🧪 If I catch myself hung up on a song and I’m feeling anxious as a result, I pay attention to how the lover is addressed in the song and show up for myself in that way. When the song goes back to feel good vibes that’s how I know I’ve done my job effectively. It’s a pretty cool concept to experiment with. I invite you to give it a try with your favorite love songs. Alternatively, as per usual, I’ve assembled another stack of songs from my stockpile for my annual offering, so if you’re open to receiving some love from me while you venture inward, amazing. You can also just listen to these and pretend like they’re all for you, too. You know how to love yourself best (or you should anyway), so take all the love you need from these pixels you’re interacting with right now.
Sending you Lots of love, Valentine! 💖
diSKOAver weekly: Week of December 15, 2021
Hiii I don’t want y’all to think I popped in for one update only to vanish again for months on end. Truth be told, a bitch got her booster on Monday (🙏🏻) and did not anticipate how much it would affect her stamina for shouting into the void about songs I adore. I’m kind of obsessed with this update because *Stefon voice* it’s got a a little bit of everything: a conspiracy theory about a ✨magic manifestation song✨, a drugged out music video shot by the singer’s mom, vocabulary words, playful threats, and so much more!
don’t tell anyone I said this, but I love you best!
✨💖
kibbe!
Allday - ”After All This Time”
Came across this lil Aussie sweetie via one of my most favorite finds, Memphis LK. His latest record, Drinking With My Smoking Friends, is indie pop perfection. I always find myself going back to “After All This Time” because it’s just so perfectly fucking catchy and sweet. Also you should follow him on TikTok. Him and Memphis LK do hilarious little weird sketches together like this one. I’m obsessed.
The Toxhards - “How Lucky Am I?”
When this landed on my FYP and I heard the lyric, “How lucky am I that I can afford to be alive? How lucky am I that I’m living through the end of times?” I scream-laughed so hard that I missed the rest of the song. I really love how this song just kinda laughs in the face of misery. Additionally, I discovered that the music video for this song was shot by singer Alan Macchiarolo’s mom while he was post-op high from ear surgery and doesn’t really remember shooting it, which officially makes this band’s sense of humor the best ever.
maxime. - “telephone wires”
Another FYP find. It was when I came across Canadian cutie maxime. that I determined that I have sufficiently trained The Algorithm™ on TikTok to deliver me the best baby bands. This is the title track from his latest EP. There’s not a subpar song in this kids’s entire catalog and if you disagree LMK so I can slap the stupid outta you and tell you how wrong you are.
MAX RAD - “Roll Out”
Thrilled to report that MAX RAD is still at maximum radness since last I checked in on him. Also as someone who loves having a song for every occasion the glitch witch in me is so delighted that I have a lovey song that references new moons.
sundiver ca - “Soundtrack for Your Backseat”
Okay but I have not stopped SWOONING since I stumbled into this song. It’s so simultaneously soothing and seductive. This one feels extra intimate in your headphones for sure. If a lyric like, “you tie my soul to the ground” doesn’t take your breath away then please don’t ever try to flirt with me. Also I can’t stop thinking about what would happen if Jason Martin/Starflyer 59 got to produce whatever this guy does next.
Ladyhawke - “Think About You”
Ladyhawke dropped a new album last month called Time Flies, which is appropriate given that it feels like I heard, “Mixed Emotions” back in May, blinked moments later, and then missed celebrating the album’s release date in November. Unsurprisingly, I’ve gravitated towards “Think About You”, a song about a fantasy infatuation that miraculously gets reciprocated. Thanks to reading up on this song, I now know of a new word, “limerence”: (n.): the state of being obsessively infatuated with someone, usually accompanied by delusions of or a desire for an intense romantic relationship with that person. The More You Know 💫.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra - “That Life”
I assume there are two kinds of UMO fans: the kind that saw the music video for “That Life” and thought, “yeah I don’t get it” and the kind that are still trying to perfectly copy the puppets dance moves every time the song comes on. I’ll let you guess which kind of UMO fan I am. 💃🏼
Amber Ryann - “SWITCH”
I fucking love when I end up swiping my way into someone like LA’s Amber Ryann, whose unwavering confidence and diligence matches up with her talent level. Her latest EP, A SIGN OF THE TIMES (COLLECTION) has all the makings of a sleeper hit. The production is a blend of punchy pop and R&B with her sensuous vocals glistening all the way through. “SWITCH” is a clear standout moment of hers for me, and not just because it references one of my favorite pastimes: subtweeting. My gut says it’s only a matter of time before everyone catches on.
Yung Bae - “Straight Up Relaxin’ (feat. Cosmo’s Midnight)”
Alright so like, this is a very serious question that I would like to pose to the internet: does it throw you off when a song is released ✨out of season✨? As in, should a song about “straight up relaxin’ in the summer” be saved for a late spring release so it can build momentum through the actual summer, or does it not matter if it is dropped in the dead of fall? I assume that the majority of you have NOT worked in the music industry (and certainly not in as many different corners of it like I have), but plenty of you probably have seasonal listening habits like I do where your musical cravings adapt a bit with the seasons changing. I absolutely love this song so much, but I can’t tell if I’m being an old industry fuddy duddy or if this is an actual teachable moment for baby bands. Just this one time would y’all not make me feel like I’m shouting into the void and LMK your thoughts on this?
Oh Bummer! - “Mirrors”
The homey Fitts d.b.a. The Kickdrums tipped me off to this new project that he produced. LA based brainchild Tanner Houghton describes the project as, “songs that are a conglomeration of my manic ADHD thoughts - the diary of an overthinker,” So basically, music made just for yours truly (if I am to accept TikTok’s diagnosis that I have ADHD anyway). “Mirrors” is the first taste of his upcoming EP that is slated to drop in Spring 2022. I will probably harass Fitts to let me have a listen before then. Will report back accordingly. 😘
clashingedge- “Don’t miss”
I’ve never gone out of my way to rank my favorite algorithms yet but the Soundcloud one is def in the top 5 for bringing me clashingedge a few years ago. Her airy vocals are quite stunning. Anyway we’ve kept in touch since the fateful day I tracked her down to tell her that the song that Soundcloud autoplayed me into was very good. A few months back she dropped, “Don’t miss”, which is a lovely evolution from the gateway drug of a song I first heard, which I would link to but unfortunately she’s pulled that one and a slew of other tracks down. Her and I are overdue for a catchup so I’ll be getting to the bottom of this soon enough.
Amtrac- “Oddyssey”
Look, we all need to listen to more Amtrac, okay? If the title track from his album that dropped last year doesn’t convince you, then maybe some of the newer tracks he’s dropped since then featuring collabs with the likes of The Juan Maclean, Durante, and Washed Out (his “Hide” remix) will. And if that doesn’t, well, maybe we need to discuss the status of our friendship moving forward….😬😬😬.
tiLLie- “Hell Yeah!”
While snagging her track, “faith” for a friend who I thought could use the support it offered me I quickly realized that I’d missed a slew of songs since her 2019 LOUD MOUTH EP. Thankfully I’m all caught up now. The thing I continue to love about tiLLie is that she makes vulnerability really fucking cool. Take this newer track, “Hell Yeah!”, which is saturated in sarcasm in the best possible way all the while rocking this tight 90s UK garage-ish sound (which made me think of Lucious Jackson a lot if I’m being honest). The chorus goes, “Like hell yeah. I made it through today. Like hell yeah. The sun is in my face. Like hell yeah I made it through today without crying, without dying, hey.” Def a song that belongs in everyone’s 2021 time capsule/mood board.
Moullinex x Xinobi - “Imaginary Numbers”
I have such a *professional crush* on Portuguese producer Mouillnex. I always squeal like an idiot when I see he’s dropped something new. This collab with newcomer to my earholes Xinobi is good energy. If this is your first foray into Portuguese electronic music, you’re welcome for the 2 for 1 special yer girl is offering with this one.
LP Giobbi- “Take My Hand”
I am having the best fucking time watching LP Giobbi’s ascension to greatness. With every Instagram post of her grinning from ear to ear in complete control of the crowd in addition to seeing all the good that her non-profit FEMME HOUSE continues to do it just increasingly makes my heart oh so happy. She is my little Princess of Piano House and I will protect her at all costs so she’s smiling forever. If you haven’t checked out my interview with her you absolutely should. She makes it so easy to love her.
iANO- “Labrynth”
So there was a thing going around on TikTok where apparently another song of iANO’s called “Time In Oblivion” possessed some potent manifestation power as long as you at the very least had a recording of the song sitting in your drafts. The sound has since been pulled down from TikTok and all DSPs (which led to this interesting conspiracy theory about that surfacing) but me being the curious little shit that I am I wanted to know what else was in the elusive artist’s repertoire and came across an album they recently released, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I’ve been debating whether or not to reach out to iANO to talk about this manifestation phenomenon, especially after glancing at the comments on the SoundCloud for the song to link to this post. Like people are straight up making wishes etc in between troll comments. So yeah if anyone is interested LMK and I’ll electric slide into their DMs for the 411.
#diSKOAverweekly: Week of February 5, 2020
yes bish 2020 we fancy up in hur!
YES I AM ALIVE!
Yes, it’s been awhile. I’m getting better at figuring out how to keep all these plates spinning, swear to fucking god.
Been sitting on these jams way too long to not share! Next update will actually happen on a Wednesday so please be kind and grab what you like before they vanish!
The Brilliance - “How Do We Know”
Local lads The Brilliance just dropped their latest album ‘Suite No. 2: World Keeps Spinning’, companion album to 2018’s ‘Suite No. 1 Oh Dreamer’. Both are worth a spin!
Rafael Casal - “Oxygen”
Missed this track when it dropped. This guy can really do anything. Jelly.
Connor Duermit - “Everything”
This boy’s voice is smooooooooooooove. God damn. What are they putting in the water in LA right now?!
Hydromag - “P.J.R.”
When that cozy bedroom pop just hits right… *chefs kiss*.
Imbibe - “Reflections”
Fun fact: these guys are brothers! Australian ones no less (lol of course they are). If you’re in Europe and have seen Parcels somewhat recently chances are you caught these guys opening for them.
Amtrac - “Radical (feat. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs)”
Amtrac is gaining momentum, best hop on! Also very happy to see TEED popping his head up again for some air. When’s that homey gonna give us more than a few random tunes and remixes?!
Yuksek - “G.F.Y. (feat. Queen Rose)”
ICYMI Yuksek is always perfect and here is more proof. Can’t wait to see him with JD Samson at The Dance on April 2nd! Gonna be 🔥🔥🔥!!!!
Crush Club - “My Man (feat. Nicki B The Vagabond)”
As president of the Crush Club - Crush Club, I feel it is my responsibility to make sure that everyone knows about their latest. If My Man had a fragrance, what would it smell like? 🤔🤔
LA Priest - “What Moves”
LA Priest is back and dropping an album GENE on April 24th!! I’m so fucking hype! I have missed him so so sooooo.
Tamara Kumbula - “1 to 8”
It’s wild the things I find while roaming around on Stationhead. Have you downloaded that app yet? I’m going to start doing more shit on there. Anyway, I’m really digging on Tamara’s whole vibe.
Cannibal Kids - “I Keep My Eyes Closed”
Nice to see some fresh meat coming out of my home state (Florida). Gonna keep an eye on these guys.
of Montreal - “You’ve Had Me Everywhere”
If you haven’t heard ‘Ur Fun’ yet you absolutely must. It’s quickly climbing the ranks into my top 5 of Montreal records.
The 1975 - “Me & You Together Song”
Y’all know I’m a sucker for a good love song and this one is def hitting me in all of those warm and fuzzy feels. Also the new music video that dropped today is a nice little Throwback Thursday moment.
Gourmet - “Stone Cold Steve Austin”
WAAX - “Labrador”
Sometimes I get bored and look up the bands on a festival lineup that I’ve never heard of. I did this for a fest that I Know Leopard was playing and somehow landed on this delightful bunch of noisy friends. Stay curious! There’s great songs everywhere! You just gotta look!
Grieves - “Let The Devil In”
Been a minute since I caught up with Grieves. Really enjoying his latest, ‘The Collections of Mr. Nice Guy’. This song was how I found my way back to him.