Diandra’s 2019 Music Highlights
Pop song of the year: Indila – Parle à ta tête
Playful comeback for Indila, with an alternating beat and relatable lyrics about feeling burnt out and wanting to live a vibrant life.
Michael Kiwanuka – You Ain’t the Problem
We can’t forget summer sensation Old Town Road [MV], which brought Lil Nas X into the spotlight even before Billy Ray Cyrus joined in on the first official remix. Many more remixes followed, but I’d like to highlight this toybox rework of the song by Tumblr user Vicambulating:
There was also a baile funk/funk carioca version, MC Jottapê e MC M10 e DJ RD with “Sentou e Gostou,” complete with music video by Brazilian hitmaker Kondzilla.
On the avant-garde/offstream pop side, FKA Twigs released the album Magdalene, brimming with tracks from the ethereal Thousand Eyes to strangely compelling Fallen Alien.
Lim Kim – 민족요(ENTRANCE)
Raphael Saadiq – Rikers Island
Rina Sawayama – STFU
Song and video covered previously here at YAM Mag.
Sequoyah Murray – I Wonder
Sturgill Simpson – Sing Along
From the album Sound & Fury, which was completely animated for Netflix.
Shiina Ringo featuring Buck-Tick’s Sakurai Atsushii – Elopers (駆け落ち者)
Ringo returns to her rock roots for one track.
Also fans can fight me but I liked the previously-released Jyudom as one of her little ‘50’s technicolor pop jazz mall promo jingles. [Live performance] The other tracks are forgettable, but I do like the dramatic atmosphere that shifts to…chanson(?) in album ender Gate of Hades (あの世の門), which features the Bulgarian choir Vania Moneva.
It’s another Youtube Premium exclusive track, so… head over to Spotify.
I DEFINITELY need to dig into these! There’s just WAY too much music in the world to keep up with it all… Hahaha.
Yeah, I’m sure I missed out on a lot from the year, but at least I was able to hear from these folks! Also, if you’re into dance, be sure to watch the Heavy Baile mixtape in the post if you have thirty minutes to spare.