An Album 2Day : Recent Episodes
Ash
Spanning across genres and time, An Album 2Day podcast takes a look at the context, themes, and tracks of albums of any kind. Curated with a love for music and learning, this show is all about exploring music, artists, and the intentionality behind their projects. All interested are invited to tune into this sonic journey. An Album 2Day episodes typically feature a full album per episode. Episodes usually cover artist info, album info, context/themes, favorites, and a track-by-track run thru. First episode drops 12/21/22.
“What will your legacy be?” poses Chicago artist, author, and co-founder of the DuSable Museum Margaret Burroughs. “How can I map a portrait of myself (and my own legacy) through vignettes of the legacies of artists before me?” responds Jamila Woods in her 2019 work “LEGACY! LEGACY!” Across 12 creatives of color, trailblazers and innovators of their time inclusive of Nikki Giovanni, James Baldwin, Betty Davis, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, Woods explores themes of resilience and rebellion, joy, white violence, Black rage, and self-reflection. She pivots through sounds as the songs swing from upbeat classic hip-hop beats (FRIDA, SONIA) to sci-fi ambience and synths (SUN RA, OCTAVIA). Amidst it all, Jamila’s voice, dedication to uplifting Black history, and repping of her hometown Chicago remain consistent including using Chicago producers and artist features as well as familiar faces of the Chicago social and arts scene in her music videos. “The beauty of our Blackness is generational!” this album decries. Our strength and resilience, creativity and coolness, brilliance and bravery are woven through generations and will continue to be. Through this album, Woods urges and hopes for young Black people to feel empowered through their history. A teacher and poet, Jamila knows the power of words and is unafraid to flaunt her talents in masterfully stringing them together. Alongside her voice, her wordplay is truly a standout on this album. This record is one for the books and an exciting re-listen as Woods gears up to release her third full project in October of this year. Personal favorites include: “GIOVANNI,” “SONIA,” “MILES,” “MUDDY,” “BASQUIAT,” and “BETTY (for Boogie).”
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As always, this episode and all others are available on Apple Music and Spotify - link in bio!
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This episode wraps up season 1 of An Album 2Day Podcast! It has been such a fun journey sharing these albums and learning more about artists and the projects they put their thought, time, and energy into. Over the next few months, I’ll be taking a break, checking out all kinds of new music, seeing some live shows, and listening to music just for fun (because the fun is the point!). I can’t wait to come back and share even more projects and hopefully talk more with artists and community members about their work. Talk soon!
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Peace n luv, Ash
Celestial and warm jazz fusion just in time for the summer, this week’s album of focus is “Visions of a New World” by Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes, released in 1975 under Flying Dutchman Records. Having worked under prolific jazz artists like Miles Davis, Gato Barbieri, and Art Blakey, Lonnie Liston Smith began focusing on his own work in the early 1970s (more key influences and partners mentioned in the show!). After forming the Cosmic Echoes with bass, sax, percussion, and more, Lonnie Liston Smith put out a few releases before adding on his brother Donald Smith to vocals a couple years later. With the brothers working together, the band created albums like today’s hit. A tail of its time, the record is focused on peace and love with no war, music and nature as healing forces, and the beauty of possibility. Personal favorites are “Colors of the Rainbow,” “Deevika (Goddess),” “Visions of New World (Phase 1)” and “Visions of a New World (Phase 2)”.
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All episodes available in bio! Catch you soon 🌈☀️
EP 13 | Raven by Kelela (2023)
late night / early morning release for the club queen herself
Raven is for the rave bitches, club kids, and dance queens! Resonance and resilience fill Kelela's sound and perspective as she crafts an album shaped around the transformative symbolism of the Raven. Reflections of isolation and longing as a queer Black femme in the electronic music scene set the mood of this album as Kelela features this album as a response - to white business execs she’s cut ties with due to political misalignment, straight exes who have left her with the brunt of emotional labor, and non-Black dj’s who stifle the music scene leaving no room for people like Kelela. Other themes of the album include separation and awayness, boundary setting, sexual and personal empowerment, and most importantly, water. Amidst submersion, lies a refusal to submission. Sonically, she plays with electronic & dance music subgenres like jungle, drum n bass, downtempo, breakbeat, and classic EDM while staying grounded in RnB and soul roots. Singles released are “Washed Away,” “Happy Ending,” “On the Run,” “Contact,” and “Enough for Love.” Personal favorites are “Bruises,” “Closure,” “Contact”, “Happy Ending,” “Fooley,” and “Sorbet.”
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Articles mentioned are “Kelela Knows What Intimacy Sounds Like” by Hannah Giorgis (https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2023/03/kelela-interview-raven-album-review/673296/) and “The meditative, ambient calm of Kelela’s ‘Raven’” by Vrinda Jagota (https://www.npr.org/2023/02/22/1158721846/kelela-raven-review)
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As always, episode is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! Link in bio.
EP 12 | Saturno by Rauw Alejandro (2022)
Love, pride, and sex galore color the third album of Puerto-Rican prince Rauw Alejandro. Serving as an introduction and soundtrack of his world, Saturno is a depiction of the hard-working heartthrob’s inner self. He is as braggadocious and macho as he is vulnerable and loving. He is always protected - quite literally, cough cough Punto 40 y Cazadores. And, he is a man of his people. Throughout the album, Rauw pays homage to his Puerto-Rican roots as he features reggaetonero heavy hitters like DJ Playero and Daddy Yankee and hinges his sound on classic PR reggaeton, perreo, y PR freestyle/underground - an electronic club sound that was popular in underground parties when music was outlawed on the island. Rauw fuses past and present as he looks towards the future in his sound and in his 777 aircraft to Saturn. Noting his mom’s encouragement that he is so unique he is from another planet, Rauw utilizes each second of this album to display himself and his talents. Singles of the album are “Lokera,” “Punto 40,” “Dime Quien,” “Lejos del Cielo,” “De Carolina,” “Ron Cola,” “Panties y Brasieres,” y “Que Rico Chingamos.”
Personal favorites are “Saturno,” “Punto 40,” “Mas de Una Vez,” “Panties y Brasieres,” “Cazadores,” “Verde Menta,” y “De Carolina.”
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Texts to note are “Remixing Reggaeton” by Petra R. Rivera Rideau (2015) and “Rauw Alejandro’s Cosmic Reggaeton Takes Flight by Isabelia Herrera (11/2022) www.nytimes.com/2022/11/14/arts/music/rauw-alejandro-saturno.html.
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Episode is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! Link in bio.
EP 11 | Dirty Computer by Janelle Monae (2018)
“I’ll love you in this space and time,” the singer repeats in the intro and title track of her third studio album “Dirty Computer.” Released April 27, 2018, “Dirty Computer” by Janelle Monae invites listeners into the digital vortex and inner programming of Janelle Monae as she strips away her previous albums’ alter ego Cindi Mayweather. Often referring to it as introspective and anthemic, “Dirty Computer” stands as a fight song (well… album) for marginalized folks living in the United States, particularly during the mayhem of the 2016 presidential election, continuous killings of Black people by police, multiple constraints on reproductive rights, and more. Themes of digitization, futurism, confidence, and humor all float through the album as Monae argues for the happiness and freedom of Black women and queer women in particular. Though the album itself is rather dated to the specifics going on around its release, the topics and trials of oppressed communities remain intergenerational. As the final song of the album (“Americans”) points out, it’s up to us to put up the fight to stop the cycles of systemic oppression and violence that constitute the very fabric of American society.
Singles of the album include “Make Me Feel,” “Django Jane,” “Pynk,” and “I Like That.” Personal favorites are “Dirty Computer,” “Screwed,” “Make Me Feel,” “I Got the Juice,” and “Don’t Judge Me.”
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Podcast episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and IHeartRadio. All links are in the bio.
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Article pictured is “Janelle Monae's Dirty Computer: An Experience Immersed in Musical Activism” (Medium, Lucas Cava, 01/19) https://lucascava.medium.com/dirty-computer-an-experience-immersed-in-musical-activism-b28dcd02c8aa.
Welcome to a very special episode of An Album 2Day! Tune in this week as I discuss the reason behind creating the show, what I hope for the show’s future, and where I see it fitting in the music podcast/review/journalism world. I am excited to share with folks my vision for the show and the community I hope that it creates.
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Important mentions include:
- The 4 whys behind doing this: a love for music, elevating black artists across genre, supplying accessible information, and carving a future for myself in the music world
- While writing and reading certainly have their place, I think there is a really important nuance in spoken/oral discussion and that it creates possibility and preservation that written means do not always allow.
- Black people are at the foundation of MANY musical genres, it is time to discuss them.
- Ultimately, I hope to invite people to a new mode of music consumption and criticism. I want us to listen to music, not to respond or rank, but just to experience and understand. In a world of streaming and snippets, I want artists' work to be honored in its wholeness and as they intended it to be.
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Thanks for listening and, as always, episodes are available on Spotify, Apple, IHeartRadio, and Buzzsprout. See you next week as we get back into the music!
EP 9 | Brown Sugar by D’Angelo (1995)
Venus as a boy, Aquarius as a man, musical artist D’Angelo swoons listeners and lovers alike in his 1995 debut studio album “Brown Sugar.” A pianist, drummer, guitarist, bassist, organist, and vocalist, D’Angelo crafts the record around his smooth falsetto, lush instrumentation, and thoughtful lyrics. Love guides the track in its entirety and D’Angelo approaches the subject with nuances of admiration, survival, togetherness, and betrayal. Throughout its ten tracks, D’Angelo floats through time and genre as he is wafted away by the women of his affection. Blues, jazz, gospel, hip hop and RnB are all facets of the music and album that would later be referenced as one of the foundational works of the Neo-Soul genre. Alongside these, overarching goals of story-telling, going against the mainstream, and simply presenting Black music are what’s behind D’Angelo’s timeless work.
Singles of the album are “Brown Sugar,” “Cruisin,” “Lady,” and “Me and Those Dreamin Eyes of Mine.” Personal favorites are “Smooth,” “Jonz in My Bonz,” “Brown Sugar,” and “Lady.”
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Podcast episodes are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and IHeartRadio. All links are in the bio.
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Articles mentioned include “D’Angelo’s ‘Brown Sugar’ Laid the Blueprint for the Neo-Soul Movement” - Okayplayer, Preezy Brown (2019/2020) https://www.okayplayer.com/originals/dangelo-brown-sugar-album-neo-soul-making.html
And “The Origin Story of D’Angelo” - Okayplayer, Chris Williams (2020/2021) https://www.okayplayer.com/music/dangelo-brown-sugar-making-neo-soul.html. Book quote is from “All About Love” by bell hooks. The mash-up cover album I mention is “OK Lady” by Roman GianArthur.
Heaven to a Tortured Mind is Yves Tumor 4th studio album. In this record, Yves jumbles funk, psychedelic rock, noise, glam rock, and more. Some songs are more hazy, while some are more electric. All are distinctive, futuristic, and emotionally raw, a unique blend of noise, angst, bass, brass, and guitar rips. Alongside the sonic cacophony, themes like devotion, passion, loss, and languish are most salient through the words that Yves has strung together. From the anti-capitalist/ anti-institution guillotine and political devil reference in Medicine Burn, the elemental theatricality of Identity Trade where Yves plays with earth, water, and fire, and the metaphor of weather and seasons changing in relationships as illustrated in A Greater Love, the concise album is jam packed with Yves talent and craft. Singles of the album include “Gospel for a New Century,” “Kerosene!,” and “Romanticist/Dream Palette.” Personal favorites include “Medicine Burn,” “Kerosene!,” “Hasdallen Lights,” “Romanticist,” “Dream Palette,” and “Super Stars”. 📀📀
Podcast episodes are available at Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and IHeartRadio. All links are in the bio.
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Articles mentioned include “Yves Tumor’s ‘Heaven To A Tortured Mind’ Is An Urgent Masterpiece For Right Now” (UPROXX, Phil Cosores, https://uproxx.com/indie/yves-tumor-heaven-to-a-tortured-mind-review/), “Heaven to a Tortured Mind” Pitchfork Album Review (Pitchfork, Kevin Lozano https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/yves-tumor-heaven-to-a-tortured-mind/). Videos are from me - live 09/2021!
“I just wanna have my ttties out, ttties out!” shouts musician Sudan Archives in her second and title track “NBPQ (Topless)” of the 2022 release* Natural Brown Prom Queen. *A rebel in her own right, the violinist and producer uses this album to vent about missing home (Cincinnati, OH is her hometown btw), isolation amidst COVID-19, perception and desirability, and complicated relationships. Camouflaging the violin throughout tracks – sometimes as a solemn saxophone, sometimes as a riffing guitar – allows Sudan to experiment with her sound and express her vulnerability in multitudes. This album is where she just wants to let it out and have fun, set the seriousness aside and get on the dance floor! It’s our homemade prom and we can cry if we want to. Singles of the album are “Home Maker,” “Natural Brown Prom Queen,” “Selfish Soul,” and “OMG Britt.” Personal favorites are “Home Maker,” “Chevy S10,” “TDLY (Homegrown Land),” “Freakalizer,” and “#513.”
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And yes of course I bring afro-futurism in here. This time, it’s cultural preservation and cultivation in how Sudan shares and continues the “Black ass history” of the violin.
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Podcast episodes are available at Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and IHeartRadio. All links are in the bio.
Articles to note are: “Natural Brown Prom Queen: Sudan Archives brings her eclcectic virtuosity to San Franscisco” by D’Andre Ball - East Bay Express, https://eastbayexpress.com/natural-brown-prom-queen-sudan-archives-brings-her-eclectic-virtuosity-to-san-francisco/ & “String Theory” by Lou Boyd - Red Bulletin, https://www.redbull.com/int-en/theredbulletin/sudan-archives-interview
Book mentioned: “When We Were Sisters” by Fatimah Asghar
EP 6 | Walking Wounded by Everything But The Girl (1996)
As nostalgic as it is future-forward (not to mention influential!), “Walking Wounded” by musical duo Everything But The Girl was released May 1996. Over heavy-hitting electronic beats, synthesized strings, and a pulsating bass, Tracey Thorn’s somber vocals paint stories of lost love and self reflection. Emotionally raw, sonically fluttering, and socially mysterious, EBTG leaves everything in the music, while encouraging listeners to leave it all on the dance floor.
Reflecting a pivot in the group's musical career, via Thorn’s success in electronic and trip hop features and Watt’s experimentation with UK garage and EDM, “Walking Wounded” purposely escapes genre boundaries. Descriptors of the album include but aren’t limited to: downtempo - EDM genre that is atmospheric, slower than traditional dance music; drum and bass - EDM genre that has heavy bass/sub-bass lines, fast beat breaks, and utilizes synths and samples; trip hop - fusion of hip hop w electronica to produce slow, atmospheric sounds; Pop EDM, Alternative / New Wave; as well as some general house influence esp deep house in “Wrong.” Featured themes of the album are duality (in sound and emotion), pacing, introspection, nostalgia, and intricacy (particularly Watt’s musical engineering). Singles of the album are “Walking Wounded,” “Wrong,” “Single,” “Before Today.” Personal favorites are “Walking Wounded,” “Before Today,” “Big Deal,” and “Good Cop, Bad Cop.”
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Podcast episodes are available at Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. All links are in the bio.
Ep. 5 | “Embrya” by Maxwell (1998)
Sacral and sensual in its message, “Embrya” by falsetto crooner Maxwell was released in June 1998. A midsummer aquatic dreamscape, the album spotlights a journey of rebirth for the singer and listener alike. Maxwell dives into topics of love, sex, and spirituality through poetic verses reflective of one another over lush layers of strings, electronic beats, and an ensemble of instrumentalists. Unearthing an underwater utopia of love and devotion, the record takes on an afrofuturist lens where water is a realm of possibility. An ode of gratitude to the women who raised him, the birthing process, and femininity as a necessary aspect of creativity, the album is a true labor of love. Singles of the album are “Luxury: Cococure” and “Matrimony: Maybe You.” Personal favorites are “I’m You: You Are Me and We Are You (Pt. Me and You),” “Submerge: Til We Become the Sun,” “Gravity: Pushing to Pull.”
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Side note….lots of critics hated this one??? Still went platinum though! Hear why on the ep.
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Podcast episode is now available at Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. All links are in the bio.
Article mentioned: “Embracing Embrya: Maxwell Revives Underrated Sophomore Album (Nadege Nau, 01/12/2019)” https://medium.com/@eNvision/embracing-embrya-maxwell-revives-underrated-sophomore-album-9338c0c6bc90
Book mentioned: “Undrowned: Black Feminist Lessons from Marine Mammals” by Alexis Pauline Gumbs (2020)
Self-proclaimed punk musical, “All My Heroes Are Cornballs” is rapper JPEGMAFIA’s third studio album! Released September 13, 2019 - Friday the 13th btw - AMHAC depicts the rapper’s ascension to a self-grandiose godlike status. Beginning the album with a “cynical ass prayer” and ending with the oppressor praying to him, JPEGMAFIA is definitively defiant. Backed by arrhythmic and jagged distortions, JPEGMAFIA aka Peggy aka Buttermilk Jesus aka Peanut Butter Thug aka Darksin Mason sets the stage ablaze with his hyperviolent and abrasive lyrics. Using his platform to come for racist trolls, keyboard warriors, and anyone else who stands in his way, Peggy’s brazen persona carves a lane of his own through punk, rap, and experimentation.
Singles include “Jesus Forgive Me, I Am A Thot” and “Free the Frail” ft. Helena Deland. Personal favorites are “Beta Male Strategies” - a fuck u to internet pussies, “PTSD” - autobiographical lyrical masterpiece, “PRONE!” - an anti-punk punk song! and “Papi I Missed U” - a direct threat.
Ep. 3 | Rainbow by Mariah Carey (1999)
To some, she’s just the Queen of Christmas. To others, she’s simply QUEEN. Pop diva Mariah Carey is one of my all time favorites, for many many reasons. Released at the turn of the 21st century, “Rainbow” marked a stark departure from her earlier pop popularity. Having experimented with more urban (aka R&B & Hip Hop) sounds previously - particularly in prior album “Butterfly" - “Rainbow” illustrates a singer who is more comfortable displaying her vocal chops and genre-expanding range. The album features R&B and Hip Hop power houses including Missy Elliot, Da Brat, Usher, Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z, and 98 Degrees. Themes of Rainbow include the tried and true trope of sunshine arising after rain, trials preceding triumph. While things may be hard, it will not be hard always. Singles are “Heartbreaker,” “Thank God I Found You,” “Can’t Take That Away (Mariah’s Theme),” and “Crybaby.” Personal favorites are “Crybaby" ft Snoop Dogg, “Bliss,” and “Heartbreaker remix” ft Da Brat and Missy Elliott.
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If you’ve ever written Mariah Carey off as anything other than an absolute icon, here’s a chance to explore some of the work that gives her that status. If you know she’s an icon but are a novice to her music, “Rainbow” is a great place to start.
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Podcast episode is now available at Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify. All links are in the bio.
With each song on his third studio release, “Ethereal,” viral rapper $NOT ushers listeners into a different world. Displaying a range as wide as Saturn’s rings, $NOT breezes through melodic rap, hype rap, introspective rap, stoner/trippy rap, and pop rap. As entertaining as it is expansive, “Ethereal” is $NOT’s reminder to himself and his audience to have fun with it. With a calm confidence, $NOT’s bravado is present on every track and the artist demonstrates an avid adaptability. Singles of the album include “GO” and “Doja.” Personal favorites are the singles as well as “Benzo,” “How U Feel,” and “EYE EYE EYE.”
Also, if you hear me thirsting over $NOT….no u didn’t lol. And if you heard I had a Brha** phase…NO you didn’t lmao.
Sup fam! One Friday a month, A2D will share a bonus episode aka Double Feature Friday babyyyyyy. In light of the holidays, here’s a gift from me to you ^_^.
Addl links: Our Generation Music Review of “Ethereal” https://ourgenerationmusic.com/news/not-announces-tracklist-for-upcoming-album-ethereal/
Released the spring of 2015, "Sound & Color" by soul rock band Alabama Shakes invites listeners to tune in to the band's time on the road. The lead singer is Brittany Howard, a vocal force who is known for articulating the complexities of race, gender, and space as a queer mixed Black girl from the South (not so much here as on her solo project Jaime). Hinged on eclectic experimenting and intentional genre-bending, Sound & Color urges listeners to unearth humanistic desires, sensations - like interacting with your literal senses -, autonomy, and vulnerability. Singles include "Don't Wanna Fight," "Gimme All Your Love," "Future People," and "Sound & Color" (title track). Personal favorites are "Gemini" - that GUITAR, "Don't Wanna Fight" - the shrill of it all, "Over My Head" - for the sad ones.