“Slow week this week”, only 50 songs and albums submitted
Cruise Ship Designer, single by Dry Cleaning. The music is ok if a little bland, but the concept and the lyrics are brilliant and thoughtful. I included this because it is a deep look at another person’s mind through music. Stream on major platforms
Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party, album by Hayley Williams. A sprawling 20-song album of explicit interior bliss and pain, topped off by bonus tracks. A journey through the mind of a young woman looking for love, or finding love and rejecting it, or just plain growing up through pain and joy. The music is almost secondary to the poetry/narrative. Though-provoking and to some, maybe sharply relevant. An achievement to be appreciated. Stream on major platforms.
El jefe , single by Shakira + Fuerza Regida. Well, it’s Shakira, one of the most popular female singers in Mexico (although she is Colombian), so you know it is great, addictive rappy, regional music. The combination with the U.S.-based regional Mexican band Fuerza Regida, specializing in música mexicana/corridos tumbados, adds an even deeper regional feel. If you like Mexican regional, you will hit replay on this one. Stream everywhere.
Quicksand, single by Chola Orange with Irene Diaz. A bit of a departure for Diaz, but a nice dive into a new creative space with the alternative Chicano-soul/funk band Cholo Orange. Slow, spacy, for Diaz fans, it is a trip into another side of her amazing creativity. Stream on major platforms.
EZ Boy, single by Hello Seahorse! Stirring, moving, high-energy but gentle impact music. The highly respected combo of vocalist Denise Gutiérrez (Lo Blondo), keyboardist Fernando Burgos (Oro de Neta) and drummer Gabriel “Bonnz!” de León gives just the right tone and notes, carrying you through the air with synths and violins while grounding you solidly with Gutiérrez’s vocals. Stream everywhere
Mujeres, single by Banda Femenil Mujeres del Viento Florido. Off the beaten path, but well, well worth the trip. An all-women wind band from Oaxaca, made up of up to 60 Indigenous musicians with all the traditional Banda instrumentation (clarinets, trumpets, trombones, tubas, percussion, etc. plus indigenous string instruments. The song is swirly, ethereal, unusual, high-energy, and fun. Stream on major platforms
