a-lyssnin’ weekly. july 10.
A weekly roundup of what I’ve been a-lyssnin’ to. (…get it!?…come on, you know that’s a good one.)
I am really digging Tank and the Bangas this week, particularly “Ants” and “For André”. If you look up what genre of music they perform you’ll see Funk, Soul, Hip Hop, Rock and Spoken Word listed, but I every time I listen to them I feel like I could make a solid case for Opera being on that list. There’s something decidedly operatic about the way their songs are thematically divided into musical vignettes starring Tarriona “Tank” Ball who is objectively a master of every style of vocal expression. Y’all should check them out on the playlist and ALSO on this NPR Tiny Desk Concert from their 2017 Tiny Desk Contest win.
Satie’s Gnossiene No. 3 is one of my go to tracks when I need to be productive and focused. Highly recommend any of the piano works by Satie for calm, focus, or just hitting the mental reset button.
Y’all will soon find out that my dream job is performing a one-woman show of Richard Strauss’ Salome. [currently in previews at the Ouiser Boudreaux Theatre located inside my 2013 Honda-CRV.]
I’ve dropped a recording of the crazy climactic Final Scene into this week’s playlist. It’s an excellent LIVE recording of the incomparable Birgit Nilsson in the title role. Take special note of her ability to *LITERALLY SCREAM* ONSTAGE and then still sing a tour-de-force performance for the next 15 minutes. Unreal.
(Spoiler alert: Unlike Ouiser Boudreaux in this GIF, Salome is, in fact, crazy,)
I’ve been starting my days with a lot of Sunday Service Choir, a gospel choir created by Kanye West. I’ve been shuffling between a few songs on their album that you can find on this week’s playlist. If you’re looking for some pump-up music, this is for sure it.
In addition to previewing my one-woman Salome, The Ouiser Bouldreaut Theatre [read: my car] has been selling out performances of my one-woman Jesus Christ Superstar since 2016. I am really into this She is Risen recording with an all-female cast. Compare this version with my favorite classic recording of JCS on this week’s playlist and tell me whether you prefer Shoshana Bean or Carl Anderson as Judas.
The Chicks have been my favorites for years no matter what they called themselves. I have been listening to March March and Gaslighter on REPEAT since they were released earlier this spring.
The podcast that impacted me most this week was Brené Brown’s Unlocking Us on Shame and Accountability. She talks about where vulnerability intersects with current conversations in our world and how choosing guilt over shame can educate and reform systems to make lasting change.
