Monday Mixtape, Vol. 181

Happy Monday! I first heard about Mallrat by listening to BENEE who I first heard about by listening to Joji, all new artists I’ve discovered in the past handful of months. Seeing who artists choose to feature on their tracks is a great way to find new music ;)

Speaking of new music, check out King Green’s new album if you like the track on this mixtape.

Also, Benny the Butcher’s recent mixtape, The Plugs I Met 2, is really good. It’s dark as hell coke rap, a brutal honesty of a life before rapping:

This supposed to be success / then why the fuck I feel stressed out and guilty? / Cuz I’m paid and all my niggas in the Feds or the grave / that shit kill me / That coulda been me / I think about it every day / That coulda been me / I answer every call from jail cuz that coulda been me.

Go find some new music and go down the rabbit hole of sounds :)

Monday Mixtape, Vol. 178

Welcome to this week’s mixtape! I shouldn’t even be using an exclamation point because this mixtape is so chill and subdued.

Ichiko Aoba reminds me of Seu Jorge (who got famous by performing David Bowie tracks with his beautiful voice and classical guitar for Wes Anderson’s movie, The Life Aqautic). Her voice is so delicate, pure, and relaxing. The fact that she’s singing in another language makes it that much better to get lost in. The same can be said for the following track by the incomparable, Jose Gonzalez.

Hayley Williams of Paramore released a solo album a few weeks ago on the heels of her great 2020 solo album. This album, Flowers for Vases / descansos, sounds like a nod to Taylor Swift’s stripped-down phenomenal album, folklore. I love the album because Williams has a beautiful voice, and she’s a hell of songwriter. Mainly just her and her guitar, the album has so much room to breathe and relax in, and it sounds like Williams is in a place comfortable enough to air out all her troubles.

I accidentally came upon Juniper because I was looking for Junip, Jose Gonzalez’s band of yore, who have a instrumental featured on this mixtape. Fortunately, Juniper sound great and remind me a ton of a favorite newer band of mine and frequent contributor to this blog, Hippo Campus.

Ending the mixtape with my favorite type of instrumental, one layered in sustain from a piano. Keep calm and carry on.