It’s been a little hard to tell that Spring is here, at least in Southern Vermont, from whence Bubble Wrap radio emanates, but not surprisingly, a lot of new and vernal tunes have come our way. New tracks from Albin Andersson, The Shins (“Cherry Hearts”), Peonies, and our favorite New York composer, Bill LePage, top the list. We also threw a bunch of 12″ remixes out there from the ’80s, including rarely heard versions of Kraftwerk and Sade.
Another new favorite artist has been Rose Elinor Dougall, a long-time pop songstress from the UK whose career seems to have been given a boost by her association with Mark Ronson (she appeared on his Record Collection release and co-wrote a track). Her new album Stellular came out in January, and the standout track so far is “Colour of Water,” which features a great tune and may we say “stellular” production.
“La petite ouverture pour aucune occasion particuliere,” by Bill LePage, was another highlight, taking us into the realm I think of as “contemporary classical,” which is to say instrumental music scored for traditional instruments (piano, marimba, strings) but with the rhythms and polyphonics of the current era. We especially liked the interplay of piano and marimba on this piece, and the sense of melancholic optimism with which it is suffused.
Oldie of the week: a new cover of an old song, “Waiting for The Man,” as performed by Prague’s Please The Trees with Jonathan Burnside on vocals.
If you missed it, and we have no doubt you probably did, check out the playlist below.
March 22, 2017
Spring Sing
Brent Buswell – Springtime Polka
Albin Andersson – Mayfly
The Shins – Cherry Hearts
Peonies – Marmalade
Little Red – Hell
Sade – Smooth Operator/Snake Bite 12″
Sade – Paradise (extended mix)
Rose Elinor Dougall – Colour of Water
PATHS – Right Beside You
Simen Mittlid – I Don’t Care
Kraftwerk – Tour de France (12″ remix)
Kraftwerk – Musique Non Stop
Bill LePage – La petite ouverture pour aucune occasion particuluiere
Keith Murphy – C’est Aujourd’hui Grande Fete
Real Estate – After the Moon
Sheila E – Koo Koo (12″ remix)
Sheila E – Holly Rock (12″ remix)
Rose Elinor Dougal – Closer
Please The Trees with Jonathan Burnside – Waiting For The Man (cover)
RIP Chuck Berry!