July 1 - St. Vincent / Tourist / Werkha / Moses Sumney

Being back in Shanghai has me feeling a bit better. Not completely, but much more. I think I've figured out some things that I'm unhappy about. Not that I would ever talk about them in a public forum like this, even with only 2 readers. But anyway, at least I've got some constructive ideas at this point. But now it's time for a very relaxed weekend. I have basically no plans. Had dinner at home with a friend last night before he went back to Singapore. Gym today and tomorrow. Japanese class. Talk to my landlord about renewing the lease. The only real plan I have is to go to this festival this afternoon, which actually wasn't the plan originally. My friend Julia just got back after a 3 week trip so we were going to hang out. I thought we'd just hang out at her place or something, but we'll go to this festival instead, which will be nice. It's basically this Shanghai local business/craft/food festival that happens twice a year, and is always nice.

And then there's some great new music to listen to. Which is why I have 4 tracks to share today. All new singles from artists I like/love which came out this week. The first one falls in the love category. Very solidly so. No doubt about it: I love St. Vincent and everything she does. She is an amazing woman. And she finally has a new single, titled New York. She actually put out the song Teenage Talk after releasing her last album, St. Vincent. But that was for a TV Show. Now we have the first single for a new album. And a new tour in the works. It's exciting times. This one is pretty classic St. Vincent to me. Not as much guitar shredding as she likes to put up front, but the sound is right in her wheelhouse.





Next up is Tourist. You may remember him as the solo project of one of the Disclosure guys, who I wrote about I think last year. He's got a new single out also, this one much more chill than the songs I loved from him on his first album, and featuring Ardyn on the vocals, who I also wrote about here last year. This one is called We Stayed Up All Night, and it took a couple listens to realize how much I like it, but I really do.





Up third is the newest single from Werkha. I wrote about him almost 1 year ago to the day, and at the time had very much trouble figuring out who he was. I had heard this amazing song Dusk and managed to find it, but was very confused because of inconsistent information. Well now I know for sure I was right about that song and about this new one. This new one is called Shakedown Radio, and it features Bryony Jarman-Pinto on vocals, much like Dusk did. It's not as good as Dusk, but it's definitely a good one. Werkha knows how to make a good beat. And Bryony Jarman-Pinto has a lovely voice. It's the lead single from a new EP coming out later in July, called We Communicate, and it's a great way to kick off his return after 2 years.




And lastly is Moses Sumney. I love this guy. He's a weirdo, but I adore him. He took a lot of getting used to at first. But now that I have, I'm so happy I did. I'll be seeing him at FYF Fest in a few weeks (!!!!), and just in time he's also put out the new song Doomed, the first single since his Lamentations EP last year. And the most exciting part about this is it's the first single off of his upcoming debut album! Not sure what that album is called or when it's coming out, but at least it's coming.





And that wasn't even it for the week. There are new singles from Drake, new songs from Broken Social Scene and Arcade Fire and The Japanese House, new albums from Shakey Graves and Washed Out and Kacy Hill. So I guess today's theme is first single in a long time or from an upcoming project by an artist who I love/like.

Jun 28 - Fyfe / The Drums

2 songs to share with you today. The first one comes from Fyfe, who recently put out his sophomore album, The Space Between. This guy first caught my attention with his cover art on his first album, which I really like, and then I realized he'd been on a few playlists I liked. But I wasn't a particularly big fan. His second album (which also has nice cover art) is better than the first, though, with a couple of standout tracks. My favorite is Belong, which features Kimbra as well, another artist that is pretty good, but nothing too great. Anyway this song is really nice.





And then we have a new album from The Drums, title Abysmal Thoughts. And the title track, which is also the closing track, is super. Super duper. I don't remember being a big fan of The Drums first album. In fact, it's quite possible I never heard it and only heard their name. But this new album has shown up in a couple places and caught my attention a couple times. I still need to give it a proper listen, but Abysmal Thoughts is worth sharing right now. I might come back and write about them again later, but for now at least listen to this.

June 27 - Washed Out

I think all this travel is finally starting to catch up with me. I'm in Chongqing at the moment. I thought it had been like 5 or 6 weeks in a row that I'm gone every week. But I just looked at my calendar and I actually think I've been gone every single week since at least mid-April. That's not to say I haven't gone back to Shanghai or been in the office, but traveling literally every week for at least a night. That is crazy. And yeah, I think it's catching up to me. I do not feel my best mental self at the moment. I need some time at home. But I'm not going to get it any time soon. I'll go back tomorrow and spend 6 days in Shanghai, but next week I go to Guangzhou for 2 nights, then maybe back to Southeast Asia the following week, and after that I go home on vacation. That's sort of the light at the end of the tunnel, although that's still traveling and being on the move, so it might still drive me a bit crazy. But at least it's vacation. So I should be able to enjoy it, I hope. It's only taken like 8 years of this to catch up with me! Anyway hopefully home will be the break I need and then I'll be ok again.

Until then, I've got music. And today's music is from Washed Out. They have a new album coming out this Friday, called Mister Mellow. I really enjoyed the last album, Paracosm, and so far I really enjoy the two singles they put out from this album, the first one being Get Lost.





And then after Get Lost was Hard To Say Goodbye. Both great. Actually hard to pick which I like more. I was listening to Get Lost and was like "oh yeah, this is the better one." But then I started playing Hard To Say Goodbye and was like "oh wait, but maybe this is the better one?" I really have no idea. Maybe you can choose. And that's all I have to say about them because my brain is not fully functioning right now. But you can enjoy it anyway, I'm sure.

June 17 - Amber Mark / ODESZA

What I really need to talk about today is Fleet Foxes. They released their new album, Crack-Up, yesterday, and it is incredible. Like super delicious and mind-meltingly wonderful. I can't even. And I don't say that lightly. But I. Can't. Even. This album has been like 5 years in the making (ok maybe not actually "in the making" but definitely in the waiting) and is definitely their best. Definitely follows my theory of first album being great, second being either good or disappointing (in this case good), and third being incredible. This one is incredible. Go listen to it. My problem now is, I want to share the entire album with you here. But I can't do that. That's just silly. I've already shared Odaigihara / Third of May, the lead single, and you'll have to go do the rest on your own. But go do it. Now.

Instead, I'm going to share totally different music with you, starting with Amber Mark. Much like Jain, who I shared with you recently, this woman also lived all over the world growing up, and has now settled in New York. She put out her debut EP, 3:33, back in May, and it's a decent listen overall. Kind of a modern R&B/Disco feel. Think Gavin Turek but less disco-ey. Still disco-ey though, and definitely dancey. Lose My Cool is a great example, plus I really really love what happens at the 1 minute mark. That's what did it for me with this song.





And then we have ODESZA, a sort of indie, chilled-out electronic music producer. He's apparently working on something new and I just heard Meridian, one of the singles from whatever is coming up. I can't be bothered to look and see what it is. I like ODESZA, but not enough to actually read about him. I'll just wait until something pops up and listen to it and I'm sure enjoy it. After all, I really enjoy this song. And he has another song that features RY X, a man who I think is brilliant and I will listen to anything he's involved in. By the way, I just went to get the video from YouTube, and easily discovered that the new album will be out September 8 and is called A Moment Apart. So there's that. And here's Meridian.

June 15 - The War on Drugs / Arcade Fire / Poliça

I'm back in Southeast Asia for the week. Both Singapore and Malaysia this time. And again just for work, nothing too exciting. I have eaten pretty well in Malaysia, though. They have these Ramadan markets during Ramadan (surprise!) where people basically cook at home in the day, set up tents, and then you can come in the afternoon and buy all your halal foods to take home and eat at sunset. I was told to go and get the Ramadan special foods, which maybe I did? I don't know, but I got a ton of good food. And then last night I finally had Nyonya food, which is the Malay-Chinese mixed food and it's fantastic. I've been told about it many times, I had it once in Singapore (and was told it's better in Malaysia) and finally had it in Malaysia. Although I've gotta say, it was better in Singapore.... Maybe just the place I went, not in general. But doesn't matter, it's delicious.

You know what else is delicious? This new song from The War On Drugs. This is the 2nd single from their new album, A Deeper Understanding, which comes out in August. The first single, Thinking of a Place, is like 12 minutes long and it's good stuff. But it's this new single, Holding On, which I love. This is the sound from War On Drugs that gets me tapping my feet. It's not as good as Red Eyes (what is?), but it's in the same vein. I think my favorite part comes around 3 minutes, where the singing stops and the guitar just does this little loopy rift which I love. But the whole thing is great. Great great great.

So in case you haven't figured it out, today is going to be the new music from old artists that I alluded to the other day. So the next old artist is Arcade Fire, with a new song, Everything Now. They've also got a new album coming out (although in July, not August), also titled Everything Now. And this is also the second single from that album. Again, the first one was good, but it's the 2nd one that I really ended up liking. This one is more upbeat and dancy than what I'd expect from Arcade Fire, but still solidly in their wheel house, I think. Anyway, it's fun stuff.

And finally, it's Poliça. This is a band whose first album I loved, and then I think went downhill from there. Still good, but nothing lived up to the debut. They put out a double single for Record Store Day back in April, but I've just come across it, and both tracks are great. The first one, Still Counts, features Spank Rock, and the second one, Lipstick Stains, features Boyz Noize. And they couldn't be any more different. Lipstick Stains is super chilled out and pretty and haunting. Still Counts is dirty and loud and a bit spastic. I like them both a lot. It is hard to choose which to play. Maybe I won't choose. But Malaysia doesn't like Soundcloud so I'll have to add in the second song later. But anyway, you will find it on Spotify.

June 10 - Bonobo

We'll just do a quick Bonobo post today. I meant to post about him all year, since he put out his new album Migration. The album is good, pretty different from his previous stuff, though. More mellow, which is maybe not the right description since it was already super mellow before. Anyway, he put out this album Migration which is pretty good. And there's some great tracks on there, but I'll share Surface. I'm not sure it's my favorite off the album. It's actually tough to pick a favorite. But it is great, and I love the vocalist. One of the many things I love about Bonobo is how he finds these vocalists I've never heard of who are special and unique and then uses them throughout an album. He did not do that this time. This time he worked with artists like Rhye and Nick Murphy (fka Chet Faker). But on Surface, he has this woman Nicole Miglis who is super interesting and has a beautiful voice. And it's a stellar track. So that's the album choice.





And then he put out a new song last week. It's a b-side to the latest single from Migration, and it's called Samurai, and it's great. More what I expect in general from Bonobo than the album itself was. I actually used it as the basis for a playlist for my dinner party last night. I think it turned out a pretty good playlist, which was described as a friend today like what he'd expect to hear at H&M. I'm not sure that's a good thing or not, but I'll take it as one.

June 9 - SZA / Bearcubs

I just spent a quick night in Beijing last night. I had a meeting in Langfang, south of Beijing, so went and stayed with Rich and the fam after that, which was quite nice. I haven't been up there since October. It's pretty crazy. But it was nice to see them and the baby, who actually liked me this time. And the meeting went well, and I actually worked on the train both ways and got quite a lot done, and I started watching House of Cards. Very successful.

And then it was Friday and I was on my way home and I got an email that SZA's album CTRL, which I have been waiting about 2 years for, has finally arrived. So I downloaded it and I've now listened like 3 times. It's not as good as Z, but it is very good. Drew Barrymore is still one of my favorites. But then there's this song Anything. Which I hate. It is the worst. I hate it so much. I just keep listening to it. And then it ends so frustratingly that I just hate it and I go listen to it again for 2 and a half minutes of aural ecstasy. Then get so disappointed. Ugh, it's the worst. It should just be starting at the end. I can totally hear it going for like 3 more minutes easy. And just getting better and better. And now you can experience it. I hate you. You're welcome.





That wasn't the only big thing today, though. There's also new albums from Big Thief and Phoenix and London Grammar, and that new one from the nameless supergroup which include Sufjan Stevens and Bryce Dessner. But we're not here to talk about them. We're here to talk about Bearcub, a 25 year old British producer who is giving James Blake a serious run for his money. Case in point, the title track of his newest EP, Underwaterall.





And it doesn't stop there. There's only 4 songs, but they're great. So great that this is the first time in a long time I'm giving one blog to a single artist (SZA doesn't count since I've talked about her so much, it's not an introduction of a new artist just a great song. My blog, my rules.). So here's False Mirrors, off the same EP.

June 6 - Jain / BOSCO

I found out about the most amazing thing last night: plug-in, odorless mosquito killers! Basically, I slept like 3 hours on Sunday night because somehow I had like half a dozen mosquitoes in my house. I have never had so many at once. I don't ever even remember having 2 at once! But I definitely had at least 3 on Sunday night (of which I managed to kill 2 and one kept me up all night). And then on Monday I had at least 4. But this was after having learned about these mosquito killers. You just plug them into the wall and I guess they give off something that is odorless but kills mosquitoes. Raid makes it. I hope it won't eventually kill me too. But that might be worth it. So despite the 4 mosquitoes on Monday night (of which I killed 3), I slept just fine because the thing did it's job and must have killed the 4th! Hooray!

And since we're talking about new discoveries, today's music will be new (as opposed to new music from not so new artists, which was the other choice for today). We're starting off with Jain. Apparently she's not so new. Her album, Zanaka, came out in 2015. I had heard about her a few moths ago, and I think I listened to an EP or something. Not sure what I listened to. But I definitely listened to something. And while it was enjoyable, it wasn't good enough for me to take anything away from and share with you. But then I heard the song Makeba, which is the 2nd single from the album, and that is worth sharing. That song is amazing. And there's a lot going on there. So basically, Jain is French but is an expat kid or something and grew up around Dubai and Congo and Abu Dhabi before moving back to Paris for art school, so you'll definitely hear some interesting stuff going on in her music. Nothing from South America, though, but this song Makeba ,which is just fantastic, somehow reminds me of Bomba Estereo. The album is otherwise decent. It's interesting pop, pretty unique and fun, and there are some other good songs, but nothing really amazing for me.





And then there's BOSCO. She's a producer, but maybe also a singer? I'm not sure. But she has a mixtape out and then she put out this song Castles with another band, St. Beauty. These St. Beauty ladies are apparently signed to Janelle Monae's label, but their other two singles I heard were not very good. So I'm gonna credit Castles completely to BOSCO and maybe go listen to more of her stuff instead.

June 2 - Tsutro / Alvan

Oy it's been a busy couple of days. Last time I was here I was sitting in the airport. And that was all well and good, but then I got on a flight that I slept terribly on. Luckily I did not go to work when I landed at 5am. I went home, napped, then went to Disneyland! And I went to Disneyland to go to Club 33, which is like a bucket list item and I finally checked it off. In case you don't know, Club 33 is the private club at Disneyland, which they also have in Tokyo and Shanghai. Not even Disneyworld has it (although that's apparently changing this year and then every Disneyworld park will have it). And it costs $50,000 to join, plus $15,000 per year. And there's a 12 year waiting list. And that's the only way you can get into the fanciest restaurant in Disneyland to spend a ton more money and drink booze. The only place in Disneyland with booze, in fact. But it just so happens Shanghai Disney has invited some employees for lunches and I went with a friend, and then got to stay in the park for a few hours. So that was a nice start to the week.

But then I went to work and was super busy from Thursday onwards working on these 2 reports for a meeting with our CEO today which got cancelled. I was kind of pissed. And now I've spent my Friday evening at home, which is fine because that's kind of all I wanted to do. I'm supposed to maybe go meet a friend who's leaving town. But it's now 10:30 (when she's supposed to let me know if she's going out) and I'm giving her until 11:00 before I go to bed... We'll see what happens. I'll go if she texts since she's moving to the US on Monday, but I kind of don't want to.

I'm in a much more chilled mood than anything now. So we have some chilled out music today, starting with the track Angkor, from Tsutro.





It's a pretty one. And it's not his only pretty one. Back To You is also very pretty. Both of them are off of Tsutro, the first solo album by this producer who has apparently been doing many things with many people for a very long time. But this is the first I've heard of him. And I like.

And with more chilled out electronic music, we have Amazone, which is the closing (and best) track off of Alvan's EP Home. The only EP from him so far, although he does have a few more random singles. As mentioned, this one is definitely the best. Probably because it reminds me of Bonobo, which is always a good thing. So hopefully he keeps doing stuff like this.

Anyway, there's some chilled out music for my mood, which is also somehow good for a Friday, and in case you didn't notice we've got the Angkor and the Amazon and so there's that, too.