Strangely everything that’s been in heavy rotation for me these days is all music that works best in the middle of the night. All but a couple of these are older releases, but it’s what I’ve been listening to most this week.
As always, I’ll include the Spotify and Apple Music playlists at the bottom.
Streams
Kat Koan – Cocoon
I can’t get this album out of my head. I heard “Dream Girl” via Spill Magazine, and it led me to Cocoon, which was the only thing I listened to for the whole day. By the end of the day I’d exhausted by Bandcamp listens so I bought the digital album. I was this close to buying the LP, but the shipping costs were half the cost of the record, and exchange rates aren’t kind to Canadians right now.
At various points, it’s reminiscent of early Portishead, and Shirley Manson of Garbage in full-on #1 Crush mode. “The Affair” brought to mind this David Holmes track from the Out of Sight soundtrack.
The production is immersive and intimate, and Koan’s voice sounds as if she’s right over your shoulder, often barely above a whisper. Honestly it’s been on repeat since I downloaded it. You can’t get it on any streaming services, but you can find her nearly-as-good album LUSTPRINZIP though.
Hooverphonic: A New Sterophonic Sound Spectacular
The Kat Koan album sent me searching for this one. The first album from Hooverphonic was my favourite of all the female-fronted trip-hop era in the 90’s (Sneaker Pimps, Morcheeba, Massive Attack, etc.), and it stands up pretty well today. It’s a little deeper sound than some of their contemporaries and Esther Lybeert’s voice makes this album perfect late night material.
It’s an album from that era that gets overlooked far too often. It’s tough to find the original on vinyl. There was a remix EP that was part of a Record Store Day drop a couple of years ago, and I’m sad that I missed it.
Skee Mask: C
I had a bunch of his music in a playlist a couple of years ago and it disappeared. Today I learned why that is (seems he’s got that in common with Kat Koan. Good for him!). His latest album came to me by way of Dusted Magazine and it’s excellent late-night listening. Think Burial, Aphex Twin style dub techno, full of ambient sounds and washes. Low-profile, but high-intensity. Killer vibes all the way through. First-listen standouts are Bassline Dub and One for Vertigo.
It and several previous releases are available as a pay-what-you-want through his Bandcamp. It really says something that letting fans pay what they want is a better deal for him than putting his music on streaming services. Support independent musicians!
The New Deal
These guys were Toronto staples at the end of the 90s and early ’00s. I saw them play a handful of times, and each time they delivered hard. I don’t think I’ve seen a live band sustain an energy level as high as these guys do for as long as they do. No sequencers, no drum machines, just a three-piece band killing it.
The album is intense and fierce, and evokes hazy memories of questionable decision-making.
The first time I heard Daft Punk’s Contact, I thought of Electrobeam. The hyperactive drumming and progressively intense noise effects are similar. I’ve come back to this album regularly since Random Access Memories came out, and the new drumless edition (why?) of the Daft Punk album sent me looking for this classic again.
Spins
K&D – the K&D Sessions
Like everyone at the end of the 90’s, I had this double-CD downtempo classic when it was new, and wore it out. I picked up this 5LP set a couple of weeks ago, and it’s timeless.
I had this on constantly in my 20’s. Then thanks to a dying hard drive containing my CD rips, and it being unavailable on streaming until very recently, I forgot about it for more than a decade. But when I put on the LP I still knew every note.
My teenager (and apparently their science teacher?!) are now obsessed with this. If you don’t know it, seek it out. The 5LP set is worth the money. Plus it’s an Apple Music exclusive, apparently.
Interpol – Turn on the Bright Lights
Perfect night drive music. I put this on during a long drive with my kid and by the end of it the teenager was hooked. The album is the definition of synergy. Every instrument plays off of and enhances the others. The drum patterns and fills are what make this album for me.
I know there are special reissues and anniversary editions of it, but I don’t find that the features add much to the record. They’re all available on streaming for the completists, but this record was a classic on release.
Norah Jones – Come Away with Me
Perfect album. Came out when my wife and I were newly dating, so it’s all nostalgia. No notes. Maybe this makes me basic as a jazz guy and I’m ok with that.