April 2018 ~ Euclid Records, Window on the World

in

“We took advantage of a work trip to a conference in New Orleans to spend a couple days tooling around that fantastic music city. I made a pilgrimage to Euclid Records, where my fond memories from a visit in 2014 were confirmed. Euclid is just one of the best record stores I've ever been to, both expansive and expertly curated at the same time. Every section is chock full of gems, including the seemingly off-to-the-side world music section, where I stumbled on a record by Mlevhu, whose cover caught my attention.”

Featuring: Jean Grae & Quelle Chris, H. Hawkline, Lord Huron, Bombino, and more.

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March 2018 ~ Born Under Punches

in

“This song exposes the asymmetry behind male grievance. It's about the way that the practical realities of living in certain bodies decimates the hypothetical framework of false equivalences. In short, there are real differences between negative feelings towards different groups, based on how likely those negative feelings are to contribute to the physical harm, or death, of their targets. And you thought you were listening to a jaunty indie rock song.” 

Featuring: Angélique Kidjo, Wu Man, Clara Rockmore, Pussy Riot, and more.

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February 2018 ~ Black Panther Month

in

"I thought of this song after watching news reports about people in Philadelphia rioting to celebrate the Eagles winning the Super Bowl. Many, many people pointed to the hypocrisy in the way officials and media treated these riots, as compared to Black Lives Matter and similar demonstrations. It's really kind of crazy how blatant the bias is on this front. Of course, Joe Strummer is talking about white riots in a different way in this song -- almost in reverse."

Featuring: Bilal, Manu Dibango, U.S. Girls, Lee Morgan, and more. 

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January 2018 ~ Tranquility

in

"New Years is an opportunity to collectively step outside the rush of everyday life for a couple days and recenter. This year, these moments have been an opportunity to inhale deeply and find a measure of tranquility. To recognize tranquility as an important counterbalance to the urgency of our disturbing political and cultural moment. Like twin planets that keep each other in orbit through mutual gravity."

Featuring: Bedouine, Ron Miles, Claude Debussy, Les Filles de Illighadad, and more.

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December 2017 ~ Navidad Psicodélico

in

I went to Mexico City in search of this psychedelic sound, manifest in any way possible. The problem with the record shops was that they were full of American imports, things I could easily buy in 10 different record stores in Chicago. Finally, seeing my relative disinterest, the owner asked what I was actually looking for. "Things I can't buy in the States. Especially psychedelic cumbia, stuff like that." He immediately named two shops I needed to check out. I never did get to either of those shops, but looking them up online (especially Dedos Sucios) it was clear that what I was looking for did exist. I'll be back...

Featuring: Sonidos Gallo Negro, Elton John, Irreversible Entanglements, Juan Gabriel, and more. 

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November 2017 ~ Hitting a Wall

in

"This month I hit a major wall in my life as a grassroots political organizer. Back when I was leading meetings of our neighborhood Indivisible group, I got in the habit of encouraging everyone to find some time in their week to do something joyful that has nothing to do with politics. I guess that's what I've been trying to do this month. This music has been a major part of that recharging."

Featuring: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Lonnie Johnson, Sampa the Great, Alessandro Cortini, and more. 

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October 2017 ~ The Problem Here

in

"Seeing basically every woman I'm friends with on Facebook write "#metoo" (and sometimes much more detail) really breaks my heart. And, even though I feel generally confident that I'm on the positive end of the spectrum of male behavior, hearing so many stories has me revising my take on some things in my past and thinking deeply about the way I move through the world, connecting some dots that needed connecting. My personal take-away: Keep learning, keep listening, keep striving to be better."

Featuring: Tanzania Albinism Collective, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Témé Tan, Snoop Dogg, and more. 

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September 2017 ~ Walls

in

"Hiss Golden Messenger's M.C. Taylor introduced his song "When the Wall Comes Down" by commenting on how ridiculous the idea of a wall with Mexico is. Although his music is never explicitly political, it's clearly on his mind. His descriptions from the road of seeing Trump signs disappear in towns that were littered with them prior to last year's election has been one small spot of hope for me this year." 

Featuring: Mastodon, Jane Weaver, Youssra El Hawary, Nilüfer Yanya, and more.

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August 2017 ~ African Fake Out

in

"Working on putting this playlist together, it started to feel like there was a secret theme - music that sounds like it's from Africa, but isn't."

Featuring: Msafiri Zawose, Steve Lacy, Deerhoof, Deradoorian, and more.

 

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July 2017 ~ There Are Doubts Regarding Your Ability

in

"Everything Ishmael Butler has a hand in sounds amazing, and the two new albums from Shabazz Palaces are no exception. I've said it before, but this music is leading the vanguard of hip-hop, pushing the outer edges of what it can be. This group has perfected the formula for blending spaced-out experimentalism with street attitude. Yup, this is rap music, but, damn, it's got very little to do with, say, Gucci Mane, or even Kendrick."

Featuring: Dizzee Rascal, fIREHOSE, Colin Stetson, The Damned, and more. 

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June 2017 ~ No Such Thing As Someone Else's War

in

"My god, this is the kind of music we need right now, especially in the country music world. I know there are so so many people who identify with this sound, who maybe speak with a twang and drive a pick-up truck, but who are compassionate, intelligent, progressive. I'm so grateful to Isbell for giving them a voice." 

Featuring: Jason Isbell, Kevin Abstract, Amara Touré, Sex Bob-Omb, and more. 

 

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May 2017 ~ Impeach the President

in

"Between the political echo between Nixon and Trump and the revival of '60's soul sound (courtesy of Daptone Records and similar units), it was actually hard to suss if this song was contemporary or from the '60's. It's about Nixon, but, damn could it just as easily be about the current crook in chief." 

Featuring: Algiers, Yazz Ahmed, Soundgarden, the Honey Drippers, and more.

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April 2017 - "Think of others, be their cover"

in

"Kevin Morby's song is a rambling bramble of Dylanesque musings, with plenty of trenchant contemporary references: 

'If you ever hear that sound now
If the door gets kicked in here, they come now
Think of others, be their cover
I am what they're not' "

Featuring: Hurray for the Riff Raff, jaimie branch, Big Boi, Feist, and more.

 

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March 2017 - For Ken Haferman, a true American iconoclast

in

"Ken knew a lot about a lot of stuff. He was a self-educated cantankerous iconoclast in a classic mold. He could be a pain in the ass, I'm sure. The main event for me, though, was getting to back him on guitar while he spun old-timey American gold on his banjo. Ken was one of my all time favorite musicians to play with. I can't say exactly why. It was just always fun."

Featuring: Tamikrest, Wheelchair Sports Camp, alt-J, Gorillaz, and more.

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February 2017 ~ We On Now

in

"I love it when great rappers get political, socially conscious, whatever you want to call it. Especially when they continue to sound like they're doing the same old rap braggadocio. Nope. This is a song about black power. Period. And Staples doesn't pull any punches."

Featuring: Vince Staples, Jesca Hoop, Oddisee, Las Cafeteras, and more.

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January 2017 ~ Resist

in

"This month has been all about resisting apocalyptic notions - adjusting to the new political reality, the new social reality, the new personal reality. Hell, this month has been just about resisting, period."

Featuring: Elza Soares, Laura Marling, Idriss Ackamoor, Killer Mike, and more. 

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December 2016 ~ Holiday in Cuba

in

"We went to Cuba for six days this month, the first time I've been out of the country for at least 15 years. As usual, searching for vinyl was a central activity. Like most things in Havana, this isn't as simple as it is here in the States."

Featuring: Benny Moré, Run the Jewels, Psalm One, Benny Thomasson, and more.

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November 2016 ~ F******CK! (America)

in

"I just don’t recognize my reality, my America, in all this crap. I know that my life, and the lives of so many people I know, has nothing to do with these cartoonish characterizations. So, to battle this maddening reductionism, I want to state for the record who this real American is."

Featuring: Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, A Tribe Called Quest, Laura Marling, Run the Jewels, and more. 

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October 2016 ~ Points of View

in

"It's interesting to compare the parallel careers of Solange and her sister, who both released albums in 2016 that are largely about black pride and the empowerment of black women. With her lower pop-profile, Solange seems to be able to come at it from a sharper angle - the lyrics more plainly and assertively hew to the theme, and the music is more stripped down, much further out from the center of pop radio accessibility. Delightfully, the album still hit number 1 on the charts."

Featuring: Deerhoof, Kate Tempest, Danny Brown, EL VY, and more. 

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