This Week In Music - March 30th - Part One

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Today we explore the whimsical rhymes of Aesop Rock, the beautifully distinct jazz vocals of Veronica Swift, the intricate sounds of Australian band Bones & Jones, and the a synth filled pop masterpiece by Laura Mvula.

Be sure to check back on Friday for part 2 when we guide you through 12 more new songs and release the full 24 song playlist.

Aesop Rock - Long Legged Larry

Aesop Rock was one of the preeminent underground hip hop artists to emerge in the late 90's. He has tattoos on both his forearms referencing a line from the 1956 film Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The left forearm reading, "Must not sleep..." and the right, "...Must warn others." These words unknowingly seeped into his work ethic. Releasing 8 solo records since 1997 while also working collaboratively in 5 side projects and acting in several films. His latest release Long Legged Larry is a playful upbeat song that at first listen may seem silly, but by applying the lens of allegory it reveals deep meaning. A story about the power of the underdog to tackle challenges at which all others have failed. Sometimes silliness is the greatest revealer truth.

But, like, I want to write a song about the dead rabbit outside the garage, like, that’s the songs I want to write. I’m not confronting the issues in my music. When people shame me for, you know, “You have this platform, you should be writing this type of music,” and I’m like, “man, no."

Laura Mvula - Safe Passage

Laura Mvula grew up outside of Birmingham, England with a mother from Saint Kitts and a father from Jamaica. In her youth she was inspired by the British girl group Eternal. Following her love for music she graduated from the Birmingham Conservatoire with a degree in composition. She's overcome her crippling stage fright and released 3 albums to critical acclaim. Her latest single Safe Passage taps into those early 90's girl group vibes. She describes the song as, "a poem about the vehicle that takes us all from the space where we feel like we’re drowning, and we’re trapped to the promised land, which actually exists."

I want this next project to be out of my comfort zone. I haven’t really worked with other people; I’m used to being in my own world, but I’m very much looking forward to experimenting and joining forces with other artists and producers and beat-makers.

Tyler Childers - Country Squire

Tyler Childers was raised in Lawrence County, Kentucky by his coal mining father and his mother a nurse. He learned to sing in his local church choir and began playing guitar and writing songs at the age of 13. In 2017 he released his breakthrough album Purgatory produced by Sturgill Simpson and David Ferguson, and in 2018 he won emerging artist of the year at the Americana Music Honors & Awards. Country Squire the title track off his 2019 release is a jaunty tune chock full of ironic lyrics about an artist building his dream home which just so happens to be a pull behind trailer.

Like I’ve said before, it’s all about props: Solo cups or whatever. It’s not about a dude’s work day or someone that lost a good friend or relative. There’s nothing to hold onto when you’re going through something. That’s what music is supposed to do. It’s supposed to help people out. Anybody can listen to what they want, I just don’t have the time or patience for it.

Katy Kirby - Traffic!

Katy Kirby grew up in an evangelical family in the small town of Spicewood, Texas. Their house was devoid of secular music, but her father was obsessed with melody exposing her a wide array of religious artists. As she grew older she began questioning her faith and found songwriting to be her ideal form of creative expression. Traffic! deconstructs male privilege using intricate instrumentation, an upbeat rhythm, and a self deprecating video exposing the abuses women face on a daily basis.

Me thinking about music as a thing to do definitely intersects with me losing my faith, and I was writing my way out of a lot of that confusion

Will Jay - House I Used to Call Home

Will Jay was born in LA to Chinese and German parents. He started playing piano at the age of 4 and his dedication to becoming a classical trained pianist earned him a scholarship. He was a member of the boy band IM5 performing over 200 shows before leaving in 2015 to pursue a solo career. House I Used To Call Home is a tender piano driven dedication to leaving the home he grew up in.

I describe my music as a family tree. Going back two generations, I would consider my grandparents to be The Beatles, as they are my main inspiration for songwriting. My mom is Adele and my father is Elton John. I have many influences but if there’s one artist I want to sound like, it’s Elton.

Veronica Swift - Prisoner of Love

Veronica Swift was raised in Charlottesville by her parents jazz pianist Hod O'Brien and singer Stephanie Nakasian. Soaking up the music within her household she recorded her debut album at the age of 9 employing her fathers rhythm section, and soon began touring with her parents. While attending The University of Miami's Frost School of Music she composed a goth-rock opera entitled Vera Icon about a homicidal nun. Prisoner of Love off her latest album, This Bitter Earth, is a beautiful rendition of this 1931 Leo Robin tune.

I’d get up at 8 a.m. and I could hear my dad playing the piano, practicing. So the music was constantly around, but it was really more like the way language is around. You don’t even think about it. It wasn’t even special. Which is why, when people ask me, `When did you discover your passion for singing jazz?’ – it was never a passion. It’s just how it was.

Bones and Jones - Heaven in the Home

Hailing from Geelong, Australia this 6 piece band are steadily evolving their sound. They began by exploring the sounds of 60s garage rock and have since begun crafting much more lush songs. Their hard work has payed off. In 2018 they were selected to showcase at the inaugural Changes Music Summit by industry representative body Music Victoria. Heaven in the Home showcases their gentler side and explores the need for a safe space to express oneself.

Heaven In The Home is a song about checking in on your mates and your own mental health. Being a young man, it hasn’t been hard to find someone close to me who has struggled or been affected by depression. It's one of our softer songs but also one of my favourites.

L'Impératrice — Hématome

L'Impératrice is a French pop collective of 6 musicians founded in Paris in 2012. Charles de Boisseguin a music critic started creating music and soon found others who wished to join him. In the beginning they created solely instrumental music, but just as the music was becoming stale they met Flore Benguigui in 2015 setting them on a new path. Their latest single Hématome is an examination of the disappointment felt between the people we are in the virtual world and reality.

Matahari is a gal who lied to everyone, managing to bluff and deceive whomever she chose: she invented herself as a dancer, secret agent, she found herself at l'Olympia giving concerts to a full-house even though she was nothing at all.... The group is called L'Impératrice because we all have a certain fascination for everything this woman represents: her sensitivity, her sensuality, her elegance...The analogy seemed obvious to me between Matahari and L’Impératrice­

Bill Withers - Lean On Me

Bill Withers was born with a stutter in the small coal-mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia. He enlisted in the Navy at the age of 17 serving 9 years. It was during this time he developed an interest in singing and writing songs. After leaving the navy he worked on assembly lines for Douglas Aircraft Corporation, IBM and Ford while creating demos with his own money and performing at night. Lean On Me was the first single from his second album reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song expresses gratitude for having people in our lives we know will help us carry our burdens.

I bought a little piano and I was sitting there just running my fingers up and down the piano. In the course of doing the music, that phrase crossed my mind, so then you go back and say, 'OK, I like the way that phrase, Lean On Me, sounds with this song.

Conkrete God - Gold

Conkrete God is an Atalanta, Georgia based hard rock band. With the domineering presence of front woman Denitra Islter they combine melody with heavy guitar riffs to create a unique concoction of rock'n'roll. Guitarists Terry Webb and Corey Stayton and bassist Norm Smith were all members of Atlanta band Nutbush before it fizzled out. As they all started going their separate ways they met Denitra in 2017, and the instant chemistry was tantalizing. Fast forward to 2021 and their latest single Gold is an excellent example of what they've achieve in a few short years: a feminist message wrapped in the cloak of heavy metal.

We did not necessarily start out explicitly saying there is any one style of music we are going to do. Instead it was more ‘Do what you do. Be yourself and just play.’

Vincent Boot - This Crazy World

Vincent Boot is a pianist from the Netherlands who creates his own atmosphere in contemporary music that really touches the soul. He has collaborated with famous world star, singer and tv presenter Sandra Reemer. His song This Crazy World was a moment of serenity in the whirlwind of chaos that was 2020.

In a time when few can travel, listening to “Tales from Atlantis” is an interesting, enjoyable, and profoundly rewarding experience. It – and the over 20 singles Vincent Boot has released over the last two years – establish him as one of the most promising up-and-coming artists on the New Age music scene.

Sam Feldt - Stronger (ft. Kesha)

Kesha teams up with Dutch DJ Sam Feldt to create a cathartic song grappling with the abuse she continues to face within the music industry and the inner strength she needed to develop in order to overcome those obstacles. Feldt a long time fan of Kesha was excited when she approached him with the idea of the song, and the collaboration has clearly paid off proving Kesha to be the resilient pop star she always was.

That it took people all over the world having to know private information, that was incredibly tragic and traumatic, to have kindness for me and be thoughtful about my music... I just wonder about the human condition of having to see someone torn apart before you want to be kind to them.

Hurray! You've reached the end of Part 1!

As always, remember to check back on Friday when we guide you through 12 more songs you need in your life.

If you enjoyed this content and would like to see more please drop me a tip below. Your support helps further manifest this Music Curation dream of mine, and as always is greatly appreciated.

Namaste,

Charlie Le Fol