Playlist: Apothecary of Wonders
Here is a fun mix I’ve been listening to in the office lately. I thought you might like it.
Sort of works with a musical mood, sort of doesn’t. Just the way I like it.
An international flavor travelogue.
An auditory exploration.
Tracklist:
“Wandering Melodic Road “ by The Tune
“Nobody Knew The Time” by Beasts of Paradise
“Reflection” by Faran Ensemble
“Chyraa Khoor” Huun-Huur-Tu
“Signs” by Eishan Ensemble
“The Imam” by Sun City Girls
“Junkanoo” by Exuma
“Bismillah” by Sarathy Korwar
“Biba Sada Dil Mor De” by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
“Shudh Sarang” by Pramod Kumar
“Farah 'Alaiyna (Joy Upon Us)” by Ahmed Abdul-Malik
“Mustt Mustt (Extended)” by Kiran Ahluwalia
Browse other Holiday at the Sea playlists.
Visit the Global Elite Music Radio Podcast Supershow page where you can find:
“Wandering Melodic Road “ by The Tune on Episode 10.
"Nobody Knew The Time" by Beasts of Paradise on Episode 13.
"Reflection" by Faran Ensemble on Episode 03.
“Chyraa Khoor” by Huun-Huur-Tu on Episode 19.
"”Esoterica Of Abyssynia” by Sun City Girls on Episode 26.
Browse other Holiday at the Sea posts about Sun City Girls
"Junkanoo" by Exuma on Episode 10.
"Bismillah" by Sarathy Korwar on Episode 08.
Browse other Holiday at the Sea posts about Sarathy Korwar
"Shudh Sarang" by Pramod Kumar on Episode 03.
“Farah 'Alaiyna (Joy Upon Us)” by Ahmed Abdul-Malik on Episode 28.
"Mustt Mustt (Extended)" by Kiran Ahluwalia on Episode 02.
Browse other Holiday at the Sea posts about Kiran Ahluwalia.
Browse other Holiday at the Sea posts about Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Download a PDF of the Jewel Case art if you’re in to that sort of thing.
Tuareg Guitar: Welcome To Saharan Desert Rock
I have made my love of Tuareg Guitar music known to you, dear friends. So the following mix should come as no surprise. As if any of you are waiting around to be surprised by the music mixes I post. But, hey, you go have your own weird daydreams, alright?!
The Sahel Sounds Records Tuareg Guitar page says:
“Tuareg guitar has become one of the most popular folk music in the contemporary Sahara. Originally political ballads, created in exile in Libya, today the sound has expanded to encompass everything from introspective love songs, blistering psychedelic rock, and synthesizer and drum machine. At its core, the music still relies on poetry to transmit a message, carried by the pentatonic solos of a guitar.”
Here is a mix of songs from some of my current favorite Tuareg albums.
Tracklisting:
“Itous” (Live) by Tamikrest
“Nar djenetbouba” by Tinariwen
“Wiwasharnine” by Mdou Moctar
“Idrach” by Timasniwen
“Afous Dafous” by Tartit
“Ici Bas” by Songhoy Blues
“ASCO” by Ali Farka Touré
“Chebiba” by Tallawit Timbouctou
“Imigradan” by Les Filles de Illighadad
“Alemin” by Group Inerane
“Tenere” by Afous d'Afous
“Tekana” by Etran Finatawa
“Dounia” by Toumast
"Amidinin Senta Aneflas” by Terakaft
“Tamudre” by Imarhan
“Ameji (douleur)” by Imaran
Tumastin by Amanar
Browse other Holiday at the Sea playlists.
Holiday at the Sea's Favorite Music of 2019
2019 has been a great year for music. From 30-minute mind-melting jams to Tuareg guitar and all kinds in between. I LOVE year-end lists. I love seeing what other people loved, especially if I can find something I hadn’t heard before. And to a lesser extent, who doesn’t like having their tastes confirmed by people much cooler?
But I don’t necessarily like ranking everything. After all, every list is subjective. And is there really any music that is “best”? Maybe you preferred one album to others, but does that really mean it’s “better”? Excuse me while I step off of my soapbox.
And I don’t like not hearing what people recommend. So, as you already know, I made a four-volume mix of some of my favorite music of the year, which I hope you’ve already checked out. If not, feel free to do so here and here and here and here. Also, just one more time of review, I chose 50 songs this year but only 49 albums since ‘Sideways’ by Seryn was released as a single.
Now that you’ve had a chance to to hear the songs, here is the complete list in alphabetical order.
I Was Real by 75 Dollar Bill
Mandatory Reality by Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society
Ancestral Recall by Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah
U.F.O.F. by Big Thief
Sahari by Aziza Brahim
RE_CORDIS by Bruno Bavota
i,i by Bon Iver
V by The Budos Band
African Giant by Burna Boy
Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest by Bill Callahan
Ghosteen by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
All My Relations by Cochemea
A Good Time by Davido
Grow Towards The Light by Dire Wolves
Sun Cycle / Elk Jam by Elkhorn
Pianoworks by Eluvium
Blue Values by Eamon Fogarty
All Time Present by Chris Forsyth
Gold Past Life by Fruit Bats
One Of The Best Yet by Gang Starr
One Step Behind by Garcia Peoples
The Unseen In Between by Steve Gunn
Back At The House by Hemlock Ernst and Kenny Segal
The Gospel According to Water Joe Henry
Terms of Surrender by Hiss Golden Messenger
More Arriving by Sarathy Korwar
Miri by Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba
Sauropoda by L'Eclair
Ilana (The Creator) by Mdou Moctar
Stars Are The Light by Moon Duo
Three Chords and the Truth by Van Morrison
All Mirrors by Angel Olsen
Desire Path by One Eleven Heavy
Phoenix by Pedro the Lion
Rainford by Lee “Scratch” Perry
Purple Mountains by Purple Mountains
Rose City Band by Rose City Band
‘Sideways’ by Seryn
Out of Darkness by Some Dark Hollow
Illegal Moves by Sunwatchers
Amankor / The Exile by Tartit
Amadjar by Tinariwen
Preserves by Matt Valentine
Father of the Bride by Vampire Weekend
Remind Me Tomorrow by Sharon Van Etten
Come On Up To The House: Women Sing Waits by Various Artists
Water Weird by Wet Tuna
Ode To Joy by Wilco
The Sisypheans by Xylouris White
Walk Through The Fire by Yola
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Listen to Volume 01 of my 2019 Year-End Playlist
Listen to Volume 02 of my 2019 Year-End Playlist
Listen to Volume 03 of my 2019 Year-End Playlist
Listen to Volume 04 of my 2019 Year-End Playlist
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Holiday at the Sea’s Favorite Music Label of 2019
My Favorite music label of the year would have to be, without a doubt, Brooklyn’s Beyond Beyond is Beyond. Self-describes as: "“Music for Heads, by Heads,” which just about sums it up. More a vibe than a genre. A way of thinking than a particular style.
With five out of my favorite 49 albums of the year; (Dire Wolves, Garcia Peoples, L'Eclair, One Eleven Heavy, and Matt Valentine (plus, if I had expanded my list or included an “Honorable Mentions” section, this list would have expanded even more. That De Lorians is really good to mention only one more), no other single label presented as much music that I wanted to hear this year.
I can’t wait to hear what’s next.
Holiday at the Sea's Favorite 2019 Music Mix (Volume 01)
I love year-end lists.
I love to see what other people loved. Especially people I respect who can introduce me to new music (and to a lesser extent, have my tastes validated by people cooler than me). But I don’t dig ranking everything. After all, it’s all subjective in the first place. You may not like what I like, and I probably don’t like what you do, and that’s OK. The past couple of years, I’ve done unranked, alphabetical lists. But this year I’d doing something different. (though there will still be an unranked, alphabetical list at the end).
Over the next several days, I’ll post four different playlists of some of my favorite music of 2019; selections from my favorite albums. Each mix is as close to an hour as I could get it. There are 50 songs, but if you want to be specific, there are only 49 albums represented since ‘Sideways’ by Seryn was released as a single and not part of an album. After lots of finagling, I just decided to leave it that way. It is what it is and it is all great. I hope you enjoy. Here’s the first installment.
Volume 01:
Volume 01 Tracklisting:
‘Out Of The Blue’ by Bruno Bavota from the album RE_CORDIS
‘Cuatro Proverbios’ by Aziza Brahim from the album Sahari
‘Tetuzi Akiyama’ by 75 Dollar Bill from the album I Was Real
‘All My Relations’ by Cochemea from the album All My Relations
‘Family and Loyalty’ by Gang Starr from the album One Of The Best Yet
‘Harmony Hall’ by Vampire Weekend from the album Father of the Bride
‘Taqkal Tarha’ by Tinariwen from the album Amadjar
‘Tomorrow Might as Well Be Today’ by Chris Forsyth from the album All Time Present
‘Wiwasharnine’ by Mdou Moctar from the album Ilana (The Creator)
‘Slabs of the Sunburnt West’ by Hemlock Ernst and Kenny Segal from the album Back At The House
‘Fall in Your Love’ by Moon Duo from the album Stars Are The Light
‘I Need a Teacher’ by Hiss Golden Messenger from the album Terms of Surrender
‘Gold Past Life’ by Fruit Bats from the album Gold Past Life
‘Sideways’ by Seryn // Released as a single
‘Afous Dafous’ by Tartit from the album Amankor / The Exile
‘Fear Song’ by Rose City Band from the album Rose City Band
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Tinariwen: 'We made a career out of roaming'
One of my favorite albums of 2019 is Tinariwen’s Amadjar. You can read more about Turareg music, about the band and some of my thoughts on the album here.
In the meantime, watch this short documentary (20:53) the band put out to promote the album. It features behind-the-scenes footage, interview segments and live performances.