Kongori Prefect

5/13/2021

1. Djatasoun - Tidiane Thiam
   The Senegalese guitarist’s rhythmic fingerpicking, and the cricket chirrups and twig snaps of its ambient outdoor backdrop, induce a kind of pleasantly warm hypnosis.

2. Fallas - Farmaco
   Farmaco’s 2020 demo ep put them on the map, showcasing their lashing and exuberant relentlessness. Fallas typifies the Argentinian group’s knack for distilling their avowed love of Motörhead-style metal and Japanese hardcore into something vital and unique.

3. Is That the One - JW Francis
   Understated indie rock that smells like a city park in autumn and feels like my overworked adidas Sambas.

4. Few Bana Zambia - Five Revolutions
   Zamrock—the kaleidoscopic fusion rock scene that emerged in the postcolonial socialist cauldron of 1970’s Zambia—is rocketing to the top of my genre power rankings. Five Revolutions were seminal shapers of the Zamrock sound, and Few Bana Zambia is a wrenching showpiece of the genre’s enduring beauty.

5. Monsterpiece - Raf Rundell
   A party jam from the UK DJ’s second full-length, O.M. Days. Buried in the good-time grooves, a question: “how free can you be to make a life while you make a living?” Would rather not dwell too long or hard on that one…

6. Flags of the World - The Zenmenn
   A tastefully overgrown botanical garden of a track from the enigmatic Zenmenn. Big shouts to one of my fav football/soccer podcasts Stadio for putting me on to these guys.

7. Nostaligia - Dawn Richard
   The mission statement of the Danity Kane alumna and former Bad Boy Records ringer Dawn Richard’s excellent new LP. The way she coils herself around this candied house beat shows why she’s so revered in the worlds of Pop and R&B.

8. Maklough - Googoosh
   Among a gale of cinematic strings, the iconic Iranian entertainer delivers a ballad on the restorative power of a love returned.

9. Safety in Numbers - The Rondelles
   I imagine The Rondelles’ crunchy, DIY petulance would be immediately transportive for veterans of the late ‘90s house show circuit. The Albuquerquians just weren’t long for this century—they disbanded in ‘01—but their discography captures something essential about an era whose styles and sensibilities are now, decades later, entering their resurgent renaissance faze.

10. Lora, Lora Corazón - Alfredo Linares, Claudio Moran
    Linares is a genre-spanning maestro and one of the leading living champions of Latin America’s impossibly rich musical heritages. Here, he fuses salsa and cumbia rhythms to undeniable effect.

11. Nasnusa - ナスヌーサ - Sababa 5 (feat. Yurika)

    Tel Aviv’s Sababa 5 team up with Japanese vocalist Yurika for an infectious track that’s sent me searching for more Middle Eastern/Japanese collaborations.

12. Lendário - Studio Bros
    My girlfriend went to Miami for a weekend and returned with this song, which, incidentally, does sound like a sweaty, neon-flooded night on Biscayne Blvd.

13. You My Love - Anushka
    The Brighton, UK duo have been releasing terrific singles all year, which I’m hoping portends an album that meets those same lofty standards.

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