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Follow us on Spotify to keep up with our current obsessions, including 5 Songs to Hear This Week, Bent By Nature: Deirdre O'Donoghue and The Lost SNAP Archives (The Music), and our weekly sampler of KCRW’s Top 30 most played records.
Adrian Quesada – “Rise of the Have-Nots”
This hypnotic psych-rock groove from Black Pumas member Adrian Quesada is one to make your synapses tingle, and your third eye open wide. The latest from Quesada’s second (!) solo album of 2022, Jaguar Sound, this track is the sweetest medicine for a weary brain in the form of 100 percent pure liquid funk. Hit play for trippy synths, acid riffs, and a visualizer to take you stratospheric. And if you’re craving more Quesada, check out his recent visit to Morning Becomes Eclectic.
always centered at night – “fall back (Feat. Moby & Akemi Fox) (ama remix)”
It’s duvet season. Burrow in deeper to the subtly sensual sounds of Moby’s latest effort to merge integrity, creativity, and sound. always centered at night is part record label, part musical commune. Above all, it’s a collaborative platform privileging the work itself over its impact on the charts. With its meandering structure, cozy vocalization, and loungey percussion — this is one for the single-track repeat. Set it and forget it as you crawl back beneath the covers.
Corinne Bailey Rae – “Put Your Records On”
Let’s rewind, shall we? This total charmer from Corinne Bailey Rae ruled the world back in 2006, the kind of total-culture-takeover R&D execs dream of, ultimately leading the singer-songwriter to land the number 1 spot on the UK album chart with her self-titled debut. And with good reason: this track is all sunshine and lemonade. It’s a single dose of stress-relief, a carefree bike ride down a country road, and a must-revisit for good vibes. *Editor’s note: This, along with the four other songs featured this week are excellent fodder for a Thanksgiving prep playlist. Check out our Staff Picks on Spotify for even more.*
The Altons – “Over and Over”
One rinse of this track will have you searching your memories to place it. Smokey Robinson… Gladys Knight… someone from Motown’s classic line-up? You’re on the right track, but The Altons are a contemporary LA band offering sweetheart soul-rock that sounds right out of decades past. Invigorating the familiar harmonics, and easy-going grooves of classic soul with a shock of latin infusion, this just might be your new go-to for living room romance.
Mexican Institute of Sound – “La Luna de Noviembre”
Like your forbidden teenage crush: suggestive and sultry, with a touch of mischief. This ode to “the November moon” exquisitely melds vintage production elements like wobbly organs and victrola-esque audio quality with danceable rhythms and provocative guitars. It’s a characteristically playful track from DJ and producer Camilo Lara, the man behind CDMX’s Mexican Institute of Sound, and you’ll find it equally at home in a coffee shop or a botánica. ¡Viva la luna!