SOUNDWAVE : 1 : JOSEPH ALEO

Today’s first edition of SOUNDWAVE comes courtesy of COVID-19.

Like most people, I’m staying at home and social distancing. I’m fortunate enough to work from home but left to my own devices in the evenings. Television fails to capture my interest, so I’m unable to Netflix and chill. I’ve only just found myself able to enjoy books again. Barely. But I have had the itch to deejay, hence today’s show.

So let me tell you what you can expect to hear on this mix.

We begin with “I” from Rocks & Waves Song Circle, which I discovered on one of the many music blogs I follow. It’s a blend of languid surf guitar accompanied by a Mexican choir and a Haitian solist. It’s precisely the kind of music to find solace.

“Bonny Boy” comes from the Arcadia soundtrack from Adrian Utley and Will Gregory. Adrian is a member of Portishead, and Willis a member of Goldfrapp. While that’s reason enough to listen to Arcadia, the real reason I got excited about this soundtrack was the stunning vocals of Anne Briggs. Who was this young, upcoming talent I had never heard of? A quick search on Wikipedia revealed the Anne is an English singer from the 1960s. How have I not known about her?

Writer Warren Ellis turned me on to to Mending, which is a project from Kate Adams and Joshua Dumas called We Gathered at Wakerobin Hollow, a four hour, forty song cycle, released in nine Chapters every two months from 2018-2019. That’s a lot of music, and “Julia Writes to Marsha” is my favorite track from that work.

“It’s a Rainy Day On The Cosmic Shore” is by ana Roxanne and I found her through a review of her on Bandcamp. This track comes from her album, ~~~. I don’t know how you would pronounce that. Tilda, Tilda, Tilda, maybe? No matter, I love this song and the feelings it evokes.

We wrap up today’s show with “The Cursed Clock,” which comes from Nine Inch Nails latest album, Ghosts VI: Locusts, and the cursed clock is how I feel about my COVID-19 days. Kind of a bummer way to end this, I know.

I hope today’s show provided you with some beauty and a welcome distraction. See you next month.

Rocks & Waves Song Circle “I”

Adrian Utley & Will Gregory “Bonny Boy (Anne Briggs)”

Mending “Julia Writes to Marsha”

ana roxanne “It’s a Rainy Day On The Cosmic Shore”

Nine Inch Nails “The Cursed Clock”

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