A follow-up to ‘My ears like to hear…Part I’…obviously. More of what I’m listening to and what’s accompanying these super hot summer days and nights, the lying and staring into the sun blue sky dreaming, the iced mint tea drinking, the PhD reading and writing, the adventures and smile-filled wonders…to the secrets. There has to be secrets at this time of year. I’d be impressed if you guys have heard of some, or any, of these as they are pretty emerging, low-fi, raw and here and now. Another eight for you, only eight at a time almost like a playlist…a lot are on free download too so grab them.
AYE NAKO
Discovered this week and for some reason AYE NAKO make me feel like I’m back in my teens again, watching the film ‘Clueless’ on repeat (it’ in my top 5 embarrassingly), wearing hot pink leggings with an animal t-shirts and high-top Reeboks with no fear listening to punk-esque music.
JACK INSLEE
I think I’m a little bit in love with Jack’s music to fuel these unbearably uncomfortable nights. Especially when I’m in painkiller kingdom. Niceness. Every single second. ’05 Jones’ is my favourite right now…dream-ic, slow motion thinking. Perfect. Thanks Jack.
FRIENDSHIPS
Again another newby to my playlist. Their album ‘I’m an impressionist, you’re dumb: a compilation of bass tracks’ is actually free to download from bandcamp at the moment here. Kinda electro, hip-hop to grime edge with sampling and beats thrown in for abstract framing. Again dream-ic.
CUUSHE
I swear my music tastes are getting more and more abstract…but I like it, I like knowing what other people don’t, getting lost in things that other people can’t, won’t and never hear. This is mine somehow. Cuushe is a Kyoto native living in Berlin…so much great stuff comes out of Berlin at the moment. She is one to watch as are her beautiful videos which were recently coined as “if The Snowman illustrator Raymond Briggs decided to work for Studio Ghibli”…a perfect description. I hope she’s on tour soon. Cuushe’s new album ‘Butterfly Case’ will be released in September.
MELO-X [+ GOD]
A hip-hop fix. Shut your eyes and jump into the spoken articulations. Nothing more to say. The first film below is visuals by MELO-X but music by GOD. The second track ‘Handle It’ is by MELO-X. Love the changes in this track from vocal to the percussion. Love for this.
BIRD
Funk, soul hip-hop with cuts of 1950/60s samples that create this almost musical theatre of swing…a little bit more on the conventional side of Rachel…but I like it. Smart music Bird. Nice use of different string instruments in this. Old skool New York-Americana edge to it too.
CHARLES MURDOCH
Super experimental chilled electro beats here by Charles Murdoch…and it was so hard to choose just one track…but here’s my choice…
Rachel Marsden's Words 
we are totally obsessed with friendships over at Happy!
They are fantastic! Thanks for commenting!