ON REPEAT: Mary Shelley, Heartworms, Delores Galore, Hikaru Utada, Joni Mitchell, Little Simz, Yawning Portal, Kenny Mason & Paris Texas
"I WAS GOIN TO THE BEACH!"
Hi, hope. you’re good.
First, lemme plug. ICYMI, the finale of The John Gentle Show is now available! It’s got Rob Michael Hugel and Jon Daly on it, as well as this very dumb “Wear Sunscreen” parody:
Now onto the song picks. You can find them all in this playlist that has a rockin’ ASIMO on it! Have I talked about my love of ASIMO?
Heartworms “Consistent Dedication”
This gothy track from Heartworms has quite the vibe shift throughout going from whispery vocals to impassioned screams. Heartworms, interestingly named after a Shins album, is South London’s Jojo Orme. She has clearly dealt with some bullshit, and all of her music has an urgency to it, like this song “May I Comply” which I featured a few months ago (I just wrote “YUP” under it). Also, I love a really charismatic performer and would love to see the band live—here’s a recent KEXP session.
Mary Shelley “Goin To The Beach”
Speaking of seeing a band live and being blown away—I liked this song by NYC’s Mary Shelley, who just crashed at my house on tour with Gogol Bordello(!) but seeing it live totally changed my already positive opinion for the better.
An unbelieveably fun band with a great sense a humor and a Les Savy Fav-esque habit of climing onto balconies. They’re not afraid of a performance. FFO The B-52’s, Suburban Lawns, Devo, Talking Heads (particularly when they get cowpoke).
Delores Galore “What It’s Bout To Be”
I’ve had this one on repeat for a few months now. Delores Galore is the New Orleans-based Gabrielle Washington, who is mixing up some of my favorite sounds, ranging from 70’s soul and disco, 80’s electrofunk, 90’s house and dreampop and 2000’s post-punk.
I also love this spot-on infomercial for the split single with her frequent collaborator, Sexxy Dexx:
Hikaru Utada “In My Room”
This 2002 song is a cross between R&B and J-pop and hits the same button that Erika De Casier hits for me.
Joni Mitchell “The Jungle Line”
Ok I didn’t know Joni Mitchell bjorked like this. Deepest respect to the master.
Little Simz “Might Bang, Might Not”
Little Simz never misses.
Kenny Mason & Paris Texas “Big Bank”
Shout out to Maria Brand & John Vanderslice who had this on at a party. I’ve talked about my love of Paris Texas before but didn’t know Kenny Mason too well.
Yawning Portal “Minute Sun”
I’m gonna copy and paste this blurb about this song that doesn’t address the elephant in the room:
‘Minute Sun’ seeps slowly into earshot, grainy atmospheres pouring over guitar melodies that wind up the composition. Ethereal croons ebb over the instrumentation, expanding into full-blown soundscapes crest in slow-motion. The score evokes a vision of light seen through darkness, imparting a haunting and otherworldly feeling that trails off into the abyss.
Yeah ok ethereal abyss but I mean it’s also…