J.R.C.G., Doechii, Heather The Jerk, Astrid Sonne, The Marias, Genesis Owusu, Soup Activists, Jon Daly, Beastie Boys, Lily Konigsberg, Magdalena Bay
Respect to Shantideva and all the others
New songs, bitch!! Actually a lot of these aren’t so new I’m catching up. Here’s the playlist.
J.R.C.G. “Dogear”
I thought this was a bar italia song at first, which is a compliment, until I realized it was actually Justin R. Cruz Gallego from Tacoma, aka J.R.C.G.. I was really into the song “Holy Hope” prior to this which came out on Castle Face, and he has since signed to Sub Pop and put out punk records with Iron Lung before jumping into this project pulling in wild influences from all over the place:
“Dogear” is a face-melting party starter that sounds like someone forced Talking Heads and Rudimentary Peni to share a practice space.
A quick listen to this album, Grim Iconic (Sadistic Mantra), moved it high up the list for AOTYs for me. Highly recommended. We’ve got more mantra talk later in this.
Magdalena Bay “Killing Time”
Another perfect pop gem from LA’s Magdalena Bay, who get in Cardigans territory with this one. (This is a huge compliment, as I think “Lovefool” is the prettiest song ever made.)
The Marias “No One Noticed”
Speaking of The Cardigans, this gets even closer to that sweet spot. Everybody and their mothers are getting into The Marias lately—literally they’re opening up for Billie Eillish and what, is mom gonna sit in the car??
The album cover and accompanying visuals of The Marias show them underwater and that’s what this record feels like. Really great stuff.
Doechii “NISSAN ALTIMA (Swamp Sessions)”
The TDE crew of Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, and Isaiah Rashad are back in the back of the car that Kendrick was in the driver’s seat of, but this time it’s Doechii, whose praises I’ve sung here before.
“Doechii she freaky / Cunnilingus, Dalai Lama / Doechii cooler than a fan, nut she get hotter than a sauna / Take a trip out of Japan and I tsunami her vagina / Wine and dine her, Benihana / I'm the new hip-hop Madonna / I'm the new hip-hop Madonna / I'm the trap Grace Jones / I don't know what type of motherfuckin' crack they on / I'm like Carry Bradshaw with a back brace on / I been carrying you bitches now for way too long.”
Astrid Sonne “Do you wanna”
…have a bayyyyybeeeeee?? Astrid Sonne is a Danish composer who I first heard on NTS, and I’ve had a lot of her album, Great Doubt, in the rotation.
Soup Activists “I Don’t Care What Gilchrist Says”
I like this! It came on recommendation from Sweeping Promises and reminds me of the period where I loved The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Cause Co-Motion!
Heather The Jerk “Surreal / Fun / Good / Exciting”
Heard this on Darren’s WFMU show. Heather The Jerk is from Madison, Wisconsin (despite the French in this song) and her Bandcamp bio is “I'm a huge nerd.” Some of her songs are recorded by a guy named Rick Shitty.
Lightning Bug “I Feel”
Lightning Bug is Brooklyn’s Audrey Kang and her wonderful friends. This song has samples of Hellen Keller, which compels me to link this Jon Daly song—
Jon Daly “Helen Keller Is Real”
I love the little Helen Keller Funko Pop stomping into heaven.
Lily Konigsberg “Alone”
I honestly can’t write about all the songs I listen to and I listen to a lot of Lily Konigsberg. I did a podcast with her a while ago and felt bad I wasn’t terribly familiar with her band, Palberta, then. I’m still not but I should check it out because I love all of her solo stuff. I got into this during the pandemic and then kinda re-stumbled on it recently.
Genesis Owusu “Leaving The Light”
I’ve been singing this to myself all week but never learned the lyrics so it’s just me going “DA BLA BLAH BLA DA BAH LABBY LIIBY DA BEE” in the shower. I liked his debut album a lot and this one is quickly growing on me too.
THE GOLD STANDARD:
Beastie Boys “Bodhisattva Vow”
In the 1980’s the Beastie Boys were playing, essentially, wrestling characters. Brash, crude NYC heels with a disdain for authority, and uh, women. Wrestling fan Rick Rubin would even pretend to be their Fred Blassie. In 1989, they bought a mansion and inherited a funky 70’s wardrobe from some rich people and, along with the crate digging Dust Brothers, reinvented themselves with a retro twist. At some point, they all became obsessed with transcendental meditation, which leads us to enlightenment. This is how we get this weird song.
Now their retro obsession was a genuine retro obsession, and it’s such an interesting collision of borrowed sounds from the past, retro imagery, hip-hop swagger and a deep respect for Buddhism. Adam Yauch, overwhelmed with fame and excess and on the decline, had enough money to make a spiritual quest and found his own personal Kamar Taj in Tibet.
Respect to Shantideva and all the others
Who brought down the Dharma for the sisters and brothers
The wild thing is how seamless this all feels. I don’t think anybody who copped Ill Communication, heard this and thought it was “wiggity wack” or whatever people in 1994 said. I think they respected it, and Yauch put his money where his mouth was with Tibetan Freedom Concerts in the 90s.
The song builds out from a track called “Shambala” which bridges Issac Hayes-esque Shaft funk with throat singing, then Yauch makes his Buddhist pledge to nonviolence. A far cry for a band whose lyrics used to be like “I was getting drunk at Pizza Hut, fuckin your sister in the butt” to wind up here:
So I pledge here before everyone who's listening
To try to make my every action for the good of all beings
For the rest of my lifetimes and even beyond
I vow to do my best, to do no harm
And in times of doubt, I can think on the Dharma
And the Enlightened Ones who've graduated Samsara
also the beat is diggity dope