It was a week of tragedy and violence, on the heels of earlier tragedy and violence, not to mention the destruction of various natural disasters. In between, there was Hallowe’en, and to get in the spirit, so to speak, we’ve been watching cheery Netflix shows like Stranger Things and House of Cards… We don’t know what to think anymore, so we play music, trying to make sense of it all, one song at a time…. And then, in the midst of our happy escapist dream set, what should pop into our consciousness but — Poppy.
Thanks to Fluxblog, we are now aware of the existence of the weird phenomenon known as Poppy and her sidekick Charlotte. She is a YouTube star, singer, and satirist, near as we can tell, assisted by a silent partner who may or may not appear in her videos. We played “My Style,” which, like all Poppy songs, is dangerously catchy in a happy but subversive J-pop way. “My Style” seems to be about wishing people would get their own style and stop copping Poppy’s. But I could be wrong.
We played songs that begin with I and songs that hint at flowers. We played a sugary set featuring Poppy and Ariel Pink (“Feels Like Heaven”). And we played a lot of Bootsy, who has a new record out called World Wide Funk which, in case you’re wondering, is great. It sounds just like the old Bootsy only newer — everything you love lightly modernized. “Bass- Rigged System” was a highlight, featuring lots of bass. Stanley Clarke plays a part.
Bubble Wrap radio loves Icelandic music, who knows why. For such a small place, they seem to grow a lot of it. Right now, here in early November, the Iceland Airwaves Music Festival is going on, featuring many non-Icelandic bands along with quite a few locals (as it should be). We played Vok’s poppy “BTO” and Hormonar’s punkier “Kynsvelt” as well as Убожество by the Russian band Glintshake. Always intriguing, this outland music. It has an aura all its own.
Outside, the world rages. In here, there’s pop music… But already the twain have met.
November 1, 2017
So Free
Dizzy Bats – I’m Listening
Shoring – I Wonder
Love You – I Want to Make You Feel Happiness
Beck – I’m So Free
Bootsy Collins – Bass-Rigged System
Heatwave – Boogie Nights (Keith Wilder)
Alex Marzona – Flower Girl
Wilsen – Garden
Florist – What I Wanted To Hold
Cartijo & Su Combo Original Con Ismael Rivera – ORIZA)
Bootsy Collins – Thera-P
Chuck Brown – Love Theme from the Godfather
The Old Pink House – Neck Deep
Poppy. Charlotte. – My Style
Jamie 4 President – Sugarfloss
Ariel Pink – Feels Like Heaven
Bootsy Collins – Boomerang
Prince – Space (Universal Love Mix)
Vök – BTO
Hórmónar – Kynsvelt
ГШ (Glintshake) – Убожество
Bootsy Collins – Come Back Bootsy
Mighty Mike – Build An Ark
Andie – Edinburgh