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diSKOAver weekly: week of February 8, 2023
Ayo bestie what’s good !?🥰👋🏻
To quote my absolute favorite vine of all time,
✨✨GUESS WHO’S BACK AND BETTER THAN EVAH!? ✨✨
omg the way that i have missed this space. 😮💨
Also, how do we like the new digs? 🥰
Isn't it fun here now!? I'm obsessed with this design! 🤩
There are still a lot of tweaks left to do. Porting over *CHecks Notes* about10k blog posts and shit to a new Squarespace account so I could have all of the latest features to play around with was a bit tedious, but if I’m being honest I don’t regret it. This shit is pretty cool! RIGHT? RIGHT?🥺 Anyway I’m working on it, so please excuse the stardust in the meantime. 💫
Bestie you would be so proud of me. I’ve been doing so much work on myself while I was away. I learned so much about how I came to be Some Kind of Awesome and the way that unbeknownst to me until literally this past weekend that this little web log of mine has been a little beautiful container for healing. It’s so funny, ever since this site transitioned back over to just being me contributing I’ve had such a hard time feeling comfortable with doing whatever the fuck I want to here. The long and the short of it is internalized sexism fucking sucks and I’ve learned that the only effective vaccine for protecting yourself from your insecurities is 💉radical self acceptance💉, bb.
Oh I forgot to send you this when I first saw it. 😑 My bad, I’ve been ruminating on this Instagram post that Questlove made as he was in the throes of processing and grieving the loss of renowned rapper Takeoff, who we lost to gun violence. Tell me this doesn’t just stop you dead in your fucking tracks:
No wonder the never ending quest of being cool is so fucking toxic. It’s literally a byproduct of white supremacy/systemic racism. 🙃
God I used to want to be seen as 🥶 cool🥶 so bad. I used to waste so much brain space worrying about how I was being perceived. I would literally exhaust myself overthinking every little last pixel of this place, trying to prove that I was like, worthy of an industry that has time and time again showcased that they intend to strip you of everything that makes you so perfectly and wonderfully you in order to essentially win a popularity contest. I can never decide if living with that as our reality is more embarrassing or infuriating, you know what I mean? Like we have lost (and continue to lose) so many people in this community to mental health related issues because we push artists to such unrealistic standards to try to keep up with capitalism’s insatiable desires. As a recovering perfectionist myself, I can share from firsthand account that just feeling the pressure to perform without a single mistake all day every day will take you to the darkest and twistiest of places inside one’s big beautiful brain. Musicians then have to factor in the grueling demands of touring until you drop dead while fanbases leave them feeling beholden instead of empowered because their art gets reduced to something that if it’s not solely consumed in excess it’s considered worthless. that’s so fucking gross. 🤢
IDK about you bestie, but everyone I know who makes music is trying to 🔌 connect 🔌. They wanna connect people to shared experiences. To parts of their firsthand lived experience that someone else may not have been exposed to so that the slight shift in perspective just for a handful of moments might click something into place in their spirit so they can know themselves better. You know, like all the things that art is about! 🤩 as someone who was briefly obsessed with trying to monetize people’s consumption of my self expression with the unrealistic expectation of somehow eliciting an insatiable demand for my ✨rock mom ramblings✨, I can tell you it makes you feel really fucking worthless that the thing that makes you happy will probably never fit unless you change every last thing that makes what you have to offer so special in this lifetime.
And bestie like, you’re so fucking special. Especially to me. 🥹 Has anyone told you that yet today? Because if not I can say it again and like 200 more times today and for the rest of our lives if you want. Cheering you on to greatness is my 2nd favorite thing in the world (after making playlists, obvi).
🪩 The world deserves to see you in your most authentic form of self expression that you feel safe enough to release out into the world. Whatever that is. Regardless if it’s on trend or not. Period. 🪩
As you can see, all this radical self acceptance I’ve been practicing’s got me riled up, bestie! So much so that I woke up this morning and decided that I had to make sure that in the time we’ve been apart that you haven’t forgotten that your creative expression is so precious to this world and you deserve to have people take the time to make you feel seen and that they deeply understand what you are conveying to them. AND! AND! You deserve to feel abundant as fuck as a result of your willingness to be that fucking vulnerable. Not everyone can do it like you do, yo. Your way is so magical! you’re really just out there drastically changing lives all effortlessly and shit by doing what comes naturally to you. And yeah, ofc there are gonna be some people out in the world that will forever be committed to misunderstanding you, but honestly that’s their fucking loss. Just look at you In all your splendor enduring all this hot pink to connect with me right now! Making me feel all seen and valued and shit. 🥰 anyone who wants to sleep on you is gonna be kicking themselves for the lapse in judgement eventually, so just try to focus on the people who try to give as many fucks as I do about what you do.
You know how I love to make you playlists, so I’ve decided that as a way to be a good friend to you that I’m going to commit myself to sharing all the songs that have been helping me get to the really beautiful place that my spirit has settled into lately. It’s been really wild to see how all these songs that have sought me out in the last few years were helping me retrain my brain so I could be the person who is blissfully babbling into a Squarespace to you right now. I’m so excited to see what resonates with you. That’s by far my favorite part of music: that moment when you can really see another person from a very specific perspective that could only have been facilitated by self expression. Makes my eyes water just typing that 🥹.
I hope these songs make you feel as safe and supported as I feel right now having you here reading this. I saw this sticker recently from this decolonial Native Xicana Feminist Fanzine that I stumbled into on Instagram awhile back that said, “We keep each other safe so we can be dangerous together.” Huh, I guess my brain needed to simmer with that for a minute so I could be inspired to drop you this playlist. Anyway I’m gonna wrap this up so I can get to work on your Valentine for next week💘. You know how much I love Valentine’s Day.
To recap: I think you’re the fucking best. I’m proud of you all day every day. please don’t overthink anything that makes you feel like the happiest and most authentic version of yourself. Keep doing what you’re doing. Stay true to yourself. Fuck the haters. And fuck worrying about being cool. You’re so much more than cool. You’re everything. Also, you don’t have to stress about where you’re tryna go, you’re already there. 🪩✨
That’s all for now.
Talk soon, you little sweet sweetie!
Love you!
p.s. I did that thing I always do where I put lil notes in the tracklist below so you’d feel extra special. Excited to hear your thoughts!
1. DOES IT OFFEND YOU, YEAH? - “Guess Who Just Rolled Back Into Town”
You’ll have to excuse me, I think I’m hilarious opening with this. Also lotta people missed this one when it dropped last year so had to make sure you saw it.
2. salome - “What’s Home”
I regret not venturing out in the rain last year when I was in Paris to see Salome. Woulda made catching covid while I was there worth it. 😮💨
3. Memphis LK - "Tricky”
It makes me so happy to see Memphis LK doing so well.🥰 Has it really been *checks notes* almost 3 full years since I first fell for her? Hell yeah. My love is steadfast when the vibe is right and she’s def ✨got it✨.
4. Son Little - “drummer”
I love Aaron so much. I am always so thrilled to see him doing well. This is such a fuckin jam. If it doesn’t make you do a cute lil shimmy then maybe you need a nap (or I need to remember that not everyone chair dances as often as I do).
5. Djo - “Change”
About to make you sound really cool at parties: did you know that Joe Keery of Stranger Things fame is in a band and it fuckin RULES!? I think I love the new record so much because I’m convinced that Joe is channeling Matt Mahaffey, which is weird because he’s very much alive and well. He’s even apparently working on another sElf record! But yeah, back to Joe. It's such a cool little record that could not be anymore well received by yours truly.
6. Telenova - “Haunted”
Bestie did I tell you that Slum Sociable broke up? 😭 As you can imagine, I was absolutely fucking beside myself. But! In true Aussie fashion as detailed to me by the homies in Kingswood, there was an amalgamation of talented Aussies that emerged from that chapter coming to a close. If you thought Slum Sociable was the shit Telenova will absolutely knock your fucking socks off. Singer Angeline Armstrong is such a powerhouse and cool as hell. If I have to swim to Australia, put the band on my back, and swim them to America myself I’ll fucking do it. That’s how badly I want to be her friend 🥺.
7. Casually Here - “Apex”
“Hey Kibbe what was your most played song of 2022?” This absolute fucking masterpiece. This whole record is good, but this is just such a stunning little meditative moment. If I’m freaking out about something this can normally calm me down pretty quickly. AND Nic was a real one dropping it on the first day of birthday month. What’s not to love?
8. Fyfe + Iskra Strings - “Egosystem”
Now this lil lovely, whewwww. Makes my heart soar. If you feel like swooning for about 45 minutes, this is your record.
9. Ab-Soul + Zacari - “Do Better”
This song is so well written and meticulously executed. I love how when I’m in a moment where I’m being really hard on myself that the hook feels perfectly reflective of the moment so I can help the feeling come and go with ease, but then once the feeling passes I find it motivating. Potent medicine here. Be careful tho! It’s addictive.
10. DanDlion - “I Can’t Go FOr That (No Can Do)”
Speaking of addictive, this is one of the best covers I’ve ever heard. I can’t get enough of it. I hope that Dandlion has his moment soon. It’s gotta be any second now at this rate. His vocal performance on this is just 🤌🏻.
11. Mason + The Melody Men - “Better On My Own”
Choosing to be more deliberate with my energy even if it means I’ve been mostly keeping to myself during this little emotional growth spurt has made me feel as good as this song does.
12. Étienne de Crécy - “Kepler 186f”
You deserve to strut around like the kooky little badass that you are and this is the song to ensure that.
13. HERO - “POWER”
FYI - If you play this one loudly enough when you’re having a moment of uncertainty in the power that you posess, the feeling typically subsides by the end of this song.
14. Kutay Soyocak - “Hiçbir Şey”
The darkling lead singer of Jakuzi released this little one off solo track last year and it makes me feel like a lil sexy ass glitch witch every time I put it on. 🔮 Oh speaking of that sweet boy. He’s been posting Mutual Aid resources related to the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria on his instagram stories but they’re all in Turkish. NPR shared this detailed resource of ways to lend your support from over here.
15. Yulia Niko + EREZ - “I’m Everything”
I have a goal to get this added to a playlist at the yoga studio I’ve been going to while I’m in Raleigh by the end of the week. This was cool to flow to the other day when I practiced at home, but I want this loud in the studio with my favorite yogis. This song is badass.
16. Myd - “We Found It (feat. Bakar)”
Speaking of yoga, I have the most beautiful memory associated with this song now. When I was in Paris in August 2021, I stayed in a studio on a houseboat on the Seine (yes, really). I had a little private terrace where I could do yoga outside. It was heaven. I added this song to a yoga playlist I made for my practice on the houseboat and this song always came on when I was in camel pose, which is a heart opener. Anyway, one afternoon around the full moon (which was also a Blue Moon) I was in camel pose listening this song. The sky was so blue. The clouds were puffy and white. THe moon was out and really feeling herself. My heart was so full. I hope you get the same feeling I did from this one. 💖
diSKOAver weekly: Week of December 8, 2021
Hello gorgeous internet friends!🥰✨💖
Did you miss me? I sure missed you.
I think the hiatus is over? IDK. I feel like I keep saying that, but I’m pretty sure this is the real deal this time, haha.
In the past I have spent a lot of time overthinking what I share on this silly little site because I want it to be an equally fun and informative space that also happens to be aesthetically pleasing to My People. Plus there’s that pressure to figure out how to monetize the thing that makes you happy 🤑, which can easily become a thing that makes you really unhappy when you get caught comparing your internet offerings to someone else’s. Juggling all of those feels on top of a pandemic made trying to express myself even more stressful so I gave myself as much space from this as I needed until I missed it so much that I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
And some of you even reached out a few times to ask when the next update was coming. 🥺 You’ll never know how much that meant to feel like my contributions are actually meaningful to y’all even though most of the time I feel like I’m gushing into the void, lmao.
Anyway I hope you all are doing well and have been stuck at least twice by now. 💉
Enjoy!
Mickey Kojak - ”Club Is On Fire”
Okay so for whatever stupid reason when I want to take myself seriously about loving on this Sydney sweetie I always tell myself his full name is actually Michelangelo Kojak. I might have dreamed that once? Either way, that’s not even remotely true. I know his real name is actually Michael Dable and yet here we are lol. At any rate, our fateful hero has been doing his part during the pandemic to regularly drop techno treats on Tuesdays of his choosing to keep the fire burning in our hearts for his adorkable ass while he continues to work on new music. Luckily we managed to get a remix and two originals from Mickey in 2021, “Lights Out” and “Club Is On Fire”, the latter being the more splendidly chaotic of the two.
Pat Lok x Party Pupils - “So Fine”
Over the course of 2021 the Twitter homey Pat Lok has been doing the Lorde’s work by keeping us satiated with shit that slaps. His recent collaborations with Party Pupils have been especially hitting the spot as of late. “So Fine” is an obvious fave because it makes it easier for me to pretend like I’m getting the attention I know I deserve, but I also really love their latest, “I Want You”. Which is also more attention seeking from me I guess? lol ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Lxury - “PAD MA”
I was really glad London’s Lxury snuck in another EP after last year’s No Real Rush. This new one, Smart Digital Life is a lot more airy and brighter than NRR. There’s not a track I’d cut. In a parallel universe I would’ve included “Up High” but I was really feeling the high energy of "PAD MA” to compliment everything else in this weeks playlist.
Simon Hinter - “Wanna Make Love - Mixed”
I love a good DJ Kicks mix, which is where I fell for German producer Simon Hinter. While I thoroughly enjoyed the entire mix that Disclosure put together, “Wanna Make Love” easily stands out as a moment to shut the fuck up and dance. Do not try to shift your focus otherwise you might get swept away on the dance floor.
Alfie Templeman - “Wait, I Lied”
If these are the kinds of songs that Alfie Templeman is writing at 18, mannnn I’m like dying to know how his sound is gonna evolve in the next, like, 5 years. The progression from Don’t Go Wasting Time to Forever Isn’t Long Enough is somewhat subtle but you can tell that he’s feeling a lot more confident in his sound. Here’s hoping he continues on this trajectory he’s clearly on at the moment.
Jaded - “Welcome To The People”
Lovely London lads Jaded have also been doing their part holding it down in 2021. I think “Welcome To The People” is a nice change of pace for the trio. The beat is super addictive. It keeps you stimulated as if you’re slightly over caffeinated and leaves you wanting like a 10 minute edit of this or some other absurd length.
Darius - “Feels Right (feat. Duñe)”
Let the record reflect that the only show I went to in all of 2021 was to see Darius and Étienne de Crécy while I was in Paris for part of August and most of September. I just can’t bring myself to do shows in the US yet. I got hella trust issues with this country related to this pandem. Meanwhile, France’s vaccination efforts coupled with the countrywide implementation of the Pass Sanitaire put my mind at ease to dance the night away. And you better believe I barely moved the next day I went so hard at that show. While every track on Darius’ new EP, OASIS (Prelude), has its each little flavor to savor, “Feels Right” is my favorite mood enhancer of his and I had to make sure this one got to y’all. 🥰
Louis La Roche - “One Big Gay Disco”
I very much like Louis La Roche’s new album, We’re Not That Different. There are so many good details about this record that make me keep coming back to it. My first taste of the record was, “One Big Gay Disco”, which is how I would succinctly describe what I hope heaven is like if it exists. I did ⚡️The Kibbe Thing⚡️ and hunted down the origin of this sample. I’m not going to publicize the hateful homophobic person’s name who said some horrible shit in an interview that Louis chose to transform into something positive and fuckin fabulous. I’m not mad it wasn’t easy to find the clip. Maybe just take my word for it that it’s awful and as someone who has people who lost people in the Pulse shooting that this song advances the slay agenda and is defiantly gay as hell.
KUNZITE - “SUPREME BEAM”
I’m such a doofus. I went way too long not putting it together that KUNZITE was Ratatat adjacent. Never not embarrassing when something that later seems painfully obvious just flies over my head. I mean how long have I been at this shit, 12 years now? Anyway for the record KUNZITE is comprised of RATATAT's Mike Stroud and Agustin White from White Flight which is why it’s vibey af. I really love their latest album, VISUALS and I cannot recommend it enough.
Willow Kayne - “Opinion”
When last we met this little sweetie was just stepping out with her debut single, “Two Seater”. Since then she’s released tracks “I Don’t Wanna Know” and more recently, “Opinion”. Have a peep at the brand spankin’ new music video for IDWK which Willow shot during her recent stay in Los Angeles. If you need any concrete evidence that the 90s are absolutely back in style, just sit back and let Willow’s ‘fits wash over you in all of their Delias-era glory. For some reason I really want Willow and BENEE to be besties. I feel like they would get into the best kind of trouble together, you know?
Noah Davis- “How Much Cash”
I haven’t watched American Idol since season one so I hadn’t made the connection that Noah Davis has already had a little heat going for awhile. To me he was just some unassuming sweet thing that landed on my FYP and left me fucking SHOOK when “How Much Cash” hit my earholes. It not only makes me want to go to a gay bar full of hot lil go-go boys, but given that I’m in a space to call in the blessings I’ve been blocking, I always feel richer and mad sexy after playing this.
Magdalena Bay- “Secrets (Your Fire)”
Only been trying to make this band happen since *checks notes AKA the DW archive* 2019. Glad everyone has joined the party! Like sincerely. I really am. Gotta say tho, they really fucking nailed it with this record. Mercurial World is just… *chef’s kiss*. Also this 90s nostalgia aesthetic just makes me feel like I’m on Geocities talking about this. If you don’t know what Geocities is please don’t tell me and just Google it. I can already feel the “kids these days don’t know how good they have it for making websites” spiel and I’m not in the mood to embarrass myself. Just let me casually obsess over their music video for this song and their website in peace.
Griff - “One Night”
Fun true story: while working from my Airbnb in Paris I would leave MTV France on because I figured of all the TV shows that would teach me useful French vocabulary that Catfish would be perfect for someone as Very Online as yours truly. In France they were going HARD with plugging this song in the commercial breaks. Admittedly I haven’t given Griff a lot of attention in the past, but the clip from, “One Night” left me curious about the story behind the song. Apparently it’s about, “feeling like you’re always carrying this darkness or burden.” As Griff told NME, “I think in the daytime we can feel distracted because we’re around people and we’re busy, but that moment between going to bed and falling asleep, there’s just enough silence for those burdens to get louder. Essentially this song is trying to understand why I can’t shake it, and the chorus comes to this breaking point of desperately wanting at least ‘One Night’ alone.” Yeah girl, feel that. 😔
Carter Vail - “Trash Friends”
Carter Vail makes it very easy to love him, which is why I’m not surprised at his ever growing following on TikTok. He’s a solid songwriter, has a great sense of humor (see also: “Trash Friends”), and also happens to have a face that you don’t mind looking at for long periods of time. It did not surprise me one bit to learn that he’s based in Nashville now and played at Rockwood Music Hall at the end of November. Hell I might DM his ass and ask him if he’s going to Belmont, because that’s the vibe he’s throwing. He’s throwing “homey I could’ve gone to college with who’s having a fun time getting better at writing songs”. That said, it seems his sound has already evolved quite a bit since he started releasing tracks in 2018 and I definitely like the direction he’s chosen for his 2021 cuts.
Nasty Party- “People On The Street”
Are you ready to hit BINGO on your SKOA Bingo cards? This one is courtesy of the TikTok algorithm AND is an Australian baby band, bitches. LMAO. These guys have managed to capture the essence of 1980’s punk but made just enough tweaks to the sound that it could contend with today’s standards. In my ✨Kibbe Flies Aussie Bands To America And Makes Them All Famous Fantasy✨, these guys would be on a bill with Johnny Hunter and These New South Whales.
Jakuzi - “Açık Bir Yara”
My little Turkish darklings Jakuzi have reappeared to seduce us with a quickie two-song EP for 2021, of which the title track,“Açık Bir Yara” is my favorite. Singer Kutay Soyocak has also started dabbling in a new black metal project called Vox In Rama which is a genre I’m not often in the mood for but is very cool to see this side of Kutay’s vocal abilities.
![[PLAY THE PLAYLIST] Nothin But Fuckin Love Songs Vol. 2](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/61cb91c18cbd5c31ee4ab0fd/1671489661258-WV3DFU9OTOUVRQNKFW1Z/nothin-but-fuckin-love-songs-v2.jpg)
[PLAY THE PLAYLIST] Nothin But Fuckin Love Songs Vol. 2
People get so fuckin weird about Valentine’s Day.
It is such a wild thing to observe.
Personally….I love Valentine’s Day. I’ve always liked that there’s a day where we go out of our way to share our love with each other and allegedly it’s not weird to be as extra as you wanna be.
I say allegedly because like… well what the fuck is this Galentines/Palentines day bullshit? Are we serious? You’re really that worried someone is gonna misinterpret your intentions? Or is this a solidarity thing for people who aren’t yet legally bound to someone? What is that?
Either way, you’re fuckin with the vibe when you throw around this unnecessary bullshit. Grow the fuck up. It’s Valentine’s Day and there is more than enough love to go around today, okay?
Also, I’ve been partner-less for most of them, too, so don’t start coming at me with some bullshit like, “Well over here it’s been Single’s Awareness Day basically forever, Kibbe”.
And trust me fam, I get it. It’s so easy to forget that we were taught out of loving each other freely and fearlessly. Remember when your age was still in single digits? That night before your school observed Valentines Day you got that box of corny ass mass produced ✨meaningful messages✨ and you went one by one through all of them assigning little love notes to everyone in class. Friends got the fun ones, crushes got the ones that seemed a bit more direct, and anyone else got whatever was left. Next day in class everyone distributed their Valentines and there would be this fun chatter about the messages or which cartoon franchise you went with for your Valentines. We never thought fuckin twice about giving everyone a Valentine back then. At least that’s how I remember that shit, along with handing out Care Bear ones at some point.
ANYWAY
We know I’m a song hoarder and that I like being able to identify a song for every occasion if possible, especially because a lot of times songs articulate a feeling or thought I’ve been sitting with better than I had been able to land on. With love songs though, it’s so interesting. Like I said, not a ton of relationships over my way, yet when prompted I can always send at least 20 in your direction at all times. I wouldn’t necessarily say love songs feel as carelessly mass produced as my Care Bear Valentines from 1st grade, but there are definitely more love songs than there are people at this point.
Either way I can tell that I’ve grown a lot as person since the last time that I compiled love songs for Valentine’s Day because as I was putting together this round of songs that I thought about how silly it is that I am able do this so easily. I started asking myself questions like: Am I really just cataloging vibes so I can provide more thoughtful recommendations than The Algorithm™ ever could? Am I trying to study love so I ✨do it right✨ if it ever shows up? Even scarier, am I studying these to see if I’ve been doing something wrong? Do I want someone to send these songs to me? Do I think all of these songs encompass just one person?
I think that last question is really fascinating given how weird people are about Valentine’s Day. We often think that one single person is going to arrive in our lives and that will mean that everything is better or easier because we have found someone we enjoy being with so much that we’d draw up some paperwork so we can collectively own assets or make important medical decisions for each other. But in the real world that’s not how it works. Most people don’t get married and evaporate from their former lives, never speaking to their friends or family ever again. If anything the result is two communities, not just two people, become one. And when shit hits the fan, I mean yeah you have someone RIGHT THERE at your side immediately to look out for you, but the way that person shows up for you is the result of the way their community shaped them, for better or for worse (see what I did there?).
To be clear, finding ✨your person✨ is WONDERFUL. I’m not tryna discount that at all. But it’s not some cure all that a lot of people seem to think it is. I don’t think you’re “fixed” or something because you find your person, mostly because I don’t think anyone is “broken” to begin with. If anything this person is just someone you agree to get really fucking vulnerable with, which ideally you’re already practicing varying levels of vulnerability with select members of your community prior to identifying this person. A person who is so special that you throw a very fancy party to celebrate. Even that, weddings would be fuckin trash without your friends and family there, so why do we choose to spend this particular day treating love like it’s something incredibly exclusive? I will spare you a wall of text about the capitalism bit here and just say IT’S SO LAME THAT THIS EXISTS AND I HATE IT VERY MUCH.
This all to say…. Happy Valentine’s Day.
Not Single’s Awareness Day. Not Palentine’s Day. Not Galentine’s Day.
Fuckin Valentine’s Day.
I love you. 💖