Super Special First Edition of 10 Bands

You wanted hits? But, maybe we don’t do hits.

Welcome to the inaugural issue of 10 Bands. My goal here is to turn you on to some cool music. Mostly new, and sometimes old.

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I’m telling you right now, this ain’t no “142 new songs you need to hear NOW” kind of shit. I’ll leave that to Pitchfork and the others. I mean, really who has fucking time to listen to all those songs anyway? 10 Bands keeps it tight. In fact, that would be a good press quote. “10 Bands keeps it tight.” I don’t need to fill column inches, ya know what I mean?

Here goes: New month, new music. Here’s what’s ringing my bell.

Act 1

Meet Tamar Aphek, guitarist, singer and songwriter from ישראל. That’s Israel in Hebrew. Shout out to my pal Jim DeRogatis who hotly tipped me to this. I was listening to Sound Opinions, his show with Greg Kot about music (what else?) who raged so hard about Tamar’s new record, that when I was driving in my car I damn near ran off the side of the road when Jim played her music on the radio, and as soon as I got home I pre-ordered her new album, All Bets Are Off, from Bandcamp.

This is likely an over statement to some of you, however Tamar is sort of like PJ meets Courtney with some skronky psychedelic prog riffs in full effect. Tamar’s got a husky, sensual voice. The reverb is just right on her vocals. She fronts a power trio. There’s a Doors vibe. The bass is mixed perfectly, the drummer plays like he’s in a jazz band and her guitar playing is at times exotic, meandering, seismic, subtle, and sometimes not so subtle. She’s got control. In fact, she’s always in control, just when you think shit’s gonna go off the rails.

This is rock and roll.

Favorite tune: “Crossbow” (right now, at least). This is my favorite new album of 2021 so far. (But also, we got the amazing Arlo Parks hitting with her debut at the end of January)

Act 2

I’m intrigued by Mustafa. About a year or so ago my young bull Avi turned me on to Colors, and I discover a lot of new music there. That’s where I first saw this video of “Air Forces,” and its soulful beauty tenderly grabbed hold of me. It’s beguiling. I’ve heard a couple more tunes from this Toronto musician, who is from Regent Park, and I’m impressed. His songwriting is infused with his experience growing up there. He’s sung with the Weeknd, Drake’s a fan. Mustafa’s poetry and hip-hop roots are just foundational layers of his talent. File under folk? Soul? Anyone remember The New Folk Sound of Terry Collier? Keep your ears on Mustafa.

Act 3

Ok, so I’m a sucker for many eras of R&B jams, from Barry & The Isleys & Patrice, to the New Jack jams and the 90s jawns. Which explains my love affair with what I’ve heard so far from Ivana and Jessica Nwokike, who perform as VanJess. A collab with Kaytranada pops with dance floor magic, as does the head nodding grooves of “Come Over,” a song that speaks to the simple urges of life.

Act 4

Crate Digging: Over the Christmas -> New Years break I spent a day tracking down original samples that producer Prince Paul used on many of his productions. As some of you might know, I’m a hip-hop fan, and I love collecting samples used by musicians.

The occasion of this deep dive was way unfortunate, as it began when I heard the announce about the passing of MF Doom on December 31 of 2020, and I put the classic Madvillainy, the crazy, amazing collaboration between MF Doom and Madlib that came out in 2004. It’s a sampling wonder, among other things. So as I was tracking down original sample sources for the songs on Madvillainy, I stumbled across this 25 hour playlist that the folks at okayplayer put together about four years ago. It’s got funk, soul, jazz, all kinds of groovy jams. So, go listen to Madvillainy, then pop this shit on.

Finally, I started a Spotify playlist of some of my favorite new tunes, if you’re interested in knowing what I got spinning in personal rotation. Here:

Thanks for listening. I sure do hope you enjoyed the first issue of 10 Bands.

See you next time.

Bruce