Hello again everyone,
Special thanks to the three guest hosts who provided me with a much needed
break. With all that time, I've discovered enough for
my next four episodes at least! Extra special thanks to Joe and Shawn, who
have sent me so much music lately that it's really got me feeling exploration vibes!
You'll hear a lot of it soon, starting today :) And before I forget, next week we've
got Kyle guest hosting!
This week we have two tracks from Shawn, another from Joe, and one from Corey. Corey even used
the 4 Track Friday phone number! Be more like Corey and share your favorite Spotify and Apple Music
links to +1 (206) 984-4147. Let's dig in.
Expressive Jazz | Visit Croatia | Alabaster DePlume
Album Review
Shawn sent me this with the message, "It's so expressive!" I'm compelled to agree.
Angus Fairbairn is a London-based composer, saxophonist, and much
more. He has a solid discography, every bit of it
making you feel something. I've always thought that songs without
words can communicate powerfully, and this track might be my new favorite example.
To Cy & Lee: Instrumentals, Vol. 1, the album for which this track opens,
is named after Cy Lewis and Lee Bowman, two individuals that helped Fairbairn learn to
socialize better. One way they did that was to improvise a capella vocal melodies together.
Fairbairn recorded some of these sessions on his phone before turning them into fully-fledged
compositions, an example of which you find here.
“Named in honour of my original collaborators,” Fairbairn writes in the record's liner notes,
“the two men I was employed to support, who taught me the best things I know.
Cy, a percussionist and un-guessable alto, sign-language inventor and chef,
owned the car we drove around while chanting out what became some of the best of these melodies.
Lee, the famous rascal, the great showman of villainy,
hero of dissent and one of the bravest men I know, curated this material,
even as it was written, through his personal requirements of what he found helpful, music-wise,
to stay at least a little bit calm, in this world of demands, threats and madness.
“These tunes… are products of the times we had, while supporting each other through difficulties,
and learning from one another, about courage, people and life.
They’re an impression of what we found was needed, to exist, and a celebration of communication that’s free from the demands of words.”
Malian Folk | Soukora | Ali Farka Touré with Ry Cooder
Shawn's second track of the week comes from
one of the most internationally successful West African musicians
of the '90s, even though Touré may have preferred to tend exclusively to his rice farm.
However, his producer luckily convinced him more than once to deal with the draining demands of
making and performing music, this time for a collaborative album with Ry Cooder, an American
guitarist known for his ability to play in many different musical styles.
Touré's sound and influence stands tall on the album, which displays
delightful guitar play, rhythm, and (on some tracks) swaying vocals to produce
music unlike anything I'd heard before.
Artfolk | Show Me Naomi | Bahamas
Now for something from my newfound obsession, the solo project of Canadian Afie Jurvanen. Around the
time he finished his own episode last week, Joe sent me the text, "Duuuuuuude you heard of Bahamas?"
No, I hadn't. The recommendation was to start with Earthtones, which I've come to think of
as Jurvanen's strongest effort to date. It goes wonderfully in several directions, all of which deliver
incredible creativity and wit.
The album begins with the nuanced "Alone" before later turning into the actually hilarious
"Bad Boys Need Love Too," but one of the simplest fun tracks on the album has to be
"Show Me Naomi."
The album's production quality, wordplay, and funky guitars shine through on this one in a way
that I hope encourages you to try the rest of the record.
Deep German New House | Prelusion | Mark Tarmonea (feat. Yannek Maunz)
Corey is here to remind you that you haven't been to a club in a while. You probably can't even
remember the last time you went to a club. Well, if you went to one this weekend, you'd be lucky
if they put this track on.
Mark Tarmonea was born in Romania, but fled to America and then Europe at a young age before finally
settling in Munich. Since the age of seven, he's been making music, DJ'ing, and ghost producing.
This collaboration with a fellow German resident is wonderfully deep, at times dark,
but always satisfyingly staged. As with the rest of the tracks this week, this one
strongly benefits from good headphones.
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