I’m interested to hear what others have been listening to lately and maybe you are interested in what I’ve been listening to over winter so here are some rambling’s about what’s been feeding my soul for the last few months.

Probably the biggest change in my listening habits this year has been finally subscribing and using Spotify more regularly, although the iPod (which contains a large chunk of my music collection) and CDs still get a spin. I’m a luddite with regard to technology and this is another example that I’m a late starter with these things. My transition to using Spotify has essentially been forced by several of my favourite artists only releasing their music digitally which I guess finally came to a head for me this year. I haven’t totally given up buying CD’s as I still love to have something physical in my hand and besides it’s hard to go cold turkey and totally give up collecting CDs which I’ve done for 30 years now resulting in a collection of nearly 700 CD’s. However, I am enjoying having such a massive music collection available on the Spotify App which has not only enabled me to listen to some new releases this year but I’ve also been able to reacquaint myself with other artists who I have listened to over the decades. Anyway, here’s what’s been on my playlist and the soundtrack to my life over the past few months …

L-Fresh the Lion – South West

L’s most recent album, ‘South West’ is a sensation and I love every track. He has become one of my all-time favourite artists, from first hearing his debut album ‘One’ in 2014, his second album ‘Become’ in 2016, both of which are amazing but he has surpassed both these albums with his latest offering. ‘South West’ was released digitally but is one that if it was a CD I would have bought it.

L has described his third album as a love letter to the place that raised him, South West Sydney and dedicated the album to his 13-year-old self as the record is a collection of lessons he wished he had known as a kid; lessons on how to be confident in yourself and hold pride in your culture. It is an honest album depicting his experience as a second-generation migrant kid existing between two cultures and the ongoing effects of Australia’s inherently racist culture. The album is both a listening and a political experience.

I love Dan Condon’s comments on the album, he said “South West will be a record that some see themselves in. For the rest of us, it is a great way to broaden our knowledge about the complexities of culture and how we can contribute to making everyone in Australia feel proud to be themselves.” [1]

A major contender for my number 1 song for 2020 is ‘Peace and Light’ (featuring Mirrah), it contains some great lyrics, I was going to quote some of them here but there are so many great lines I’d end up almost reproducing the whole song so instead I encourage you to get your ears around it and give it a listen (there is a link to it and the album below).

There is every chance some of his other songs such as Aim Higher (featuring Okenyo), Oh My and Village Boy might crack my top 10 for the Hottest 100 as well.

I love L’s lyrics and he is a true inspiration and I can’t wait to see him perform live again once we’ve sorted our pandemic.

Here is a link to his new album ‘South West’, I thoroughly recommend it. I hope L doesn’t mind me using his image as the cover photo for this blog.

Spinifex Gum – Spinifex Gum & Sisters

I first saw Spinifex Gum perform at Womad in March this year and they blew me away. Spinifex Gum is a musical collaboration between The Cat Empire’s Felix Riebl and Ollie McGill and the Marliya Choir, an all-female, all-Indigenous group from Cairns. I immediately bought their latest album, ‘Sisters’ (2019) but their debut album, ‘Spinifex Gum’ (2017) was sold out but thankfully its available on Spotify so both albums have been on high rotation this year.

I recommend you listen to these amazing artists, their sound, the message in their songs and their live performance is brilliant. We were so impressed by their performance at Womad we made sure we also attended their workshop the next day and it was just as inspiring.

Do yourself a favour and get around them, here is a link to their YouTube channel.

Benee – ‘Stella and Steve’ and ‘Fire on Marzz’ EPs

Benee is a New Zealand artist who I first heard on Triple J last year and was immediately captivated by her music and voice. She is another artist that has released her music digitally so it wasn’t until this year that I really got to listen to her two EP’s, ‘Stella and Steve’ and ‘Fire on Marzz’ which were both released last year.

Every track on both EPs are bangers and I can’t pick any favourites to be honest. All I can offer is there is something about Benee’s music that just lifts my spirits and relaxes me. Here’s a link to all her videos on YouTube which includes her new single ‘Snail’ which she released 3 weeks ago as well as ‘Night Garden’ which was released in mid-July this year, two more contenders for my top ten for the Hottest 100.

Apparently Benee is releasing her debut album later this year and I can’t wait to hear it.

Aurora – Infections of a Different Kind (Step 1)

I first started listening to Aurora last year after hearing her Like a Version set on Triple J and now I have both her debut album, ‘All my Demons Greeting Me as a Friend’ (2016) and her second album ‘A Different Kind of Human’ (2019) on CD. However through Spotify I have been listening to her EP ‘Infections of a Different Kind’ which she released in 2018.

Aurora also released a single in May this year called ‘Exist for Love’ which is another contender for my top 10 for the Hottest 100. It is her first ever love song and is apparently the first glimpse into what she describes as a new era in her career with the upcoming release of a new album. I can’t wait to listen to it.

My favourite track from Aurora is still The Seed from her ‘A Different Kind of Human’ album and this album (as well as her debut album) have continued to be on my playlist this year as well.

Public Enemy – State of the Union (STFU)

PE are one of my all time favourite bands and released State of the Union (STFU) earlier this year and it’s an absolute banger and a great take down of Donald Trump. They have also released Fight the Power: Remix 2020 a remix of their seminal song ‘Fight The Power’, first released in 1989 and which has become synonymous with activism and revolution, giving it heightened relevance in 2020.

The 2020 remix of the track features contributions from the likes of Nas, Black Thought (The Roots), Rapsody, Questlove, YG and Jahi who all give the song a new refreshed ahthem for the #BlackLivesMatter movement. ‘Fight the Power’ is probably my favourite ever PE track and the remix version is also awesome.

PE are also releasing a new album this year called ‘What you gonna do when the grid goes down’ and I can’t wait to listen to it.

Okenyo – Solo

I was thrilled when I first found out Okenyo was releasing her EP, ‘Solo’ this year and it’s been on high rotation ever since its release in May.  It contains five songs and I love them all, my favourite possibly being ‘Eyes to the Sky’. But to top it off Okenyo just released a single ‘Anthropology’ 3 weeks ago. I’m sure at least one of her tracks will be in my top ten for the Hottest 100 this year.

Tuka – Nothing in Common But Us

Tuka is a member of my favourite bands, Thundamentals, but is also a solo artist in his own right and released his fourth album, ‘Nothing in Common But Us’ on 31 July this year. To be honest the first time I listened to the album it didn’t grab me, but after a few more listens it has grown on me and it has been on regular rotation over the last few weeks.

I like the way Emma Jones describes the album in her article that is found on the Purple Sneakers website, she says Tuka “…explores the different stages of a relationship. Positioning the relationship itself as an almost third entity it its own right, Tuka takes a peculiar and curious look at what it means to be human with other humans in all its messy glory. In doing so, he emerges triumphant not just in how he has managed to overcome his own personal adversity, but also in that he now has an album that is worthy of the deep evolution he’s undergone…”

Some of my favourite tracks on the album include ‘How to Fly’, ‘Trailer Trash’ and Haunted.

Kev Carmody – Cannot Buy My Soul: The Songs of Kev Carmody (2020 Edition)

This has only just been added to my Spotify library as this new edition of the album was re-released on 21 August 2020, 13 years after its initial release. It includes 42 songs including originals by Kev as well as many covers of his songs performed by many of my favourite artists including; The Last Kinection, The Herd, John Butler, Paul Kelly and Archie Roach.

The release of this album has rekindled my love for Kev’s music, I’ve been a fan of his ever since I bought his album ‘Bloodlines’(1993) in the late 90’s.

Here is a link to some of the videos of the songs on ‘Cannot Buy My Soul’ located on Kev’s website.

Jimblah – About These Dreams

This song expresses Jimblah’s frustration at white Australia for consistently pushing the struggles of First Nations people to the side and pretending what’s happening in America isn’t also happening here.

According to Jimblah, “What these songlines represent is, we as First Peoples don’t want to see this happening, the difference is we aren’t able to just turn our backs on it … We don’t have that option. So we have to be active about confronting these demons, we have to activate in a way that is working towards this healing of Country. So many people claim they love this Country, but the truth is – they love to exploit this Country. If they really loved this Country, they would love us, & we would be side by side battling these demons together.”

“We need every single person who stands on this sacred Country to be activated, not just on socials, but at the dinner table, at the march, at the workplace, on the stage, in the board rooms, at parliament – that’s what true reconciliation will look like – when we are actually working together on this healing and it’s not just on the First Peoples to rid this Country of its on-going genocide and our beautiful way of being.”

This song has been part of the inspiration for me to write a blog about the #BlackLivesMatter movement which can be found here. I’ve also been listening to The Last Kinection, Archie Roach and Gurrumul (as well as the already mentioned Spinifex Gum and Kev Carmody) who have also inspired me while writing the blog.

Last year, Jimblah teamed up with Goji forming Homeward Bound and I have also been listening to their album ‘Whatever You Do Don’t Panic’ (2019). Jimblah’s cover of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Whats Going On’, which he performed as his Like a Version cover is also a strong contender for my top ten for 2020.

Professor Griff – Pawns in the Game

One thing that I have loved about Spotify is finding music I listened to many years ago, one album that I’ve reacquainted myself with recently is ‘Pawns in the Game’. I forgot about this album when I put together my Top Ten from the 1990’s. I still have this LP that I bought back in 1990, but I haven’t had a record player for many years so it really just collects dust now.

Not only have I been listening to ‘Pawns in the Game’ quite often this year I have also listened to Griffs entire back catalogue which I have enjoyed becoming familiar with.

Here’s a link to the title track from the album.

Pump Up the Volume Soundtrack

Another album I have found on Spotify that I hadn’t listened to for several years, I did have the CD but I have misplaced it somewhere. Pump up the Volume is one of my favourite movies from back in the day and its soundtrack is one of the best, up there with Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. It contains tracks from the likes of Leonard Cohen, Ice T, Pixies, Sonic Youth, Soundgarden and Sly and the Family Stone.

But the stand out track for me is Weinerschnitzel by the Descendents, I add it to nearly every playlist I put together, and generally I put it in several times. I just love it, it appeals to my sense of humour as I always laugh after hearing the song.

Mass of Man – Fallen Angel & Weight of Words

In June this year we caught up with Fiona down at Middleton and she put us onto Mass of Man, in particular his track ‘Fallen Angel’. This is a powerful track about dealing with depression and I’ve listened to it quite a few times since. I’ve also added his album ‘Weight of Words’ to my Spotify library.

He has also only just released ‘Fan Letters’ which is also a powerful and moving song.

Vida Sunshyne – Second to None

The final song that has made my playlist for the first half or so of 2020 is Second to None by Vida Sunshyne. She is a favourite of mine and I am pleased she released this song.

Apart from music I have also been loving listening to the Minefield, Big Ideas and the Philosophers Zone on the ABC listen app as well as the Everyday Buddhism podcast and the Philosophize This! podcast.

So there you have it, some of what’s been playing in my ears providing the soundtrack to my life over the last few months of winter 2020. Hopefully you might enjoy some of these artists as much I have been, they have certainly been feeding my soul and I hope they will do so for you to.

So what’s been on your playlist?

[1] Dan Condon’s article is found on the ABC website, link here