It’s officially Spring. Happy Spring!
Photos from some of my walks in March.
I hope you’re bringing in the new season with openness, creativity and peace for yourself. As new things begin to emerge and momentum starts to build for me especially in the area of work, I remind myself to enjoy the process and stay in gratitude for the learnings and lessons that are helping me continue to grow.
Here’s my round-up of March gems. You can listen to the playlist here.
Future, Metro Boomin, Kendrick Lamar - Like That
No brainer for “Like That” to kick off my March Gems list. The amount of discourse and memes around this song and moment are certainly something that makes me grateful to be a rap fan. I enjoyed reading this write-up by Vulture music critic Craig Jenkins, “What is Kendrick thinking?”
SiR, Ab-Soul- I’m Not Perfect
SiR’s new album Heavy dropped last week. There are several standouts, but for me I’ve listened to “I’m Not Perfect” the most on repeat. This is just one of those songs that upon the first five seconds of listening, I knew I loved it immediately. “One step up and then two steps back / might slip up but I’m still on track…” The collab between SiR and Ab-Soul is effortless, melded well by production from Rascal & WU10.
iivrson - Nocturnal
I met rapper iivrson in Atlanta in 2018 while on a work trip for a shoot. He was great to connect with and at the time had just started to work on music and eventually put out his first single “Money Callin’,” a debut hit in 2019. “Nocturnal” is his latest single in his signature whisper style that has me excited for his journey ahead and is testament of how much new talent and sounds Atlanta continues to boast.
The Marías - Run Your Mouth
I’ve been impressed by and excited about The Marías announcement and rollout of their forthcoming sophomore album Submarine which is out May 31. “Run Your Mouth” is a catchy bop, and it definitely feels prime for Spring. Singer María Zardoya said “dance while you can, the next ones might make you cry.” I’m very excited to hear the rest of the album.
Better, Soft Glas - Lukewarm
Better is artist Soft Glas’s new band fronted by artist, multi-instrumentalist and producer Joao Gonzalez. This month they released “Lukewarm,” and I love the instrumentation throughout the song. It stirred up some nostalgia for me in that it reminded me of past bands like Mineral I listened to growing up whose instrumentation and production I particularly loved.
Crumb - AMAMA
Crumb just released the title track from their forthcoming third full-length album AMAMA which will be out May 17. In their post, singer Lila Ramani said the track is dedicated to her namesake, her grandmother who had sent her a video of herself singing via WhatsApp that inspired the melody and foundation of the song. Her grandmother’s voice is sampled throughout this beautiful, glitchy number Lila calls a love song, and I love the representation of Lila’s Indian heritage. I’m excited to hear the new album in a few months.
Pedazo De Carne Con Ojo - Still
Pedazo De Carne Con Ojo is the artistry of Florida native, Philadelphia based artist Steven Perez who creates electronic music inspired by punk, rap and his Dominican roots growing up listening to merengue, salsa and bachata which he samples in his music. His experimental, eclectic music creates space for reflection and opens up new perspectives for me. “Still” is a song from his latest EP Again that just dropped. I first listened to this on my way to work as a calm breeze flowed through and the trees looked more green and vibrant than ever. I first heard of Pedazo via drummer Malcolm Martin, featured percussionist on this EP. I had met Malcolm through the lovely band Sales (side note: Sales was a featured guest on my podcast a few years ago). I’ve been blessed to connect with so much musical talent over the years and be introduced to more. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
Other bits from March:
I finally started and finished watching The Bear in March. It had taken me a while as I’m quite slow to watch some shows. I fully understand the praise received and awards they sweeped because the show hits the heart so deep. Every single cast member was phenomenal, and I love the storyline and the complex themes around trauma, family, relationships and mental health that the show covers, inspired largely by creator Christopher Storer’s own personal story. It’s a great reminder that telling and owning our stories matters. On a lighter note, I’ve been inspired to cook more. I can’t wait for Season 3 which is set to release this June.
I caught two wonderful concerts in March: Annahstasia at the Masonic Lodge, which was my first time seeing a show there. I love the ambience and acoustics in the space, perhaps energized by the fact that the venue is located within the Hollywood Forever cemetery. I look forward to seeing another show there. If you haven’t heard of Annahstasia, I recommend giving her a listen. Her soulful voice and folk music inspired by artists like Bill Withers, Nina Simone and Joni Mitchell may put you in a trance. I also caught TiaCorine at the Echoplex last weekend. She is the sweetest and put on an incredible performance and show which included fan audience participation which is always fun. It was entertaining, and I’m excited to hear more from her this year. I highlighted her song “Olive” featuring Detroit rapper Zelooperz in my February gems playlist, so I was happy to hear the song live as he joined her on stage.
I enjoyed coming across this encouraging reminder from a tweet shared via readswithravi, an excerpt from Paulo Coelho’s book Maktub: “If you want to have a better understanding of your role in the world, write. Try to put your whole soul into writing, even if no one else will ever read it… the word is power.”
What are you looking forward to in April?
Best wishes for the Spring,
Jane