THE PLAYLIST
Honon/ Monsoon
We’ve featured more than a handful of intriguing new Thai bands this year, but it looks like Honon might just be our top favourite act yet. Made up of Rattaporn “Hon” Boontongdee and Solos “On” Sirichote, the duo play a handpan, a convex steel drum played entirely by hands (hence the name). Their latest offering, Monsoon, is a rousing instrumental piece that reflects the volatile, yet calming nature of the rainy season as well as showcases the pair’s adept musicality. Can’t get enough? You’re in luck because there’s more where this comes from on Draw, the duo’s stellar debut full-length album available now on Bandcamp.
The Killers/ I’ll Be Home for Christmas
It’s that time of the year again, folks, when Christmas albums descend upon us like a pesky mistletoe. Here’s one from American rock quartet The Killers, a prolific churner of Christmas jams since 2006. Released as part of Product Red, the campaign to Fight against AIDS in Africa, I’ll Be Home For Christmas is a bizarre, Western-themed, spoken-word cover of Bing Crosby’s classic of the same name. The track appears on the group’s Don’t Waste Your Wishes, a compilation of holiday-themed singles they released over the last 10 years.
Paul Simon (feat Nico Segal)/ Stranger
Living legend Paul Simon teams up with Nico Segal, formerly Donnie Trumpet, on his latest cut Stranger.
Produced by The Social Experiment’s Nate Fox, the track is a mash-up of The Werewolf and The Clock,
both numbers taken from Simon’s June record, Stranger to Stranger. Introduced by Segal’s sensual trumpet lines, the song slides over a languorous R&B melody with Simon delivering the lines in his signature casual tone: “Life is a lottery, a lot of people lose/And the winners, the grinners, with money-coloured eyes/Eat all the nuggets, then they order extra fries.”
Raleigh Ritchie/ Unicron Loev
After dropping his excellent debut album You’re A Man Now, Boy earlier this year, British R&B crooner Raleigh Ritchie is back with a new tune called Unicron Loev. Lifted from his forthcoming five-track EP, Mind the Gap, the dyslexically-titled jam relies on an uber-chill electro-R&B backdrop and a playful vocal gimmick where the penultimate syllables occasionally get distorted. “I believe in miracles/I believe in magic,” he muses, signalling a subtle key change that works brilliantly with the rest of the song.
OK Go/ The One Moment
Known for their insanely nifty music videos, American indie-pop outfit OK Go have done it again with their latest single, The One Moment. Lifted from their 2014’s fourth studio album, Hungry Ghosts, the song sounds a bit like an insipid cross between Coldplay and OneRepublic with its stadium rock guitars and anthemic chorus. The video, however, is an entirely different story as it’s basically a slowed-down version of a fleeting scene captured in 4.2 seconds. Mind-blowing stuff. Now, if only these guys would make music just as innovative as their videos.