In Our Headphones

Flore Laurentienne - "Voiles" from the 2022 album Volume II on RVNG Intl.

Recording under the nameFlore Laurentienne,composer, orchestrator, and musicianMathieu David Gagnon captures rich, romanticinstrumentals, inspired by the wilderness in his hometown ofMontreal, Québec. In fact, his latest album— titledVolume II — was inspired byCanada’s St. Lawrence River, with the instrumentation designed to "illustrate and illuminate the river’s flow."

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Les Amazones d'Afrique - “Flaws” from the 2024 album Musow Danse on Real World Records

On today's Song of the Day,all-female African supergroup Les Amazones d’Afrique— which translates to "The Amazons of Africa" — celebrate the so-called imperfections that make each of us unique.

“The song has a simple message,” Malian singer Mamani Keïta explained in a press release. “The perfect person does not exist. We all have our flaws and imperfections which we carry with us through life. But there is beauty in imperfection, and that’s what we want people to realise.”

The group worked with acclaimed producerJacknife Lee (U2, Modest Mouse, Taylor Swift) on their third albumMusow Danse, released last month viaReal World Records. “Jacknife Lee took time to listen to each of our voices,” says vocalist Fafa Ruffino, from Benin. “He doesn’t understand the language but you can tell that he feels the emotion, understands that our souls are deeply invested in our words. I feel like he entered our minds. What he did is more than musical. It is spiritual.”

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Nusantara Beat - “Kota Bandung” a 2023 single on Bongo Joe

Amsterdam-based sextetNusantara Beat is comprised of members ofEUT, Altın Gün, Jungle By Night, POM, and Surf Aid-Kit. Together, they celebrateIndonesian classics, like on today's Song of the Day, which is a cover of a traditional '70s single. Their interpretation of "Kota Bandung" brings a modern vibe to its garage-surf-rock style, with psychedelic guitars andMegan De Klerk's alluring vocals.

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Francis of Delirium - “Blue Tuesday” from the 2024 album Lighthouse on Dalliance Records

Francis Of Delirium — a project of Luxembourg-based artist Jana Bahrich — is set to release their debut LP, Lighthouse, on March 22nd via Dalliance Recordings.

“For this album, hope is the prevailing feeling I’m left with after making it and listening to it,” Bahrich said in a press statement. “The idea is that there is this light guiding you out into a space where you can be more open and accepting of love and joy. Even as you gain or lose love, it never really goes away; it just transforms itself, moving into other relationships with you.”

She says today's Song of the Day was "a chance to go back a little bit to our original sound, heavy guitars, uptempo, in-your-face music… We are a band that really loves to play live, sweaty, messy, and physical music, so it felt important to have this song be part of the album."

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Four Tet - “Loved” from the 2024 album Three on Text Records

Long-running electronic artist Four Tet— real name:Kieran Hebden — returns with histwelfth studio album, titledThree,which came out last Friday via his own label, Text Records.

Four Tet's previous LP was 2020'sParallel. Last year, he teamed up with Skrillex and Fred Again for a sold-out five-hour show atMadison Square Garden.

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Clinton Fearon - "LOL" from the 2024 album Survival Vibration on Kool Yu Foot / Boogie Brown Productions

Seattle's own reggae legendClinton Fearon returns with his 14th full-length solo album on April 5th, titledSurvival Vibration.

He declares today's Song of the Day as "one of my very favorites on the album," adding, "I love the simple ways of how it reminds us to take care of ourselves. For over 30 years I’ve been telling my friends and fans to do what they love and love what they do. Finally, it’s a song. On the musical side, I love what the thumb piano is doing: its tone and the parts it's playing do a lot for the song. And then from the moment the intro is done and the rhythm starts, I can’t help but want to dance."

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Summer Pearl - "feel right" from the 2023 album outmysystem on Kitto Records

London-based artistSummer Pearl taps into herJamaican/Grenadian heritage on her debut mixtape,outmysystem, which was released late last year. Infusing reggae and dub influences into her neo-soul sound, her latest release features a guest appearance from reggae royalty Liam Bailey and production by the prolific broken beat pioneer, Kaidi Tatham.

"This project is a collection of songs, some of which I wrote almost eight years ago and some a lot more recent. These are songs that I needed to get out of my system in order for me to move on. To be able to move on and get over that relationship, romantic or platonic; to move on but not forget the loss of friends and family."

"I guess it’s somewhat of a release in order to get back to myself. This is the first project I’ve released in three years and I feel like it’s the most me. There are a few songs on love and having a good time, and then of course I’m a student of life and have to write what I see in this crazy world. outmysystem is allowing me to move on to the next chapter in my life and I’m excited to see what that looks like, feels like, and sounds like."

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GC OConnor - "Love on High" a 2023 single on Low Key Source

Australian artist GC OConnor makes a powerful introduction with her debut single "Love On High," capturing a jazzy alt-R&B sound that she describes as "stoner-soul." The single was produced by Sydney/Gadigal-based duo The Goods.

In a press release, OConnor shares, “This track speaks to all the years of chasing the dance floor ‘love at first sight’ feeling. The brief elation of fleeting entanglements. And the lows of not actually caring about long lasting human connection. All I took to the studio was the guitar, the hook, and words on a page. The Goods brought the rest to life all in a single session, along with it being mastered by Dave Cooley.”

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Quantic - "Run (feat. Andreya Triana)" from the 2023 album Dancing While Falling on Play it Again Sam

For the past twenty years, DJ/producer/multi-instrumentalistWill Holland has crafted a unique blend of dance music under the nameQuantic, mixing in funk, soul,bossa nova, cumbia, jazz, and more. TheBritish-born New York-based artist calls his latest LP — titled Dancing While Falling— his most "grown up release to date."

Citing disco influences likeBohannon andLarry Levan,Holland explains, "’I'm really interested in Latin music and Afro Caribbean rhythms and I think there's a really amazing point in history where the emergence of those rhythms and its combination with American soul sparked what we now know as disco."

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