Hey friends,
We have a few exciting weeks coming up! Stephanie takes the reins next week, immediately followed by Mirko.
I have heard some of the upcoming tracks from these two and you should be
on the edge of your seat!
After that we will have 4 Track Friday's 53rd episode, marking the beginning of its second year!
As I've mentioned before, I will host a party to honor it (whenever circumstances allow). I also have
free posters
for anyone who has hosted, submitted a track, or just enjoys what we do here! Hit me
up if you want one; you only have to promise to display it somewhere 😉
Oh! And if any of you are early tech adopters, try sharing some Spotify and/or Apple Music tracks to
+1 (206) 984-4147!
Protest rap | Rise by Flobots
Some of you asked if 4TF was going to say anything regarding George Floyd's murder. Yes.
When thinking about how to best bring the topic and music together, Flobots come straight to mind.
You already know them from "Handlebars," which is
honestly one of their softest lyrical efforts. The tracks from this Denver six-piece
are usually much more directly addressed to a human rights or political issue.
This is purposeful, as Stephen "Brer Rabbit" Bracket points out in a 2017 interview with Westword,
"How can we get people to come together for a cause through song?
That influenced the whole methodology of [our] song-building, period.
That's the philosophy of pretty much the last three years of the band.
That's the reason why we looked in a very real way at how we bring music back to protest culture.
How do we establish and build a culture that communicates emotions, that uses our emotional state as a basis for power?
How do we have nonviolent representations of our strength? One of those ways is by having 500 voices be on the same breath.
That was the anchor for both our album and our activist work over the last few years.
We started from the streets and used the songs in a community environment; then we took them to the studio."
Flobots have recently been organizing events, which you can follow on their Twitter.
I encourage you to support whatever facet of justice feels right to you. For me, that's donating to
Campaign Zero. But that's just me, I'd love to
hear what connects with you!
All I know is: Together we rise.
House-ish | About Us by Night Tales
Switching gears a bit, we've got a track that released last week from the Australian duo comprised of
Kamaliza Salamba and Aaron Bannie. They write of themselves that they deliver
a sense of calming introversion and serenity to the listener. Well, while this song definitely takes my mind
to a happier place, it makes me want to dance more than sit still. That said, no one ever said
serenity must be stationary!
Coming off the heels of their many other 2020 releases, I've been enjoying this song's vibe for a couple weeks and I'm glad to finally get it out to you.
Heavy alt | Close by Sweater Curse
It's been a few weeks since we've had something with a heavy guitar, but Monica, Chris, and Rei are here to fix that.
Citing influences like Interpol and Courtney Barnett, you can catch a gritty expressiveness on this one.
It deals with "regret and angst surrounding a breach in a close friendship" and "the desire
to remain close to people even through hard times" (from the artist's Unearthed bio).
Sweater Curse aim to grow their audience in 2020 by continuing to release new music and
I'm absolutely here to share it.
P.S. This group's moniker taught me that the "sweater curse" is the knitting community's belief that
if a knitter gives a hand-knit sweater to a significant other, they will break up. It's a real thing with
real mechanisms. Be careful out there!
Jazzy solos | Start Goofin' by Nadamondi
There's only one word for this track: tremendous.
Devon sent this act to me in mid-March and I've been regularly enjoying them ever since.
Enjoying popularity in Brazil, Columbia, Mexico, and Australia, whoever this act is remains rather underground (I can't find any information!).
However, they are definitely cranking out the smooth vibes. Their most recent EP released two days ago,
called Incognito which follows not one, but two other 2020 releases.
Each EP contains a totally different mood while keeping the musical structure much the same.
There's always a catchy intro, a treble solo, a bass solo, and then a mixing of it all together.
It reminds me of jazz, but with a modern feel.
Hopefully Nadamondi continues their 2020 trend and continues to give us more music to enjoy!
Of course, don’t forget to reply with what you liked, didn’t like, and what you’ve been listening
to.
And, as always, this week’s tracks are added to the collectors for all weeks' tracks on
Spotify
and
Apple Music.
Cheers,
Tanner