YEAR OF WHAT HAPPENS ON EARTH STAYS ON EARTH
[longer version of what I contributed to the new yorkerâs year-end package. you can read that here, and listen to the accompanying megamix the video team made! links to previous yearâs lists at bottom.]
I did not grow up going to church, and I am not a particularly religious person. A few days after the inauguration, I wandered into a nearby church and took a seat in the back pews.
Iâd gone there right after the election. There was some time for anyone with anything on their mind to stand up and speak. If you need others to pray for you, just let us know. A middle-aged black man in a leather jacket got up and began telling us about an argument he was having with a friend on Facebook. It was about the election, but it was actually about the intractability of racism. He was getting frustrated while describing it to us, in part because he seemed to value being the cool and level-headed one. Plus he was describing the kind of argument millions of people were having on the Internet. âI just hope he finds peace,â the guy said. He paused, then put his hands on his chest. âOn a lighter note, today would have been Jimi Hendrixâs seventy-fourth birthday.â He opened up his leather jacket to show everyone his Hendrix t-shirt. âI just wanted to say that, because he was just awesome.â
So I returned here, the day after marching through Manhattan with a poster that said âHOLD ON, BE STRONG.â I needed to be in a room that was powered by something other than hate--to be reminded of vision and purpose, even if they werenât mine to claim. To listen to wisdom gleaned from a book Iâve never read, and pick and choose what I wanted. To hear others pour themselves into songs I never, ever sing along to. I wanted to steal their vibes.Â
Instead of a hymn, they passed out small pieces of paper with the lyrics of John Lennonâs âImagine.â This is not the type of church people come to for the music. The pianist started playing, and I remember thinking about how it felt like magic when I learned how to play those chords as a kid. I couldnât believe we were doing this. We sang, tentatively at first, as though we could not believe these words in this space. Picture it: singing of âno heavenâ and âno religion, too,â with humility and hope, inside a house of worship. It was like an admission that faith was inadequate. All we had was one another. âImagineâ is a song Iâve heard millions of times, the type of song that is so ubiquitous that we rarely bother scrutinizing its words, its vantage point, the possibility that someone wrote these words because he actually believed them. I sang along with a room of strangers, and we looked at one another, and, for the first time in months, I began to cry. Â
TWO LYRICS THAT REMINDED ME OF POLITICS EVEN IF THEY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH POLITICS
"Wrote this shit January 21âł
âTake me back to November / Take me back to Novemberâ
âIâM AN ANGRY TEENAGERâ
Novelist, âStreet Politicianâ
ONCE THEY START, I HAVE TO LISTEN TO THE END
Jim OâRourkeâs recently unearthed cover of Tracy Chapmanâs âFast Carâ
Kanyeâs sitcom-length remix of âBedâ
THURSDAY NIGHTS ON NBC
Ross from Friendsâ very Madchester guitar-y Boiler Room set
DJ Seinfeld, Time Spent Away from U
Nino Man, Jadakiss and Styles P, âFriendsâ
IN ANOTHER YEAR FULL OF NIRVANA/KURT COBAIN REFERENCES (DID YOU SEE JAY:ZâS JACKET?) MY FAVORITE SONG, PROBABLY:
this Trippie Redd snippet
SOME VERSIONS OF THE NINETIES THAT WILL NEVER COME BACK THE WAY GRUNGE ENNUI HAS, BUT WERE SO POSSIBILITY-RICH TO ME BACK THEN
Kicking Giant, This Being the Ballad of Kicking Giant, Halo: NYC/Olympia 1989-1993
Helium, The Dirt of Luck/The Magic City
LIKE MANY WHO LOVED âA STORM IN HEAVEN,â I OVERLOOKED THEM AT THE TIME
Acetone, 1992-2001
A REALLY GOOD BOOK ABOUT ACETONE, LOS ANGELES, DREAMS OF GREATNESS
Sam Sweet, Hadley Lee Lightcap
WOULD HAVE LOVED THIS IN 1994, 2002 OR 2017
Big Thief, Capacity
CREDIBLE AND DOPE EARLY NINETIES R&B HOMAGE, SAX AND ALL
Joyce Wrice, âGood Morningâ
SPEAKING OF THE NINETIES, LEECH MADE A MIXTAPE OF JUST THE FLOATY/DREAMY PARTS TAKEN FROM CLASSIC GOOD LOOKING/MOVING SHADOW SINGLES
Leech, âJust the Liquidâ
FOR THE COMEDOWN, DARK-ASS STUFFÂ ASSEMBLED EXCLUSIVELY FROM SLIPKNOT SAMPLES
Croww, Prosthetics
NOSTALGIA, ULTRA (UK GARAGE/BASSLINE EDITION)
tqd, ukg
SUMMERTIME âSECOND SUMMER OF LOVEâ VIBE
Opus III, âItâs a Fine Day (Burt Fox remix)â
UNEXPECTED BURIAL SUMMERTIME VIBES
Monic, âDeep Summer (Burial remix)â
NO REISSUE ORÂ tk ANNIVERSARY TIE-IN, JUST SOME OLD SONGS I RE/DISCOVERED THIS YEAR
Active Minds, âHobsonâs Choiceâ
El-B, âEl-Brandâ
Kamal Abdul Alim, âBrotherhoodâ
Spiritualized in ReykjavikÂ
U2, âNumb (Soul Assassins remix)â
U2, âMysterious Ways (Massive Attack remix)â
SAME, BUT TAIWANESE INDIE ROCK EDITION
Chocolate Tiger, âPiecing Togetherâ
REISSUES, OR: PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN WEIRD AND SPACY#, OBSESSED WITH NATURAL BEAUTY##
#Â Planetary Peace, Synthesis
#Â Pauline Anna Strom, Trans-Millennia Music
##Â Pep Llopis, Poiemusia La Nau Dels Argonaut
REISSUES, OR: WHEN I WAS A CHILD THERE WERE NO BETTER SONGS THAN THE ONES THAT PLAYED THROUGH TRANSFORMERS: THE MOVIE AND FOR SOME REASON THIS JOYOUS EP REMIND ME OF THAT SHEEN, THOSE HOOKS, THE PERFECT, THEATER-SIZED ECHO
Om Alec Khaoli, Say You Love Me
BEST ALBUM-LENGTH METAPHOR FOR THE CITY, ITS LIMITATIONS AND POSSIBILITIES
Wiki, No Mountains In Manhattan
SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE IT WAS DESCRIBED, JAMAICA VIA OUTER SPACE
Equiknoxx, Colon Man
I NEED TO GO OUT MORE
Jex Opolis, âMt. Belzoniâ
KH, âQuestionâ
I LISTENED TO THIS ABOUT TEN TIMES, MY SENSE OF ENCHANTMENT GROWING AND GROWING EACH TIME, BEFORE REALIZING THERE WERE BARELY ANY DRUMS ON IT
Mr. Mitch, Devout
SERIOUSLY THE MR. MITCH ALBUM WAS REALLY MOVING AND FANTASTIC
Mr. Mitch f/ Denai Moore, âFateâ
CRAZY WISDOM MASTER
Vince Staples, Big Fish Theory
CâMON AND RAISE UP
Rapsody f/ Kendrick, Lance Skiiwalker, âPowerâ
SO ICEY
Zomby, Mercuryâs Rainbow
ECHO PARTY
Demen, Nektyr
Evy Jane, âGive Me Loveâ
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
Vic Mensa, The Autobiography
DUNGEON FAMILY, EVEN IN DARKNESS
Earthgang f/ J.I.D., âMeditateâ
FUNNY HOW TIME SLIPS AWAY
Lee Gamble, Mnestic Pressure
Pessimist, s/t
NOT SURE HOW THIS BECAME THE DIWALI OF 2017 BUT OKAY
French Montana f/ Mariah, Rae Sremmurd, PNB Rock, Belly, Elephant Man, Vybz Kartel, J Balvin, NORE, Wizkid, âUnforgettableâ
HOW ARE THIS MANY PEOPLE ON A FOUR MINUTE SONG? GOOD VIDEO THOUGH
A$AP Mob f/ A$AP Rocky, Playboi Carti, Quavo, Lil Uzi Vert and Frank Ocean, âRAFâ
I LIKE IT WHEN FERGâS VOICE GETS ALL NAGGY
Ferg, âPlain Janeâ
METRO BOOMIN MADE A BEAT THAT REMINDED ME OF RADIOHEAD
Post Malone f/ Quavo, âCongratulationsâ
THE MARIACHI VERSION IS PRETTY SWEET
Brian Imanuel, âHow I surprised Post Malone with a mariachi bandâ
âIF YOUâRE LOOKING FOR LYRICS, IF YOUâRE LOOKING TO CRY, IF YOUâRE LOOKING TO THINK ABOUT LIFE...â
JonWayne, Rap Album Two
CORNBALL PIANOS AND THEN THAT SYNTH DRAGS, AND THEN THE DRUMS KICK
Tee Grizzley, âFirst Day Outâ
âBUT WILD/WITH MY MONOTONE STYLEâ
21 Savage, âBankrollâ
Kodak Black, âCandy Paintâ
Rich Chigga, âGlow Like Datâ
ANNUAL SPOT RESERVED FOR LA MUSICA DE HARRY FRAUD
French Montana f/ Pharrell, âBring Dem Thingsâ
WHEN LAETITIA SAYS HER OWN NAME ONÂ âEMBERSâ
Vagabon, Infinite Worlds
WHEN JESSIE LEANS INTO THE WORD âFUCKâ
Jessie Reyez, âFiguresâ
THAT LIGHT MISTING, THAT CASUAL SPRITZ OF SYNTHS
Lanark Artefax, âTouch Absenceâ
A GOOD ANTI-DJT THING THAT CAME OUT EARLY THIS YEAR, WHICH FEELS LIKE EONS AGO
Lushlife + friends, My Idols are Dead + My Enemies are in Power
THE BABY, THE FLUTES, PIERREâS OBNOXIOUSLY LONG TAG, THE JESSE LINGARD DANCE
Playboi Carti, âMagnoliaâ
ILLEST SHIT I SAW THIS YEAR, BABY-RELATED
A child at a restaurant watching an iPad and an iPhone at the same damn time
â[FREE] PLAYBOI CARTI TYPE BEATâ
YBN Nahmir, âRubbin off the Paintâ
GUNS N ROSES, BEFORE ONE OF THE WEIRDEST BEEFS OF THE YEAR
Trippie Redd f/ 6IX9INE, âPOLES1469âł
SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO BELIEVE YOU CAN SING, AND DO IT WITH CONVICTION, AND I WILL LISTEN
Trippie Redd, âRack City/Love Scars 2âł
ALL THE BACKGROUND NOISE/ECHOED-OUT ADLIBS MAKE THIS
BlocBoy JB, âNo Chorus Pt 10âł
SMERZ HAS FUN DESPITE THE AWKWARD OF IT ALL
Smerz on NTS
IT SEEMS REALLY EASY TO MAKE A GOOD-SOUNDING SONG THESE DAYS
Global Dan, âOff Whiteâ
OF ALL THE DOPE SHIT THAT FUTURE APPEARED ON THIS YEAR, THE MOMENT I WILL REMEMBER IS
That tiny pause before he sings âI need fresh air,â when he seems happy and content
IS THAT A GEORGE MICHAEL SAMPLE?
Mozzy, âPrayed for Thisâ
THE FIX
C Struggs, âGo to Jesusâ
"ITâS COOL, BUT ITâS NOT...END ZONEâ
Lil Uzi Vert, âXO TOUR Llif3âł
AN ALBUM BOOKENDED BY TOTALLY DIFFERENT KINDS OF COLIN KAEPERNICK/TAKE A KNEE REFERENCES
Miguel, War and Leisure
IT WAS A VERY GOOD YEAR
Brockhampton, Saturation I-III
SZA, Ctrl
SPEAKING OF SZA: WHAT A GREAT TITLE, BESIDES IT BEING ONE OF MY FAVORITE ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
Kingdom, Tears in the Club
THE KELELA ALBUM WAS LOVELY, AS ARE THESE
Kelela x Bok Bok, Dub Me Apart
A RANDOM YOUTUBE COVER THAT I ALSO LIKED, BECAUSE IT CAPTURED HOW MELODIC THE ORIGINAL ACTUALLY IS
Kathleen Nguyen covering Kendrick and Zacariâs âLove.â
DAMN. WAS GOOD
Almost as good as âThe Heart Part 4âł
LIKE A DE LA SOUL ALBUM, SOMETHING THAT I KNOW I WILL CONTINUE ENJOYING/UNDERSTANDING ANEW FOR YEARS TO COME
Tyler, the Creator, Flower Boy
âBLONDED RADIOâ MADE ME JOIN APPLE MUSIC
Frank Ocean, âChanelâ
Frank Ocean, âBiking (solo)â
Tyler and Frank, âWhere This Flower Bloomsâ
MACH HOMMY MAKES GOOD MUSIC THATâS HARD TO ACCESS
âx Earl Sweatshirtâ EP
ty Soundcloud
ITâS A WEIRD TIME B/W THIS BEAT IS SO DEMENTED
Tay-K, âThe Raceâ
PROBABLY MY FAVORITE PHARRELL BEAT
Kap G f/ Pharrell, âIcha Gichaâ
MAYBE THE GREATEST MUSIC EVER MADE, REISSUED
Pharoah Sanders
REMINDED ME OF PHAROAH, WHEN IT WASNâT REMINDING ME OF BON IVER
Joseph Shabason, Aytche
AND I ENJOYED AYTCHEÂ FOR SIMILAR REASONS I LIKED ZONING OUT TO
Tom Rogerson and Brian Eno, Finding Shore
ANNUAL SLOT RESERVED FOR MUSIC I LOVED THAT FEATURED HARP
Alice Coltrane, World Spirituality Classics Vol 1
SAME, BUT FOR HARP STUFF THAT ALSO SHOUTS OUT WAWA
Mary Lattimore, Collected Pieces
ANNUAL SLOT RESERVED FOR TASTEFUL VIBRAPHONE
Jenifa Mayanja, âWarrior Struttâ
YOU TRYING TO GET THE PIPE, TO PLAY IT, OF COURSE, AS PART OF AN EXPERIMENTAL COMPOSITION?
Mary Jane Leach, Pipe Dreams
THEREâS A MOMENT DURING THAT BAD BOY DOCUMENTARY CANâT STOP WONâT STOPÂ WHERE IT BECOMES CLEAR THAT EVERYONE WHO WORKS CLOSELY WITH DIDDY EVENTUALLY TURNS TO GOD, AND IT WAS LIKE THE STRANGE OBVERSE OF
Jay Z et al, 4:44 footnotes
2016, BUT I SAT IN THE MET BREUER AND WATCHED THIS OVER AND OVER FOR ABOUT AN HOUR
Arthur Jafa, âLove is the Message, The Message is Deathâ
I WANT TO WATCH THE FULL FOUR HOURS OF THIS
Dev Hynes talking to Philip Glass
TRICKSTERY BUT KINDA MESMERIZING!
Klein, Tommy
Lolina, Lolita EP
Hype Williams, Rainbow Edition
âNOT ANOTHER GOT MORE SEOUL, UNLESS YOU KOREANâ (CHILLWAVE REMIX)
Mogwaa, Deja Vu
âTHE TING GOES SKRRRAHH, PAP, PAP, KA-KA-KA/SKIDIKI-PAP-PAP, AND A PU-PU-PUDRRRR-BOOM/SKYA, DU-DU-KU-KU-DUN-DUN/POOM, POOM, YOU DONâ KNOWâ
Big Shaq, âMans Not Hotâ
IBID., BUTÂ âPERKYâ
Drake, More Life
I WANTED TO LIKE THE WIZKID ALBUM MORE, BUT THIS WAS AWESOME
Tiwa Savage f/ Wizkid and Spellz, âMa Loâ
LISTENED TO THIS QUITE A FEW TIMES SIMPLY BECAUSEÂ âBREAKING NEWS: WILD GOAT ON THE LOOSEâ IS A WEIRD LINE
Lancey Foux f/ AJ Tracey, Kojey Radical and Jevon, âWild Goatâ
UNITED TIL I DIE BUT AJ TRACEYâS TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR KIT LAUNCH FREESTYLE HAD ME BUZZZZZZIN
AJ Tracey, âFalse 9âł
DIFFERENT TIME OF DAY, KINDA LEFT ME SPEECHLESS
Grouper, âChildrenâ
Colleen, A Flame my love, a frequency
Kara Lis Coverdale, Grafts
Ryuichi Sakamoto, async
LEFT RYUICHI SAKAMOTO ENVIOUS
Metaphors:Â Selected Soundworks from the Cinema of Apichatpong Weerasethakul
FROM OMNI TRIO TO THIS, A PRETTY VISIONARY CAREER
Robert Haigh, Creatures of the Deep
A SONG THAT FEATURED TWO PEOPLE WHO SHOULD BE PRETTY BIG IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS
DJDS f/ Amber Mark and Marco McKinnis, âTrees on Fireâ
LIKE, THIS IS GREAT
Amber Mark, âLose My Coolâ
AWESOME YEAR FOR POTIONS
Social Lovers, âDrop Me a Lineâ
Boss, âSong for Godsâ
WHISKED ME BACK TO MEMORIES OF the enormous room
Joakim, âSamuraiâ
Calvin Harris f/ Frank Ocean and Migos, âSlideâ
Amp Fiddler, âIâm Feeling Youâ
Chaos in the CBD, Accidental Meetings
LIKE FALLING ASLEEP ON THE SUBWAY, OR A TRUCK HITTING A POTHOLE AND SPITTING OUT A RECORD COLLECTION, OR HEARING A NANOSECOND OF BRAND NUBIAN THROUGH SOMEONEâS HEADPHONES AS YOU PASS THEM ON THE STREET, ITâS A VIBE
Standing on the Corner, Red Burns
MIKEâS A SAVIOR
Mike
1. I SPENT A LOT OF TIME THIS YEAR THINKING ABOUT THE STRENGTH, ELASTICITY, FRAGILITY, GRAIN OF THE HUMAN VOICE AND SOME OF THIS WAS TOTALLY NECESSARY AND SUBLIME
Deep Throat Choir, Be Ok
Diamanda Galas, All the Way
Moses Sumney, Aromanticism
2. SO ACHINGLY GOOD AND INTIMATE, ESPECIALLY THAT FAINT CROAK IN THE FIRST CHORUS
Rostam f/ Kelly Zutrau, âHalf-Lightâ
3. OF COURSE THESE WORLD-MAKERS TOO
Bjork, Utopia
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith, The Kid
Valerie June, âAstral Planeâ
3a. A STRANGE PROPOSITION THAT I ENDED UP ADORING
KAS covering Sadeâs "By Your Side"
THE BAY AREA IS JUST DIFFERENT
Droop-E, Trillionaire Thoughts
Lil B, Black Ken
THEÂ âBUILD YOU UPâ VIDEO WAS FUN AND ALL BUT IâM REALLY GLAD THIS WASNâT THAT
Kamiayah, Before I Wake
THE BAY TO L.A. AND BACK AGAIN
Mozzy f/ G Perico, âBlammatoryâ
G Perico f/ Mozzy, âWhatâs Realâ
GYEAH
MC Eiht, Which Way Iz West
OUTRUN THE BEAT
SOB x RBE, âLane Changing 2âł
BANDS THAT ALWAYS SOUND LIKE THEMSELVES, IN WAYS THAT I FIND COMFORTING
the xx, I See You
King Krule, The Ooz
SAME AS ABOVE, MIDDLE-AGED DIVISION
The Feelies, In Between
Slowdive, âStar Rovingâ
SOMEONE WHO SOUNDS LIKE NO ONE ELSE
Jlin, Black Origami
THE NEW NATIONAL ANTHEM
Dreezy f/ 6LACK and Kodak Black, âSparâ
I LOOKED UP EACH TIME THIS CAME ON THE SHUFFLE
Shanti Celeste, âLoop One/Selectorâ
PROBABLY MY FAVORITE SONG
GoldLink f/ Brent Faiyaz and Shy Glizzy, âCrewâ
OR MAYBE
Jorja Smith x Preditah, âOn My Mindâ
THIS WAS SICK TOO
GoldLink & Co. covering Outkastâs âRosesâ
MAYBE THE BEST SONG
J Hus, âDid You Seeâ
ANOTHER YEAR, ANOTHER YEAR WHERE MY FAVORITE RELEASE WAS PROBABLY FROM YAEJI, THEÂ âGLASSES FOGGING UPâ LINE WAS VERY RELATABLE
Yaeji, EP2
THE SONG OF THE SPRING, SUMMER, WINTERÂ Â
I MEAN, ITâS WAYNEâS WORLD, WE JUST LIVE IN IT
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SIKH DEVOTIONAL MUSIC ::Â 2016
SPOOKY BLACK ::Â 2015