ON REPEAT: Marika Sage, Erika de Casier, KNOWER, Soul Connection, CCTV, Coco & Clair Clair, Arthur Verocai
Your shoe made only, of clay to be spent, when then step on the grass
There’s a spring-y sound that this week’s picks all have in common. It might still be snowstorms where you are, but in Los Angeles it’s basically late April, weather-wise. I’m also in a lighter mood having pretty much recovered from surgery and I’m taking advantage of being able to walk. I hiked Runyon Canyon with a dog and a lot of these were the soundtrack to that walk. I think I walked by BJ Novak.
Ok, onto the thing, compiled in playlist form here.
Erika de Casier “Lucky”
She’s BACK. After writing songs for NewJeans and thereby making me a Kpop stan by proxy, Erika De Casier has a new album out. I have yet to fully dive into it but I’ve been loving the lead single and how the YouTube video is titled “me walking on the beach” in algorithmic defiance.
KNOWER “Real Nice Moment”
This song is nice (real nice). They got a whole choir for it!
I previously featured KNOWER and I don’t think I stressed enough how intense my guy on the keys is. This guy CONQUERED music school. Wait let me look him up…hold.
…
His name is Rai Thistlethwayte, because of course it is. After finishing high school in 1997 he was awarded a scholarship to the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where he commenced a Bachelor of Music in jazz piano in 1998, because of course he did. He is currently on tour with Joe Satriani, NATURALLY. His early musical influences are listed as Iron Maiden, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Keith Jarrett and Claude Debussy—yeah NO SHIT.
My man. Anyway he’s not a full-time member of the group.
Marika Sage “NOISE!”
I choose to pronounce this title not as “noise!” but as “NOYCE!” Like the way an obnoxious guy in the 90’s would proclaim the word “nice,” punctuated with a high five.
Marika Sage is from Berkeley, and is very “about to blow up” but I couldn’t find any interviews, except for one livestream that her grandma interrupts.
I can’t pinpoint what this sound is, and that’s a good thing. There’s a little pop punk and a little hip-hop, while other songs are more pop and R&B. But it’s very promising.
Soul Connection “Change / Love”
It’s very hard to google “Soul Connection” or “Soul Connection music” without a bunch of stuff coming up like “What song resonates between you and your twinflame?” and “Have you ever heard music that you can literally feel in your soul?”
Soul Connection was Toyin Agbetu and Earl Myers, who didn’t make much of an impact in the late 80’s and early 90’s but proved to be incredibly influential to what came next.
Coco & Clairclair (feat. Paul Maxwell) “crushcrushcrush”
This is six years old but it’s new to me! This is not a Paramore cover, either.
Coco and Clair Clair are Claire Marie Toothill met Taylor Rose Nave, who is Taylor “Tell it to My Heart” Dane’s granddaughter. They literally met on Twitter and bonded over Drake, which is the 2010s version of “one answered an ad the other one placed in this alt weekly” story.
CCFX “The One to Leave”
I have clearly been into the new Mary Jane Dunphe record, and it’s made me revisit her old band CCFX. This is the least “cocaine” a DFA Records release has ever been.
THE GOLD STANDARD
Arthur Verocai “Caboclo”
I love this song from Brazilian folk jazzman Arhur Verocai. During the Brazilian military government, which lasted from 1964 to 1985, which was Arthur’s whole career sorta, there was significant opposition to creative expression, so he didn’t have the legendary career he deserved. But his music did bridge the gap between the tropicalia sound and a more subdued groove sound of the 70’s. After working in advertising and music production, he eventually returned to performing music in 2002.
I tried to translate the lyrics but um:
Wake up the sun in the morning
Bring stars in a terminal
He takes off his hat
One morning feet
Your shoe made only
Of clay to be spent
When then step on the grass
Okay well never mind that’s all bye