This year was one that managed to land me in a much better place at year’s end than start. Spotify’s “Wrapped” review told me my ‘audio aura’ was happy and intense. That seems a reasonable way of also framing my life force. It’s funny how that works.
I listened to over 1,200 hours of music on Spotify. I should mention (or better said, admit) that while I play a lot of music on Spotify, I subscribe to several music streaming services. So, when I say music is always playing in the background, I mean it.
I’m uncertain how Spotify categorizes music genres, but I played the equivalent of 248 of their classifications. I managed to broaden my scope of artists this past year, listening to over 4,200 musicians or groups. That’s a good year of music listening!
Akira Kosemura’s “Spiral” was my most played song. He is a Japanese composer I sought solace from in 2021. As you work your way through this year’s Tunes, best of luck reconciling the majesty of that piece of music with the intensity of songs from Dry Cleaning, Throttle Elevator Music, shame, IDLES and slowthai. Balance is beauty.
The variety of music I listen to always pulls itself together into an eclectic but cohesive mix that hopefully captures the art of living. I’ve always looked to music as a soundtrack to help score every day. Happy and intense. Contemplative and resting. In each moment.
The Beatles regularly creep into my music listening. George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass marked its 50thanniversary in November of 2020. I found myself going back to play it enough this past year that George made it into the top five musicians I listened to. All Things Must Pass was released after The Beatles break up. I forgot how exceptional an album it is.
When I was growing up in London, I worked at Panzer’s Delicatessen. I once delivered groceries to the McCartney’s home in St. John’s Wood. When we first moved to London, we lived in the block of flats right across the street from Abbey Road Studios. The zebra crossing down the street from the studios – featured on the cover of Abbey Road – was a regular street crossing.
I’m surprised by anyone that doesn’t recognize the influence The Beatles had on the evolution of music. It’s easy to listen to new music and not appreciate the origin and inspirations that came before. The Beatles were transformative, they kept pushing music in new directions.
I would say the same about Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Talking Heads, Nirvana, Gil Scott-Heron, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, Prince, Marvin Gaye, Sly & The Family Stone, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, The Bad Plus, Moby, Kanye West and Frank Ocean. Is that a comprehensive list? Not a chance, but I can only imagine the engaged debate and discussions I’ve just started!
If you’re a fan and haven’t seen Peter Jackson’s three-part documentary Get Back – on the making of the album Let It Be and effectively the end of The Beatles – I highly recommend it. It was fascinating to watch and better understand a very particular moment in time, the band’s creative process and the energy behind what eventually pulls them apart.
Paul McCartney made it onto this year’s Tunes with a re-work of “The Kiss of Venus” with Dominic Fike. McCartney did a remix of songs from McCartney III in collaboration with other musicians in 2021, McCartney III Imagined. There is something about that song. It was on last year’s playlist from the original solo project. Back-to-back song showings is a first for me.
2021 saw an astonishing start to the year with a wave of fabulous new music released. My sense is that we were all ready to embrace the transition from pandemic to endemic. Creators unleashed a torrent of talented new work held back to re-engage with a world re-opening.
There are several songs in this year’s Tunes that were included in deluxe album re-issues that contained tracks cut from the original release. Also, collab projects and remixed work of prior songs. Tame Impala’s “No Choice” and Waxahatchee’s “Fruits of My Labor” are standouts. “Fruits of My Labor” is a cover of a Lucinda Williams song. Jeff Tweedy’s reimagining of Roky Erickson’s “For You (I’d Do Anything)” is simply striking.
Habibi is an Arabic word that loosely translates to my love, or my dear. It’s also the name of a Brooklyn based band that took me a decade to discover. They blend Motown-like harmony with garage rock and psychedelic influences. Middle Eastern melody and word structure play a part in helping to shape their vibe. It is poetically harmonic fun.
Marianne Faithfull released She Walks in Beauty in tribute to the great Romantic poets. She partners with the musician and composer Warren Ellis, who is also a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Ellis crafts a subtle ambient backdrop for Faithfull to recite eleven of her favorite Romantic era poems. It is exquisitely crafted.
A few ‘shout outs’ to some of the more creative band names I discovered this past year. At the top of my list stands Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. I’ll leave you to your own interpretation. Personal Space, Dry Cleaning, deep tan, Tele Novella, Heartless Bastards and Throttle Elevator Music are standout band names as well. Happy listening!
My Spotify 2022 Tunes (so far) playlist is up and running, so you can see what cycles on-and-off as music is released throughout the year ahead. Please let me know about new music I’m missing. You can find me at: tunes4ourtimes@gmail.com.
There is always incredible new music being made... you just have to look for it and listen.
“We all do ‘do, re, mi’…you’ve got to find the other notes yourself.” Louis Armstrong