ON REPEAT: Ribbon Stage, Harlem World, Corinne Bailey Rae, Kim Gordon, Maluca

I dreamt that you and me got married on the WB...

I guess I’m homesick. There’s something about the summer in New York that I miss, and it’s not waiting for the subway for sure. I’m out in LA now where I know a lot of people, but I don’t find myself getting into the weird nights I’d have in New York. I’d often find myself on the roof of a stranger’s apartment or at some cool new bar I’d never heard of, in a neighborhood I didn’t know people were going to. Maybe, just maybe, that’s just because I spent my 20’s and early 30’s in the city…and now I’m old and don’t really drink anymore and don’t do cocaine or whatever.

But I know that’s not everything, and there’s a New York City magic because so many people are inspired by it, and these are a few of those songs.

Follow all of my ON REPEAT songs on this Spotify playlist.

Corinne Bailey Rae “New York Transit Queen”

Just click play without making a judgment. Yes, that is the same Corinne Bailey Rae who you know from that “Girls, put your records on” song that you heard in restaurants or shopping malls in 2006. I like that song too! But it’s very VH1 Morning Music Countdown.

This new one is definitely not that and it fucking rules. Maybe it’s a bias because it’s such a 180 but sometimes that’s well deserved. The song is pulling from the same sound that bands like Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Liars were playing with in the early 2000’s, back when I was cool enough to know what was cool, but not old enough to stay out past curfew and go to New York City unsupervised (though I did that a bunch anyways).

And now that sound is coming back? And I’m missing it? I was okay with missing the “indie sleaze” revival and that guy that goes “I like the girls that do DRUUUGS” okay, but if we’ve got this lady who probably sold her album at Starbucks now doing no wave punk with a video with a teen skater that looks like she jumped out of Larry Clark’s Kids, there might be something in the air. Or maybe it’s 100% manufactured. Idk.

Also there’s a neat story about the titular New York Transit Queen, which was an actual award, and Audrey Smaltz was the first black contestant, which kickstarted a legendary career in fashion:

Maluca “NYC”

Kinda breaking my rules of focusing on new music (at least to me) here but this was on repeat my first summer here and it gave me FOMO (do we still say that?) as well.

Maluca had a minor hit called “El Tigeraso” in 2009 on Mad Decent, which could have easily been on this list as well, but this one is literally called “NYC” so it wins by a margin. This was a constant jam for me for an entire decade, but nothing new came from Maluca, until the algorithm presented me with a new track, and it’s great. I actually kinda prefer the Initial Talk Remix which gives the whole thing a house music vibe. Look at all the fun everybody is having!

Kim Gordon “Paprika Pony”

I kinda slept on Kim Gordon’s 2019 record and had a slight aversion to anything Sonic Youth for years, mainly because there’s so much of it. Not that this sounds like anything on a Sonic Youth record.

Now I’m playing catch up and finding gems like this, a minimal spoken word track over a trap beat. Fine me another…wow, 66(!?) year old making anything like this that isn’t completely embarrassing. This is chill and weird and of course because her career is full of left-field influences and New York City cool.

Also I recently learned about this 1989 SPIN Magazine article featuring a conversation with two New Yorkers—Kim and LL Cool J, detailed here in more context. It’s just two people not getting along and it’s great.

Ribbon Stage “Exaltation”

Speaking of white underground rock culture, New York somehow always manages to have a good one. No idea how these people pay rent (or how I did either). Maybe they’re all living in vans together like in Smithereens.

They all have punk names like Anni Hilator and none of their songs even hit the three-minute mark. They met at Silent Barn and the Willie Mae Rock Camp For Girls and recorded their first EP in a windowless apartment in Bushwick. One of them dipped to Olympia for the pandemic, which was probably a good move, as their full length came out on K Records, which is a totally different kind of cred. Anyway they’re a real MKOB (my kind of band) and maybe you’ll like them too.

Harlem World & Mase “I Like It”

Just a good-ass late 90’s NYC rap song produced by Just Blaze that samples DeBarge. The group was founded by Mase and features a pre-“I Need A Girl” Loon. The video is fun too and Tia & Tamera are in it, too! (Not matching sweater vest T&T, sultry era T&T.)

Speaking of The WB…

THE GOLD STANDARD

Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz “Déjà Vu (Uptown Baby)” / Tatyana Ali “Daydreamin’”

Putting these both because I don’t know which one I like more. One is a New York City anthem with shout-outs to every borough, music video cameos from Wyclef and Big Pun, and writing credits from Donald Fagen & Walter Becker from Steely Dan, who I’m guessing provided timeless lyrics like this:

Not filthy rich, but, bitch, I'm barely broke
Blessed with flows that keep you hooked like dope
Friends call me Gunz, sons call me trife
'Cause I'm quick to slide off and slide this dick up in your wife

The other features childhood crush, Ashley Banks, that takes place at the um, Paris airport (?), and writing credits for Steely Dan, again! When I was a kid, I watched Fresh Prince reruns daily on WB 11, and I wasn’t the only one. I do give credit to Lord Tariq who uses this opportunity to SHAMELESSLY shoot his shot:

What's up girl? You all grown up now...
Doin' ya singin' thing the charts sewed up now
Well you know I do my rap thing, I'm holdin' it down
And I knew that me and you was gon' connect some how
Your people called for this track, it ain't no trouble to me
I dreamt that you and me got married on the WB
You on channel 11; I carry the M-11
RJ the reverened; it's a match made in heaven

At least my crush on Ashley was age-appropriate, she’s like 13 on that show! He also drops he’s doing her team a favor, suggests a local TV promotional tie-in for her syndicated show on WPIX, and mentions that he carries a machine gun around. Sadly for Tariq, she wound up with Antonio Sabato Jr.