Playlist #14: About that slow January everybody seemed to complain about
But really, apart from my birthday, which never really amounted to much, little of interest happened... so here's a relatively straightforward playlist post. For once, finally!
There is no theme, even a very loose one, for this month’s playlist.
Whew. That takes off a lot of pressure on me. I know I said very early on that I will try not to do themed playlists, but as it happens, things of a similar persuasion tend to happen in the same month, so I end up reflecting those on my playlists. Instead, this month’s playlist is mostly made up of songs that I have come across for the first time in the last few weeks, whether from acts I’ve long loved or acts I’ve never heard of before. Some old favorites, too, especially at the beginning. No urge to tie everything up in a neat package.
Might as well, because the beginning of the year has been slow. That said, I’m not one of many folks who have posted joke-y complaints on social media about how long January felt, about how it seems seven or eight weeks have passed and yet we’re still in the first month of the year. I actually found that annoying at some point. What do you have against my birth month? I know it’s not about me, but these things, I sometimes tend to take personally. It’s like I’m being told I should stop existing or something. I know. That’s too much, I know.
But, yes, it has been slow, too. In my case, it’s because the beginning of the year means little activity on the day job, continuing from the slow (or carefree) pace December brings. That, or I have just been really unmotivated these past few weeks. Apart from bursts of excitement related to the Once Monthly, I have been feeling really blah. I might need to unpack that at some point.
Oh, right, the playlist.
Well, I thought new music releases would come slowly in January, but somewhere at the end Elbow announced a new album, so I had to include “Lover’s Leap”. Jade Bird released a new single, and, all right, that’s a concession to the overarching narrative this project unfortunately has, so it goes here. But I’m really excited about the new single from Camera Obscura, their first one in a decade. A decade.
I think it was Issa, a friend back in university (although we never went to the same one) who introduced me to the band. This was when I was so keen on making my indie interests a personality trait, and failed. But “Tears for Affairs”, from their 2006 record Let’s Get Out of This Country, became one of my all-time favorites because of its timeless sound and how melancholic it is in every way.
The band went on hiatus after the passing of keyboardist Carey Lander in 2015. She was always a key part of the group’s sound, and to be honest, it really wasn’t clear whether they would continue. Vocalist Tracyanne Campbell appeared in several other projects—notably Tracyanne & Danny, who released an album in 2018, as well as an appearance on a Public Service Broadcasting track—but the band never quite packed it up. I’ll admit I almost missed their announcement, at the very end of January, that they’re releasing a new album this May. I think you can expect this on my year-end playlist. But we’ll see.
With the Once Monthly decidedly focusing more on Filipino music this year, it’s a bit of a shame that I only have one act from my side of the world on this month’s playlist—although she’s someone I’ve been meaning to listen to, precisely because I don’t know her. Like many of us, I came across jikamarie when she was announced as the front act to Coldplay’s two concerts here last month. (It’s a coincidence their “The Hardest Part” is on this hour.) Apparently she got serious into music during the pandemic—I suppose if you have the tools and the time and the predilection, why not?—and only released her first EP, L0VER G!RL, just a few weeks back, although she had a couple of singles under her belt by this point.
Okay, so I am probably not in the right age group for her music. I guess I’m meant to feel this way when confronted with something very much gen-Z, even if I try to be more open-minded. But L0VER G!RL shows a lot of potential: it’s a specific kind of slinky and glittery—you just know it’s made in isolation in its intimacy—and yet it also feels universal. You may miss out a bit on the references, but really, you don’t have to strain to be down with it. I chose “DKSI!” for this hour—that stands for “d’on ka sa iba!”, which very roughly translates to “be with someone else”—because I do like its spunk. I just wish the recordings on Spotify sounded a bit cleaner though. Was it rushed in time for Coldplay?
And then I swerve back to the stuff I’m more familiar with, the stuff that’s rooted on the music I grew up with. I didn’t realize I had a soul stretch in the middle of the playlist—Forest Claudette, Loony, and Allison Russell, who was nominated for several Grammys this year—but I deliberately put in Michael Franks. A little different, but I did grow up with him too: my parents had a compilation CD of his and it was played frequently. As a kid I was amused by “Eggplant”, but “Down in Brazil” was the song that made the strongest impression on me, and it’s the song that’s on this playlist.
And it’s there because… I’m finally having this laptop of seven years replaced, and I am satisfying a dream I’ve had for two decades, give or take: get myself a Mac. It’s yet to arrive, because I didn’t buy the base model, but I bought it through a physical store anyway. While in line at the cashier someone else in the store decided to test out a Bluetooth speaker, and the song they chose was “Down in Brazil”. Felt apt, in a way, just because of how long it’s been. Or maybe it’s because it’s been a really slow start of the year.
Let it not be said that I don’t have dreams.
Whether it has a tangible impact on how I work on the Once Monthly in the coming year—or, more importantly, how I perform on the day job—remains to be seen.
I think this month’s playlist is fun, and I hope you do too. The next one drops on 8 March, but there’s definitely going to be another installment of my Plaka Notes series on 23 February. Lots to look forward to—yay? Anyway, I’ll be talking more about the other songs on this playlist on the Once Monthly’s socials, and you can always email me at nicksyoncemonthly@gmail.com for anything.
And now, for a February that, despite having 29 days because it’s a leap year, will certainly be faster. I mean, I definitely have lots of work in the coming days…
On the playlist
Coldplay—“The Hardest Part”
X&Y (2005)Manic Street Preachers—“You Stole The Sun From My Heart”
This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours (1998)Morrissey—“We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful”
Your Arsenal (1992)Pixies—“Here Comes Your Man”
Doolittle (1989)Cheekface—“Best Life”
Emphatically No. (2021)Forest Claudette—“Gone Without A Trace”
The Year of February (2022)Allison Russell—“All Without Within”
The Returner (2023)Elbow—“Lover’s Leap”
Audio Vertigo (2024)jikamarie—“DKSI!”
L0VER G!RL (2024)Loony—“Nothing Else Feels The Same”
Nothing Else Feels The Same (2023)Michael Franks—“Down in Brazil”
Sleeping Gypsy (1977)Blair Lee—“Same Place”
single release (2023)Camera Obscura— “Big Love”
Look to the East, Look to the West (2024)Real Estate—“Water Underground”
Daniel (2024)Evergreen—“Voices In Your Head”
Sign Out (2023)Jade Bird—“Burn The Hard Drive” (featuring Mura Masa)
single release (2024)The Struts—“Another Hit of Showmanship” (with Albert Hammond Jr.)
Strange Days (2020)