Aurgasm

indie folk // rock

“How long can you disguise what you feel with a song?” is my favorite Infantree lyric. Similar to a present-day Déjà Vu, Would Work is deeply poetic with louder rock, banjo-fringed folk and baroque styling. Strong lead vocals, each unique to their three songwriting members, and marvelous harmonies stay my attention alongside progressive arrangements. Every song is a painting embodying the band in surreal brushstrokes detailed with touching piano, disquieted hallways, or Spanish hue. Serious yet playful; connected to growth and learning; the unstitched fibers of their being are rooted in sounds branching out – forming a companionship that includes you. (thx, Elana)

Poetic timbre.
Infantree – Mourning Glory
Infantree – If She Could
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americana // bluegrass

When music reminds me of home, it stirs up childhood joys and fantastic daydreams of life yet lived. Vocal tones threading struggle with hope, telling lyrics backed by bluegrass or folk-rock, with mandolin and banjo especially hitting that note. Gavin Glass does this, as does Sarah Jarosz. On her debut, Song Up In Her Head, she captures escaping wonder with inner intimacy that’s incredible to realize is the work of a 17 year-old. Among her originals is the Grammy-nominated instrumental “Mansinneedof” and brilliant covers of Tom Waits and The Decemberists. Parts of a lifelong journey having a steady pulse of assurance on the road ahead.

Mandolin wind on the road that’s going home.
Sarah Jarosz – Tell Me True
Sarah Jarosz – Long Journey
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bliss-pop

Breezy with a beat, their infectious, sunny pop songs are riding waves and moving your shore. Pop doesn’t enter my playlist often, but this I cannot resist. Milo Greene is a new quintet in Los Angeles, harmonizing bliss like Local Natives drenched in glee from Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. (thx, Elana)

Takes me away.
Milo Greene – 1957
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spirit-songwriter

A true friend sitting next to my soul.  Talking with me.   Laying in a green field on a hill.   Wildflowers dance the breeze.   Sun shines…  bright blue sky…  curious clouds mozy by.   Trees and forests are not too far away.  Hills and valley, mostly.   Talking about anything.   Stars, dreams –  what we enjoy or  what others destroy.   Comforts found together.

Survival of the dearest.
Mariee Sioux – Bundles
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classical // soul

Play the field. Knee-deep, heart-steep.
Peter Broderick – Sideline
Peter Broderick – With A Key
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A luscious and vibrant sound was my aim for this mix, titled ‘Safe Bet’ because I wanted to create an introduction to downtempo / electronic music in a way that may captivate and grow interest. To subtly build an unfamiliar atmosphere and give hints of more to explore.

donthink – Safe Bet (63min):

1. Xploding Plastix – Dieci
2. Mujaji – Siempre (Jon Kennedy Remix)
3. Bonobo – Change Down
4. Jon Kennedy – Brown Acid
5. Bathysphere – Where’s Vicky (Quantic Mix)
6. Caural – Sipping Snake Blood Wine (Savath & Savalas Remix)
7. The Cinematic Orchestra – All Things To All Men ft Roots Manuva
8. Broadway Project – Beauty
9. Yenara – When Mountain Meets The Sea
10. A Guy Called Gerald – Humanity ft Louise Rhodes (Funkstörung Remiks)
11. Daedelus – Minor Detour
12. King Seven – Hidden
13. Opiate – Pk 50
14. Hint – Count Your Blessings (Bonobo Mix)
15. Florian Ross – Piano Interlude

jazz // noir // lust

Is to give your heart or have it taken all of life? Nothing else seems relevant in Nicole Simone‘s music, and that’s something I can relate to. She loves me, she loves me not – a field of daisies ravaged by uncertainty. Her sultry persuasion can caress or carve out a heart with paralyzing euphoria and inflict stoic men with boyish war. A silky smooth trumpet coats one’s will, the gentle bass thump removes your armor, as marxophone, guitar and piano fastens temptation. Dark, moody, passionate desire, eerie and erotic – provocative songs that linger like an eternal flame; reducing your soul to brimstone ash.

Our saintly hearts.
Nicole Simone – Melt
Nicole Simone – Teach Me
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Appalachian // Shanty

Time leads me to belonging’s grace. The drifting mountains, sifting hills, forests enclave, gravel pounds. Walking til’ my feat falls flat; I rest under trees why leaves camouflage me. Already west when my quest is back home… in a faint, beckoning assuage; reminiscent of Ma who always cared too much – with her undying love now a comforting memory – as footsteps in my soul on a path to soar. Black-eyed Susans and their friends break earth around me.. do they sing when they see the sun? A shout, a gasp, or a sigh for eternity? What do they believe? The strum of petals forgiving sin; steady growth like beard or wind; bark that bites, angels who romp, and heartbeat knock, tick-tock, of a flock. Do they or the birds above see me? Window’s fog is revealing fingerprinted faces, and a Portland, Maine man, David Lamb, has Rhode Islands across lakes of succumbing fate to find The Devil Dancing.

Soft shoes and skull shakers.
Brown Bird – Bottom of the Bottle
Brown Bird – Severed Soul
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Orchestral // Jazz // Ambient

Overtures creep toward you bearing ominous insight. A ravenous beast of symphonic scale lurks behind every measure; its teeth a menacing discord that devour your surroundings presence. Henryk Górecki could be leading The Cinematic Orchestra through a dirge, yet the scourge of blaring horns and thunderous storms evoke nameless regions. This elegant, brooding ardor bleeds from The Netherlands as The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble; a project originating with Jason Köhnen and Gideon Kiers to recreate scores for the classic films Nosferatu and Metropolis. Angelic offerings scarcely appear to cradle your stay, but whirlwind strings and industrial plight will have their say. Aching with beauty and purpose, Here Be Dragons is a story I do not want to unhold.

Arrangements for Hallows’ eve.
The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble – Caravan!
The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble – Embers
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neo-classical

Gentle fireworks.
Ólafur Arnalds – Ljósið
Ólafur Arnalds – Raein
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