Week 5
for the week of december 21-27
Hello! Thank you for tuning into another week of swan song seven. My apologies for missing a week, I’m still figuring out my rhythm for putting out weekly recommendations while working a 9-5 AND having a life! (Shocker.) I’m honored that multiple people reached out to me asking where this past week’s newsletter was!! My motivation has been reinvigorated. I’m sharing over the music I put together for last week, but now it feels so rooted in two weeks ago! Next week I’ll share over some more contemplative, wintery music, so stay tuned for that.
The playlists for the week can be found here:
Happy listening!
sunday
Céline’s album HÖDÖÖ captures the unique perspective from which she creates music from, caught between lives in Mongolia and France. The soft instrumentals of this track and her light voice are the perfect sound for a Sunday afternoon.
monday
This is a recommendation I’ve been sitting on for a while- I can’t remember how I originally came across this song, but it feels like such a classic. It’s energizing and yet thoughtful. Nabihah has a long-standing background in music, and she’s got such a cool history as both a person and musician. One fun fact that I found particularly cool is that she has an undergraduate degree in History and Ethnomusicology from the University of London, and went on to pursue a master’s in philosophy in History at Cambridge. PLUS, she passed the bar and was going to pursue law before music pulled her in a different direction. How cool is that??
tuesday
This song feels like a peek into the music I’ll recommend for next week. I feel like there’s something wintery about cold-sounding electronic music. Makes me feel like I’m alone in some snowy landscape as the sun sets. This mental image I’m conjuring up is very in-line with Purient AKA Kate Durman’s vision for her music- ethereal and ominous.
wednesday
Oh my GOD okay this is the song I’ve been wanting to talk about all week. Scratch that, the whole album. The Aussie artist Ninajirachi AKA Nina Wilson put out this absolutely insane electronic/dance album I Love My Computer in June, and as of a few weeks ago, it’s been on repeat for me with little else playing. This is a song I’d rather recommend as a whole album listen- it hits so much better when you’ve heard the four songs leading up to it- and the songs after. If you don’t have time for that, and if you love yourself, you’ll start listening to this song with the last 30 seconds of CSIRAC, the song before it. The transitions between some of these songs are UNREAL. (And if anyone has a hookup for tickets to see her in PDX… hit my line.)
thursday
This is a super fresh release- underscores AKA April Harper Grey put this song out just last month. Upon reading up on underscores, I found a hilarious quote she used to describe her music, which aligned with my own listening experience: “When people listen to underscores, I want their initial reaction to be, ‘This is ridiculous.’ But the more they listen to it, they should hear the nuance in it, the heaviness in it, and I hope they connect with it on some kind of emotional level. The ultimate goal is to turn people off, then win them back.”
friday
I initially was introduced to the band Asobi Seksu through my former college radio show co-host, and have since explored their music on my own. Of the songs I’ve found myself liking, a lot culminate in a loud explosion of instrumentals and singing, and there’s something familiar yet cold about it that feels wintery to me. The vocals you hear in this song are Yuki Chikudate, who is the primary vocalist and keyboardist of the group. She’s also got a hilarious sense of humor, which shines through in this interview.
saturday
Again, not to allude to work I haven’t done yet, but this song’s another example of what to expect next week with my wintery mix. Lomelda has the ultimate cozy, soft sound, in part due to Hannah Reed’s unique voice. Her story’s really interesting too, from growing up singing in a Baptist church to the spooky origin story of the band’s name.