Welcome to the November edition of Beats Per Minute’s monthly playlist BPM Curates.
This year’s penultimate month started with the USA Presidential Election – doesn’t it already feel like there’s been an age since then? Capped off by Thanksgiving, November probably stretched some people’s patience and strength. Well, here we are to let you in on some of the great songs that you might have missed during the mad month – and will certainly provide you with enough diversity to provide for any feeling you might be vibing with.
Below is the track list and some notes from our team about why they’ve selected them for this month’s playlist.
070 Shake – “Vagabond”
070 Shake continues to be one of the more adventurous mainstream artists out there. On “Vagabond” she bends Fiona Apple-esque art pop into something menacing and militant – using prison chants and stomps. Then she ramps up a folk hymn with the widescreen brawn of that famous THX note. The word “Vagabond” more or less covers it, as the singer can adapt everything without feeling adjacent to anything. Cutting edge futuristic pop that strangely embodies the nostalgic spirit of a Beatles or a Pink Floyd. – Jasper Willems
Daffo – “Winter Hat”
This year marks the 30th anniversary of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” and the embarrassing failure of the pop-music industry to add to the holiday canon since. (Kelly Clarkson’s “Underneath The Tree”, largely considered the most successful, has one third the Spotify streams despite being released in the Spotify age.) Daffo’s angsty, Elliott Smith-inspired “Winter Hat” won’t threaten the billion-streams club anytime and happily so, bursting through the threshold with a murdered tree in tow. “It’s the kid in you / the one that never grew”, she seethes, arm-wrestling with the seasonal blues and the futility of building snowmen – and like the industry, wondering if it’s really worth trying. – Steve Forstneger
GloRilla – “I LUV HER” (feat. T-Pain)
Despite the apparent permanence of pornographic lyrics in mainstream hip-hop and its paradoxical feminisation, its age has also allowed domesticity to creep in. Along the lines of BbyMutha tracks like “go!” GloRilla wouldn’t mind being swept off her feet. On “I Luv Her”, she pokes fun at her monogamous desires (“Cook and clean and suck and fuck”) while T-Pain plays it straight: hands on hips, chest out, cape flapping in the wind, professing his undying devotion. Her advice might be a little too old-school for some (“I know I be naggin’ sometimes/Shit, put dick in my mouth, make me shut up or somethin’”) but, in her own way, she just wants someone who will help make her a better person. – Steve Forstneger
Goat Girl – “Gossip”
A loosy from Goat Girl’s excellent (and vastly underrated) early summer album Below The Waste, “Gossip” comes from the murkier, more experimental side of their sound. While the last record is their most expansive to date, this gives us an idea of what a more electronic-leaning Goat Girl album might sound like – their Kid A, if we’re being cliché. There is undoubtedly plenty of potential to explore here if they decide to venture further in this direction going forward. – Rob Hakimian
Ichiko Aoba – “Lucifèrine”
The cult Japanese songwriter has grown in stature internationally with recent tours and her sensational last record, but Ichiko Aoba seems set to grow even bigger – both in popularity and in sonics – with new album Luminescent Creatures, which arrives in February. True to the imagistic album title, lead single “Lucifèrine” is a glistening, glassy space-folk gem that gives glimpses of untold dimensions as it pivots under Aoba’s featherlight and dextrous voice. The arrangements that imbue the song display the grandiosity that she is now more than comfortable in commanding – which bodes well for the new record. – Rob Hakimian
Kendrick Lamar – “reincarnated”
A history lesson as much an indictment of the way black artists have been maligned over a century, “reincarnated” is Kendrick Lamar looking outwards to look inwards. He brings up the past to contextualize his present, to lay out how he appreciates how much power he has as the voice of a generation. (“How lucky we are to be alive at the same time as Kendrick,” a friend said to me the other day.) Piano notes ripple and tinkle as strings warm the sides of the track; all while the beat drives the song and narrative forward. Just about anything from GNX would be a great choice, but “reincarnated” has me coming back to it again and again. The inflections as Lamar’s rage bubbles to the surface, and his contrasting coolness as he starts speaking to himself. If only all history was delivered to so well. – Ray Finlayson
LUCY – “Rhododendron”
On “Rhododendron”, Cape Cod cult icon LUCY samples that famous flute motif from Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On”. Even with Cooper B. Handy’s ability to bend familiar pop staples to his everyman charm, adapting something this ubiquitous probably is akin to Icarus flying too close to the sun. But alas, Handy steers just clear from the iceberg of ‘pisstake’ and safely treads the waters of that pure-hearted sincerity he is known for. – Jasper Willems
Lyncs – “SICK + SIN”
There are only a handful of singers today who are truly mesmerizing, and Lyncs is one of ’em. This song is built on clever wordplay: we’ve been through thick and thin, and also through sick and sin. In the video, Lyncs makes a jailbreak – perhaps a metaphor for the breakout success she’ll soon be enjoying. – Larry McClain
Mary Bue – “Right Now”
This Minneapolis artist is the very definition of a ‘life well-lived’. Mary is a musician, poet and meditation retreat guide who brings Dylan-esque energy to “Right Now”. Whether she’s leading a retreat in India or Taos – or jogging on the river-goddess trails of Minnesota – there’s something about Mary that will amaze you. – Larry McClain
Melissa Weikart – “Wasting Time”
Returning with a new EP next January, French/American musician Melissa Weikart’s new single is a shift in tone and direction. Utilizing a drum machine, hypnotized and almost operatic backing vocals, and a slinky bass, Weikart sounds like a whole new being here, an entrancing figure emerging from a dense fog. Even as her piano notes ripple above all the aforementioned instrumentation and the arrangement swirls, her natural knack for improvisational-imbued composition rings out in a dazzling manner. It’s the way “Wasting time” captures a tightly wound up feeling that is the best feature though; as the drums snap and her voice soars, it sounds taut beyond measure and ready to break. After three minutes it slows down and slacks, offering a relief of pressure. – Ray Finlayson
Mimi Webb – “One Eye Open”
This song could be the springboard that makes UK artist Mimi Webb a superstar worldwide. She has an amazing voice, charisma and a knack for writing volcanic choruses – so don’t be surprised if she’s the Sabrina Carpenter of 2025. – Todd Dedman
Richard Dawson – “Boxing Day Sales”
The cult Geodie songwriter is making an unlikely bid for this year’s Christmas charts with a song that finds two old friends (perhaps lovers?) reconnecting via a fortunate reflection in a dressing room mirror. Richard Dawson doesn’t just do straight ahead love songs though and here, even in the midst of what could be a warm rekindling, the icy tendrils of Capitalism lurk, whispering “you owe it to yourself”. Soon, the emotions are lost amidst a conveyor belt of consumerist offerings: noise cancelling headphones, a 30″ tablet, earrings – “go on, you owe it to yourself”. – Rob Hakimian
Listen to our BPM Curates: November 2024 playlist here.
