Nadia Sirota is a violist who has performed with Arcade Fire, Paul Simon, Dirty Projectors, Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, and Grizzly Bear, among others. Her new solo album, Tessellatum, is out Aug. 11, 2017. She also hosts WQXRs Peabody Award-winning podcast Meet the Composer, which provided the inspiration for this playlist she created specially for The Dowsers:This is a bunch of my favorite works by composers featured on all three seasons of my podcast, Meet the Composer, which looks into the brains of creative musicians via interviews and sound design. There’s a healthy dose of microtonal stuff here, which almost always makes me really happy. But more importantly, all of these composers do The Thing I Like—which is to say, combining really interesting, unexpected textures with really satisfying material and structure. All of these pieces make me feel something, and that’s really what I’m after at the end of the day.Follow Nadia Sirota on Twitter and Facebook.
Click here to subscribe to this playlistsWhen Rolling Stone asked Nas to list his 10 favorite hip-hop tracks for a feature in their May 2014 issue, he limited his selections to songs released in the late ‘80s. His choices—which comprise the first 10 tracks on this playlist*—represent a transitional era in hip-hop: the mythical Golden Age when artists like Run-D.M.C., Big Daddy Kane, and Public Enemy were shaking off the genre’s cheesier disco roots in favor of a sharpened lyrical style.But beyond the Rolling Stone list, Nas has routinely paid homage to his predecessors elsewhere, mentioning the early innovators that influenced him on songs like Hip Hop Is Deads "Where Are They Now" and Life Is Goods "Back When." With this playlist, weve supplemented Nas original Top 10 with other personal favorites, based on references the rapper has made on record and in other interviews. On "Back When," which samples MC Shan and Marley Marls 1986 track "The Bridge," Nas talks about putting up a poster of the duo in his teenage bedroom. But even though, like them, Nas hails from Queensbridge, hes praised Shans Bronx-bred rival KRS-One as "someone that artists need to study"—"The Bridge Is Over," Boogie Down Productions response to "The Bridge," may have even paved the way for Nas eventual diss records against Jay-Z.Nas hasnt just studied Golden Age rap; he was raised by it. He grew up hearing fresh voices distilling real New York life onto record through blunt lyricism, a style he would adapt and evolve on his own a few years later. Hes mentioned that Kool G Raps "Streets of New York"** was a direct influence on "N.Y. State of Mind."Most of Nas favorite rappers hailed from one of the five boroughs. But hes also acknowledged the impact of artists from outside the East Coast, citing Ice Cubes Death Certificate and Scarfaces Mr. Scarface Is Back as formative releases. Those albums preceded Illmatic by only a few years, but given that Nas was only 21 when his classic debut came out, they were still crucial to his artistic development.Unlike Redhead Kingpin and the many other forgotten legends Nas cites on “Where Are They Now,” Nas has maintained both career longevity and musical relevancy. He’s been teasing his 11th studio LP since he claimed it was finished on DJ Khaled’s “Nas Album Done” last year, and he still claims that album is coming at some point in 2017. Until then, acquaint yourself with the songs that got Nas started in the first place.* “Plug Tunin,” Nas’ choice from De La Souls 3 Feet High and Rising, isn’t on Spotify. “Me Myself & I” has been substituted in its place.**"Streets of New York" isnt on Spotify; its been replaced by "#1 With A Bullet."
The music of Michael Rault fuses multiple strains of modern rock -- from the fuzzed out guitars of psych to the more funky corners of the singer-songwriter world. He recorded his latest album, Its a New Day Tonight, at the legendary Daptones studio. Check him out on Spotify here.From Michael:I was drawn towards stringing together some pieces of strong song writing, which brought me in the direction of a more folk-y area to begin with - but I snuck some more prog-y and jazz-y excursions throughout and wandered off through a handful of different genres before finally concluding on some far out jazz from Alice Coltrane. I tried to strike a balance between farther out moments and straight pop insta-pleasers so that every extended jam was eventually followed up with some immediate gratification as a reward. So, hopefully someone can put this on and feel that it brings them through to their destination without getting them lost on the way.
Released in conjunction with a trio of new digital singles—including “No Frauds,” her half-hearted response to Remy Ma’s ferocious “shETHER” diss—Nicki Minaj’s “Queens Got Da Crown” playlist is an admirable survey of her borough’s vaunted rap lineage. Nicki’s selections lean towards rap’s clubby mainstream, so instead of Nas’ “The World Is Yours,” we get “Hate Me Now.” Some historical figures like MC Shan aren’t included at all, but pioneering group Salt-N-Pepa gets three tracks. (Perhaps the least known artist here is Stack Bundles, who was murdered in 2007.) Overall, the playlist is inelegantly sequenced, with each artist’s picks bunched together. But give Nicki credit for revealing Queens’ deep hip-hop roots to her younger teen followers, especially the ones who may be more familiar with her “Super Bass” megahits instead of her “I Get Crazy” mixtape origins. The only act who doesn’t hail from Queens here is JAY Z; his “Can I Get A…” presumably merits inclusion because, uh, he owns TIDAL.(Note: Nicki’s playlist includes a remix of Mya and JAY Z’s “Best of Me” that’s featured on the Backstage soundtrack, which is a TIDAL exclusive. We substituted it with the original “Best of Me” from Mya’s 2000 album Fear of Flying.)
In July 2017, New Jersey native Nicole Atkins released Goodnight Rhonda Lee, her fourth serving of lush orchestro-soul and regal R&B. But on her best-of-2017 list, she indulges her love of dark, heavy rock and oddball art-pop:1. St. Vincent, MasseductionI’ve always loved Annie’s lyrics. Romantic and smart. Here, she is at the height of her powers, like a female Prince. So glad she exists, because the world needs rock-star superheroes right now.2. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Murder of the UniverseI listened to this album so much this year I thought I was going insane. Kind of King Crimson in a space action movie, complete with a narrator to lead you through this journey.3. The Black Angels, Death SongI saw them perform this record live a few times this year and was blown away, as I usually am by The Black Angels. “Half Believin” breaks my heart.4. The Lemon Twigs, Brothers of DestructionThere are so many exciting and fun musical moments on this EP. Reminds me of the Kinks at times. These brothers are so young and have such a deep, musical understanding of history. I think they’re the most important band I’ve heard in a long time.5. JD McPherson, UNDIVIDED HEART & SOULJD McPherson has one of my favorite voices ever and, on this record, he takes pockets of songs to really unexpected places, turning older sounds into future sounds. Very original, while keeping you warm and fuzzy.6. Queen of the Stone Age, VillainsI put this on when I need to fuck the day.7. Mark Lanegan, GargoyleThis man could sing anything and I’d love it. Fortunately, his poetry is just haunting as his voice, and every record he releases reveals a deeper and more beautiful layer.8. Dion, Kickin’ Child: The Lost Album ’65There are so many melodies on the top of this record that put me in another world. It inspires me greatly.
I’ve shazamed a lot of songs on this album this year, like, “Whoa, what is this?!” Completely original. It melds so many different types of music, but doesn’t sound gimmicky. He gives me the same feeling I had when I was young and Trent Reznor (who he sounds nothing like) came out—like, this person is gonna start an entire new sound that a lot of people are gonna follow.
It’s powerful and raw and amazing and timely. I’m just getting acquainted with it, because it just came out and it’s on repeat.
I grew up on classical music, 80’s radio, and classic rock. Ive never been a fan of drama in my life, but I have always LOVED drama in music. I want music that elicits an emotional response, music that moves my body, puts me on the edge of my seat, stirs my rage, excites me, surrounds + encompasses me, asks something of me, takes me on a ride, or asks me to close my eyes and be fully present. I can’t have music on in the background while I am doing anything besides cooking or showering. Listening to music is a full body experience that pushes its way to the forefront of my awareness. Often even in movies or tv shows, if there’s a piece of music I really love playing in the background of a scene, I have to watch it multiple times because I completely miss the dialogue. Between this and spending so much time creating, rehearsing, or thinking about music, listening to it for pleasure isn’t historically something I’ve spent very much time doing. Working with my bandmate and artistic partner, Emilia Richeson, over the last year and a half has started shifting this relationship. She has SUCH GREAT TASTE in music and is incredibly skilled at crafting the ride I crave with her playlists for Pony Sweat - a fiercely non-competitive feminist dance aerobics practice geared towards eliciting those feelings of freedom so often only unearthed by bedroom dancing. I think this, combined with having birthed my first album has created space for more music in my life. So! Here are just a few of my greatest influences mixed with a few of my latest favorites. It’s a bit of a doozy, so settle in and get ready for the ride.
Seattle electronic duo ODESZA release their third album, A Moment Apart, on September 8, 2017. To celebrate its arrival, Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight put together this playlist for The Dowsers of tracks that are currently in their personal heavy rotation, some of which feature on their latest Soundcloud mix, NO.SLEEP.
Toronto trio Odonis Odonis weren’t kidding when they named their new record No Pop. The band’s fourth album (out Oct. 20 on Telephone Explosion Records in Canada and Felte worldwide) is a claustrophobic hellscape of industrialized shocks, black-light beats, and pure punk insolence. For his Dowsers playlist, band braintrust Dean Tzenos reveals the music that gets him in a dystopian state of mind. “Heres some tracks that we were spinning around the making of the new record. Some are from bands we played shows with, and others are just sick tracks that we would play in van.”—Dean Tzenos, Odonis OdonisYou can order No Pop here.
Drake OvO Sound may effectively be a vanity imprint for its biggest star, but there’s something to admire in their stylistic consistency and aesthetic continuity. It speaks to Drake’s overall impact on culture, and also the partnership that Drake has formed with his core set of producers (40 and Boi-1da). There’s a clear through-line from the sound those developed on solo Drake releases and the sonic nooks that PARTYNEXTDOOR or dvsn are currently exploring. This playlist, curated by Drake, features some of the labels best tracks. Though the music is at times vibrant and it’s well worth a listen, this at times feels like a boilerplate marketing/PR playlist, and the inclusion of Drake on at least 2/3rds of the tracks feels slightly distasteful.
Painted Doll are a collaboration between comedian/guitar shredder Dave Hill and metal veteran Chris Reifert from Autopsy and Death. The two released their self-titled debut on Tee Pee Records. You can listen here. The Dowsers recently asked them to curate a playlist of their faves. This is what they had to say:ChrisFrom my end, this is a list of:a: Songs that I sent to Dave a couple of years ago when we were trading music back and forth just for fun. Little did we know at the time that the exchange would initiate the formation of Painted Doll, but hey, here we are!b: Songs that I grew up with that still sound great.c: Songs that I think are hella cool in general. Maybe other folks will dig too. Just do yourself a favor and listen to this stuff on good speakers.DaveThis is a list of some stone cold jams that have inspired us to rock together and give some serious thought to making stickers at some point.
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Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.
Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.
