Katie's Music Digest: Early May!

Hi! Hello! 

Hasn’t it been a while??? Big announcement time I guess, I am no longer the music director here at the station but….I will be the new program director!! Woohoo! Anyways, for a long time period I was feeling quite homesick honestly and because of that, I was listening to the same 3 Erykah Badu albums and Turnover on repeat for about a month. Therefore, not anything to write home about. But, I’m glad to say that I think I have finally broken the spell. 

Alright new music, huh? I must March and April were AMAZING months for new music of any genre. The iconic label 4AD released 4 beautiful compilations of their artists covering other 4AD artists’ songs. Helado Negro recorded an amazing cover of Deerhunter’s “Futurism” on the second EP and artists such as Jenny Hval and Tkay Maidza did not disappoint either. Brazilian rock legends, Boogarins are known for churning out albums like it is nobody’s business and their latest album recorded live in Austin is a wonderful and calming sequel to Manchaca Vol. 1. The common theme of rock and specifically punk music taking over much of my listening habits over the past month doesn’t just end with Boogarins. Black Midi, Cher Strauberry, and Glitterer brought new twists to a genre that is known for staying relatively static. Three of my new top album picks for 2021 so far make this past month’s cut with “La Vita Olistica” by the Orielles, “Play With The Changes” by Rochelle Jordan, and L’Imperatrice’s “Tako Tsubo”. I must admit, I never really listened to much of The Orielles prior to this album but the catchy nature of “Memories of Miso” had me wanting to hear the song again at any second of the day. Rochelle Jordan, widely known for her close relationship with iconic electronic producer Machinedrum as well as working on Jacques Greene’s “Dawn Chorus”, pairs up with Machinedrum and Jimmy Edgar once again for her first solo album since 2014. My fellow MD Alex and I have been GUSHING over this album since we put it on air and for very good reason. As a long time listener of R&B, Rochelle Jordan symbolizes everything I hope the genre moves towards. A more risk-taking approach that merges alot of production with that of electronic music, yet it still maintains the soulful and harmonious nature of the roots of the genre (and I very much would bet my money on her being the next R&B princess next to stars like Kelela and Dawn Richard). Finally, French pop group L’Imperatrice puts forth another fun and energetic album for all of your dancing in the shower needs. For me, the group has never disappointed in whatever they produce and although it can be seen as them not branching out from where they’ve started, to me, they know what works. Making groovy dance songs that is sure to make anyone drop everything they are doing is their specialty and they are wildly good at doing so. 

Now, time for some honorable mentions of the past month. If you have seen my spotify activity on any given day, I am most likely listening to the iconic Japanese girl group CHAI. Their latest single “Nobody Knows We Are Fun” from their upcoming project set to release later this month gives listeners exactly what they need, a fun, energetic song with a lot of spunk. You bet that when that album comes out, it will make its way to my spotify wrapped. Another wonderful album that I have thoroughly enjoyed is jazz extraordinaire Alfa Mist’s “Bring Backs”. Recently gaining a spot on “A Colors Show” for his song “Organic Rust”, he has proven to push the genre forward while still maintaining much of its historic elements. One of my new favorites, Hannah Jadagu has put forward a stellar EP filled with indie love songs that you’ll find yourself always wanting more of. Legend Japanese Breakfast’s new double single has made me even more excited for her upcoming album and has made me even more sad I passed up the opportunity to see her perform at Gramp’s three years ago. 

I hope you have found some wonderful new music through this playlist and merging them with your old listening habits! Hopefully with the summer I will be doing these more frequently but we shall see. Catch ya later!

Much Love,

Katie Lesh