Favorite Music of 2018, Part III: Final show of the year! 12-26-18

Listen to 12-26-18 radio set here

In this last episode of Merging with the Night in 2018, I played many favorite songs from the past year, including several from Jonny Greenwood's beautiful soundtrack to the film Phantom Thread (pictured).

Happy New Year!  May 2019 be better than 2018.

Playlist:

1. Jonny Greenwood  / I'll Follow Tomorrow
2. Mia Doi Todd, Tunde Adebimpe  / Earthly Happiness
3. Jonny Greenwood  / House of Woodcock
4. Anna Calvi  / Hunter
5. Mereba  / Black Truck
6. Jonny Greenwood  / Sandalwood II
7. U.S. Girls  / Rosebud
8. U.S. Girls  / Poem
9. Yo La Tengo  / For You Too
10. Nils Frahm  / All Melody
11. Jenny Hval  / I Want to Tell You Something
12. Jenny Hval  / The Dreamer is Everyone in Her Dream
13. Cat Power  / In Your Face
14. Beach House  / Black Car
15. Juliana Daugherty  / Light
16. Jonny Greenwood  / Phantom Thread I
17. Leonard Cohen  / Leaving Green Sleeves
18. Meg Baird, Mary Lattimore  / Painter of Tygers
19. Thievery Corporation  / Music to Make you Stagger
20. Lobo Marino  / Infinite Christmas
21. Daedelus  / Raindrops
22. Waldeck  / Waltz for Nathalie
23. Jonny Greenwood  / Phantom Thread II
24. Quicksand  / Spoken Through Clouds
25. The Orb  / Drift
26. The Orb  / Easy On The Onions
27. Rival Consoles  / Them Is Us
28. The Orb, Jah Wobble  / Doughnuts Forever
29. Forest Swords, Pantha Du Prince, Animal Collective  / Welt Am Draht (Animal Collective Remix) - Mixed
30. Aisha Devi  / Dislocation of the Alpha

Favorite Music of 2018, Part II

ANDROID's Favorite Songs from 2018:

1. Thom Yorke “Suspirium” (watch the video)
2. Mia Doi Todd, Tunde Adebimpe “Earthly Happiness”
3. Nils Frahm “All Melody”, “My Friend the Forest”, “Sunson”
4. Loma “Black Willow”
5. Anna Calvi “Hunter”
6. Mereba “Black Truck”
7. U.S. Girls “Rosebud”, “Poem”
8. Yo La Tengo “She May, She Might”, “For You Too”, “Ashes”
9. Thievery Corporation “Music to Make You Stagger”
10. Meg Baird, Marry Lattimore “Fair Annie”, “Painter of Tygers”
11. Mia Doi Todd, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson “Great Love”
12. Mia Doi Todd, Luis Perez Ixoneztli “Great Love Theme in Flute”
13. Laraaji “I Can Only Bliss Out (F’Days)”
14. Jenny Hval “The Dreamer is Everyone in Her Dream”, “I Want to Tell You Something”
15. The Glitch Mob, Elohim “I Could Be Anything”
16. Olafur Arnalds “ekki hugsa”
17. Kedr Livanskiy “No More Summer Rain”
18. Cat Power “In Your Face”, “You Get”, “Me Voy”
19. Juliana Daugherty “Easier”, “Light”
20. Beach House “Black Car”
21. Melody’s Echo Chamber “Breathe In, Breathe Out”
22. UNKLE, Miink, Elliott Power “Ar.Mour”
23. Black Box Recorder “Uptown Top Ranking”
24. Nine Inch Nails “Over and Out”
25. Aisha Devi “Dislocation of the Alpha”
26. Rival Consoles “Them Is Us”
27. Forest Swords, Pantha Du Prince, Animal Collective “Welt Am Draht (Animal Collective Remix) – Mixed”
28. The Orb “Easy On the Onions”, “Doughnuts Forever”
29. Daedelus “Raindrops”
30. Quicksand “Multiverse”, “Spoken Through Clouds”

Favorite music of 2018, Part I: 12-19-18

ANDROID's Favorite albums from 2018:

• Nils Frahm All Melody

• Jonny Greenwood Phantom Thread - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

• Mia Doi Todd Music For A Midsummer Night's Dream ‎

• Jenny Hval The Long Sleep EP

• Meg Baird, Mary Lattimore Ghost Forests

• Neneh Cherry Broken Politics

• Thievery Corporation Treasures from the Temple

• U.S. Girls In a Poem Unlimited

• Loma Loma

• Kadhja Bonet Childqueen

• Olafur Arnalds Re:member

New music is good for how it innovates, but also for how it makes us remember.

I went into tonight's radio show with a running list of songs and albums that really drew me in this year.  I didn't realize the themes that would emerge: the harp, pagan lyrics, forest imagery, ...

Several songs made me remember the captivating influence of Bjork (pictured) whose music first drew my attention when I was 11 years old and continues to reveal its effects on me.  Her song  "Pagan Poetry" and the accompanying video and photography turned out to be part of the inspiration for me tonight.  Although she didn't put an album out this year, I see Bjork's influence in my selection of music today.


Listen to 12-19-18 radio set here

Playlist:

1. Blank & Jones  / A Forest - Chilltronica Mix
2. Nils Frahm  / My Friend the Forest
3. Thom Yorke  / Suspirium
4. Jonny Greenwood  / Never Cursed
5. Neneh Cherry  / Fallen Leaves
6. Meg Baird, Mary Lattimore  / Fair Annie
7. Brambles  / In the Androgynous Dark
8. Lobo Marino  / Celebrate
9. Laraaji  / I Can Only Bliss Out (F'Days)
10. Dead Can Dance  / ACT II: The Forest
11. Kreidler  / Solaris
12. Nosaj Thing, Kazu Makino  / How We Do
13. Olafur Arnalds  / re:member
14. Yo La Tengo  / You Are Here
15. Meg Baird, Mary Lattimore  / Painter of Tygers
16. Bjork  / Pagan Poetry
17. Neneh Cherry, Forest Swords  / Blank Project
18. Dead Can Dance, Forest Swords  / Mesmerism
19. Kedr Livanskiy  / No More Summer Rain
20. Thievery Corporation  / San San Rock
21. Loma  / Black Willow
22. Mia Doi Todd, Luis Perez Ixoneztli  / Great Love Theme in Flute
23. The Glitch Mob, Elohim  / I Could Be Anything (feat. Elohim)
24. Mazzy Star  / That Way Again
25. Blank & Jones, Mark Reeder  / A Forest - Schwarzwald Mix

12-12-18 Merging with the Night

Listen to 12-12-18 radio set here

Joshua Achalam (pictured) usually performs as part of Mighty Joshua and the Zion 5.  But he is featured solo in this set speaking wisdom, singing poetry, and drumming in the Nyabinghi tradition.  (I obtained a "bootleg" recording of his performance on WRIR Richmond Independent Radio earlier this year; props to WRIR for being an amazing station and Richmond's finest.  The full set is here.)
Joshua is from Charlottesville, VA, where my own radio station WTJU broadcasts from.  He has earned accolades both as an artist and an all-around good person supporting global causes, and I am happy to see him and his band perform regularly.

Another artist featured in this radio set is Jonah from Onelinedrawing, whose song Stay is a keeper from early-2000's emo.

Also featured is Layne Staley from Alice in Chains and Mad Season.  His voice is emblematic of a certain type of sound coming out of Seattle in the 1990's.  While playing this song on the radio, someone called in to muse about Staley (and several other things), which got me thinking more about him and looking up his musical history.  His legacy would have us more finely discriminate between different kinds of 'grunge' bands, and also speak frankly about drug addiction.


Playlist

1. Kadhja Bonet  / Wings
2. Onelinedrawing  / Stay
3. Julian Koster  / Jeff Davis County Blues
4. Lobo Marino  / Come With Me
5. Grizzly Bear  / Service Bell
6. Feist, Grizzly Bear  / Service Bell
7. Waldeck  / Bei Mir Bist Du Schon - Dub
8. Mighty Joshua  / live drumming / Nyabinghi
9. DeVotchKa  / Let Me Sleep
10. Santigold  / I Don't Want
11. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros  / Johnny Appleseed
12. Nonkeen  / The Invention Mother
13. Nils Frahm  / A Place
14. The Good Life  / The Beaten Path
15. The Cure  / Like Cockatoos
16. Cat Power  / He War
17. UNKLE, Miink, Elliot Power  / Ar.Mour
18. Manysheva, Long Arm  / Moonflower - Long Arm Remix
19. JJ Doom, Beck  / Banished (feat. Beck) - Beck Remix
20. Lowland Hum  / Raise the Ring
21. Mad Season  / River of Deceit
22. Alice in Chains  / Nutshell
23. Radiohead  / These Are My Twisted Words
24. Julia Holter  / Sea Calls Me Home
25. Dessa  / Balance
26. Yowler  / Angel
27. Mount Kimbie  / Break Well
28. serpentwithfeet  / whisper

Artist Feature: Nils Frahm, 12-8-18

"Nils Frahm and Friends"
Nils Frahm is a contemporary composer, performer, and producer who is best known for his blending of classical and electronic music through an unconventional piano texture. He is also an avid collaborator with other classical and electronic artists. In this program, we explore his varied oeuvres, and also sample from his collaborators’ solo music.

Tonight's show was part of the Classical Music Marathon on WTJU.
Our community donated nearly $1,000 for the station in this 2.5 hr program, and pushed towards 30K the overall total for the week.  I am feeling blown away by the generosity of the donors, and of the volunteers who run this unique station.
I am so grateful to be part of this community.  Big thanks to Stevik for co-hosting and donating!

Playlist

1. Nils Frahm  / Says
2. Nils Frahm  / Spells
3. Nils Frahm  / Re
4. Nils Frahm  / My Friend the Forest
5. Nils Frahm, Anne Muller  / Teeth
6. Nils Frahm  / Because This Must Be
7. Nils Frahm  / Four Hands
8. Nils Frahm  / For - Peter - Toilet Brushes - More
9. Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm  / B1
10. Nils Frahm  / Familiar
11. Nils Frahm  / Keep
12. Nils Frahm  / Dauw - Piano Adaptation
13. Nils Frahm, Anne Muller  / Let My Key Be C
14. Nils Frahm  / Ambre
15. Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm  / A2
16. Olafur Arnalds  / ekki hugsa
17. DJ Shadow, Nils Frahm  / Scars
18. DJ Shadow, Nils Frahm  / Bergschrund
19. Nils Frahm  / The Whole Universe Wants to be Touched
20. Nils Frahm  / All Melody
21. Nils Frahm  / Sunson
22. F. S. Blumm, Nils Frahm  / Day One One
23. Anne Muller  / Walzer fur Robert
24. Nils Frahm  / An Aborted Beginning
25. Nils Frahm  / Hammers
26. Woodkid, Nils Frahm  / Winter Morning II - Excerpt
27. Nonkeen  / Diving Platform
28. Olafur Arnalds  / Happiness Does Not Wait
29. Olafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm  / 21:05
30. Nils Frahm, Anne Muller  / Aussenseiter - Bonus Track