Cameroonian-American Laetitia Tamko (Vagabon) makes music that’s not easy to categorize… and is all the better for it. Is it “bedroom-house,” as the producer/multi-instrumentalist casually calls it in conversation with KCRW’s Novena Carmel? Kind of, but there’s more to it than that. Tamko is a first rate singer-songwriter, parsing interpersonal relationship dynamics with frankness and a dry wit. “Can I Talk My Shit?,” the opening track of her 2023 album Sorry I Haven’t Called (co-produced by Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij) is case in point — a bracingly funny bop that pulls you immediately onto its wavelength. Musically, Vagabon leans all the way into blending playful electro pop beats with the polyrhythms of her African heritage. Occasionally she lets it all fall away to showcase the clarity of her singing voice and her insightful words, as on the sparsely arranged album closer “Anti-F**k.”
Scrub to 02:06:40 to experience the magic for yourself as Vagabon takes the stage during this edition of MBE. The trio of Laetitia Tamko (lead vocals, guitar, keys), Michael Blasky (bass, keys, sax), Andrew Tachine (drums) deliver an intimate set of cuts from Sorry I Haven’t Called live from KCRW’s Annenberg Performance Studio, including “Anti-F**k,” “Do Your Worst,” and KCRW favorite “Carpenter.” Plus, she dedicates the back catalog powerhouse “Water Me Down,” to her late best friend, fellow music producer Eric Littman. And she tells Novena about moving to LA, changing up her style, and having her elementary school visited by Mariah Carey in the early 2000s.