Do you remember the goal I set myself when I posted October's "Playlist of the Month" post? I told myself I wouldn't go down the notoriously destructive nostalgia lane and revisit punk classics, which my 14 year old Self used to be obsessed with. Well, I've got good news and bad news. If I could, I would ask the three people reading this what they'd like to hear first, but I'm feeling a little selfish in my birth month, so I'll make that decision myself and start with the good news first. Starting on a positive note, I did indeed manage to stay away from driving down the mentioned lane. No blink-182 nor Sum 41 occupied even just a single space in my playlist, neither were they queued at any point this month, no matter how much this year's winter depression tried to come creeping up on me. However, the reason for that is probably and most definitely that I have been phoneless for almost a month. A month. Talk about making my birth month the best one of the year. I'll take this as another sign that fate doesn't give a shit about me. Or my sanity, which was highly vulnerable since it was denied immediate access to music for over three weeks. Walking down the street without wearing my headphones felt strangely uncomfortable. I'm just glad people were still able to recognise me. I don't know how I survived, but perhaps this is a sign that mortality and invincibility do apply to some people. I'm not entirely sure what spider bit me to give me those superpowers, but hey, I feel like I deserve it after paying the price of having to handle such bad news, kindly delivered by my phone, which just decided to lie in a coma for three weeks.
It was certainly an experience. At least that's what I would call it to stop my cynicism train for a second. It's strange how liberating it can feel to be so disconnected from the world (Snapchat and Instagram), and as horrible as it makes me sound, I figured out what really matters to me: nothing. Everything is absolutely worthless and we're all going to die. I've also been reading a lot of Nietzsche this month. I hope it doesn't show. Just to appear a little bit more human, I might have missed the occasional exchange of Snapchat double chin wonders between me and my friends from around the world (three countries, all European), and hell yeah did I miss my Spotify app. The only good thing that came out of this is the realisation that I am my own person without my phone, and it was about time to get out of that toxic relationship. Furthermore, this made me explore more music by sitting on my laptop for approximately 400 more hours than usual, most probably making me borderline blind, but I've heard that your other senses get better when one of them fails, so I'm not complaining. My ears have been stimulated just about enough, so let's give some credit to the artists that have kept me sane during this strange month:
FAVOURITE ARTIST OF THE MONTH: Jordan Rakei
I feel like I need to give some credit to my boyfriend here, because he was the one who introduced me to an artist I should've discovered long ago, back when I first fell in love with Tom Misch. Jordan Rakei is probably one of the most original, soulful modern jazz musicians I've heard in a long time, always putting his personal touch on the kind of music that could easily sound just like every other modern jazz piece. However, what does make him similar to Tom Misch is not only their collaborative piece called "Midnight Mischief", being on top of his list of popular songs for good reasons you'll hopefully figure out yourself. It's the hip-hopesque beats and contrasting soft vocals that make their music so perfect for those cold winter morning walks on your way to work, simultaneously preventing you from falling down that deep and dark December hole of self-pity and misery. Instead, you get to walk to the beat of the bass and feel like you don't look like a pretentious twat while wearing your Bose headphones. This might or might not be based on personal experience.
Some faves: Tawo by Jordan Rakei, Midnight Mischief (Tom Misch Remix) by Jordan Rakei and Tom Misch, and Blame It on the Youth by Jordan Genius Rakei
FAVOURITE ALBUM/s OF THE MONTH
Although I've been close to mentally jumping off a bridge every time the withdrawal symptoms hit me, it's been a successful month for the discovery of music with female lead singers. As you probably didn't find out from my previous post because you lazy mofo didn't read it (in which case, click here), I have always had some difficulties finding music with female vocals that I actually enjoy listening to. I keep blaming it on the trauma I got from my Katy Perry phase, but I remain undiagnosed, so let's not jump into conclusions. This month, however, I stumbled upon a band whose name I knew about, but never decided to listen to, because, as I said, fate doesn't care about me. The Preatures came out with their debut back in 2014, and recognising their album cover felt like meeting a stranger that you met years ago and added on Facebook, but never physically spoke to. Without any doubt, I prefer Blue Planet Eyes, but since I was feeling some real strong Stranger Things vibes in the intro of Yanada, featuring on their second album called Girhoold (2017), I figured I had to at least mention it once. The Preatures unapologetically, almost uncomfortably combine cheesy 80s pop sounds with sprinkles of beatle-esque elements here and there. It's very likely to make you feel like you're in a 90s movie, so if you're into that, I highly recommend you to dive in and immerse yourself in the pop/rock band by checking out Somebody's Talking, Cruel and Lip Balm. That should be enough to catapult you into the Spotify spiral. You're welcome in advance.
FAVOURITE MUSIC VIDEOS OF THE MONTH
Ball Park Music - Exactly How You Are
Oh, has it been a good month for music covers, which it could certainly be every month, as I've realised, but I'd rather get back to civilisation and resurrect my phone instead please and thank you. I won't pour my heart out to each and every single one of the covers, since you'd probably do that yourself anyway straight after you've demolished the repeat button. Also, pay attention to how everyone from Ball Park Music bobs up and down to the beat of the chorus, similarly to what my granddad looks like when he goes crazy at any family party. What's there not to love?
Meg Mac covers Tame Impala 'Let It Happen'
I've got to be completely honest here: I had no idea who Meg Mac was before I watched this video. The only thing that made me listen to this cover is the fact that I mentally clickbait'ed myself when I read "Tame Impala" and "Let It Happen". I'm an easy woman to please. What's great about this cover, however, is that it sounds nothing like Tame Impala, and Meg Mac completely made it her own. It's refreshing to be able to listen to original creatives, who manage to transform songs in a way that it changes our whole perception on the piece. Especially when someone dares to do that with a song coming from one of today's best psychedelic rock bands. 1:0 to you, my friend.
The Preatures cover 'Arcade Fire' Everything Now
There's a good chance Triple J's jingle is driving you crazy by now, in which case: no apologies at all. The more I analyse what I've been loving this month, the more I notice how much cheesy 80s pop and hip hop beats have been comforting my ears during these tough times. But hold on- 80s pop and hip hop beats? Did I fall into this season's nostalgia trap after all? Did this type of music replace my punk nostalgia? I'm guessing it's something I can't escape, but hey, at least I'm not complaining. Another enlightenment I've experienced from putting together this list, is that the nomination for my favourite artist of the month should've probably gone to the Preatures. But let's face it, who could be arsed to re-write that whole paragraph? Exactly.
It sounds like a tragedy, especially since this is happening in my birth month, but I'm not going to write a blog post about my monthly playlist, because if I'm honest, there's not much to say anyway. However, it will be featured on the home page on my blog, in case you'd like to check out what I listened to before my phone decided to join all of the other iPhones in hell. The musical inspiration in this post will have to do until next month aka the last month of the year (in case you haven't noticed all the Christmas lights and that unecessarily massive tree in every town centre). Brace yourself for a month full of festivities, Frank Sinatra and the justification to eat Christmas sweets and chocolates everyday. You'll definitely see me there.
