Here is the final post in this week long look back at 2013’s year in music on Melting Pot, focused on the best songs I heard last year. As is usually the case, four of these songs were absolute no-brainers. That fifth spot always seems to give me a little bit of trouble. It would have made sense to include one of the several fantastic retro soul tracks that I frequently played at home, on the road or on the radio, but when I thought about overall pleasure derived from listening to this music all throughout 2013, I found that I was more drawn to other varieties of soul music this year. So, without further adieu, here are my picks for the top five songs I heard in 2013.

***Honorable Mentions: Frootful feat. Mazen Bedwei – “The Road,” Myron & E – “If I Gave You My Love,” Amatorski – “Never Told,” Boogaloo Assassins – “No, No, No,” Golden Grrrls – “Past Tense,” Rhye – “The Fall,” Bosq feat. Mendee Ichikawa – “Never Feel Cold,” King – “In The Meantime,” Fat Night – “Things You Do,” Quadron – “LFT,” Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators – “On The Eastside”

5. Toro Y Moi – “Grown Up Calls” – Anything In Return (Carpark)

Toro y Moi – Grown Up Calls

Perhaps no other song put a smile on my face as much as “Grown Up Calls.” Lyrically there’s not really a reason for that, since the song could best be described as a bittersweet love song, seemingly about the effects of distance on a relationship between two young lovers. Instead it’s about the sound of the song, the lovingly crafted homage to 1980s/1990s R&B style, moving far and away from the chillwave he was associated with. I don’t know what kind of dancer Chaz Bundwick actually is, but every time I hear this song, I can’t help but envision him doing heavily choreographed moves somewhere in between Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and Bobby Brown’s “Every Little Step.” Part of me really wishes that Chaz could have broken out this year with this album and this song (and the accompanied dance moves in a very slick video) to have been a major star challenging Justin Timberlake, Usher and the like. Part of me is MUCH happier that Toro y Moi received sustained acclaim all year long from just the right outlets and stayed just on the cusp of stardom. As is the case with so much of the music I play, you want as many people as possible to hear it because it truly deserves to be heard, but you also know how widespread, mainstream approval has a way of changing artists and changing sounds rarely for the better. I have a feeling that the next Toro y Moi record will sound nothing like this, but whatever Chaz has in store for us next, just based off of all he’s done so far, we’ll be more than willing to go wherever he wants to take us.

4. Valerie June – “Shotgun” – Pushin’ Against A Stone (Concord)

Valerie June – Shotgun

Murder Ballads are a time honored tradition in the blues, but I’m not sure there’s ever been one quite like “Shotgun.” Here’s what I (and Ms. June) originally had to say about this track back in September:

“It’s remarkable simply because it’s so rare to hear a murder ballad where the woman is not only the narrator but also not the victim. It’s sung in a way that you could almost be forgiven for not recognizing that she kills this man with a sawed-off shotgun at the end, but that’s a testament to her talents as a singer and songwriter. Recently she did an interview with NPR and said this about how the song came to her: ‘I was seeing this field, this prairie in the middle of America, I guess. The wheat was over-my-head high, almost, and it was blowing back and forth. And there was this old house with white vinyl siding — almost falling off, like a haunted house — and a screen door, and it was flapping in the wind. There’s a song [the blues standard ‘Baby, Please Don’t Go’] that goes, ‘Baby, please don’t go / Don’t go down to New Orleans.’ Well, this woman, she was like, ‘No, don’t go! Don’t leave me! Don’t go down to New Orleans!’ And the man had other ideas for what he wanted to do. So she decided that she was upset about it, and she wanted to get her sawed-off shotgun and do something with the relationship that was gonna make him hers forever.'”

Even if it wasn’t a murder ballad, the song would still be a stunner, just for the stark and haunting beauty of June’s vocals. The fact that it IS a murder ballad makes it even more stunning, more haunting, as if it’s not simply a murder ballad, but one that’s sung from beyond the grave. The violent, unexpected rushes of slide guitar only reinforce all those feelings. On a record of great performances, “Shotgun” still stands all on its own.

3. Rhye – “Last Dance” – Woman (Innovative Leisure/Polydor)

Rhye – Last Dance

As one of my favorite records of the year, there were several tracks from Rhye that could have found their way into this list, but “Last Dance” is here because it’s the best of the bunch. From the ace production from Robin Hannibal, with all the various elements perfectly balanced and spaced in the mix, to the way Mike Milosh’s ethereal vocals soar, swoon and caress each and every single syllable if the lyrics, “Last Dance” is absolutely flawless.

2. Toddla T Sound – “Worst Enemy” – 12” (Ninja Tune)

Toddla T Sound – Worst Enemy (Edit)

It’s very rare for me to include singles in my year end shows and lists. Part of the reason is that eventually there’s a full-length that comes out and that LP will often feature the song that I was originally most enamored with or something even better. Every now and again though a single is all there is, or when the album comes out the song you love has been tampered with and changed into something lesser or even more rarely (as was the case with another favored track from this year, Fat Night’s “Things You Do”) the album will not feature the single that sparked the love to begin with. When I made the decision that there was no way I could leave “Worst Enemy” out of my Best Of 2013 show, I knew it also would have to be on this list. No other song in 2013 had the power to truly transport me from where ever I was and whatever I was feeling and send me into a blissful space away from the rest of the world. The production from Toddla T is largely responsible for that in the clouds feeling, but it’s Shola Ama’s vocals that really got me floating. It took a single listen for this one to get it’s hooks in me, and also only one listen to convince me that the slowed down (seemingly ubiquitous) rapping in the song simply had to go. I can understand why they are there, but they were so distracting, so completely unnecessary to the vibe of the song that I just had to edit them out. All apologies to the band, but please know that it was done out of sheer love for this track and for Shola’s vocals. If not for that little cut I’m not sure I would have even played this on my show. Instead it became the song that I listened to on repeat the most in 2013.

1.Haitus Kaiyote – “Nakamarra” – Tawk Tomahawk (Flying Buddha)

Hiatus Kaiyote – Nakamarra

If “Worst Enemy” was the song that I listened to most in 2013, “Nakamarra” was by far the song that I sang most, in the car, on the way to class, in the shower, to my wife, to my dog, at the gym, just walking around, at the supermarket, essentially everywhere, which is strange since it’s such a personal love song. One of the real highlights of the year was having the band do a stripped down session for us at KPFK and getting a chance to talk with them about “Nakamarra” because it cleared up any possible misconceptions about the song. As singer and principal lyricist, Nai Palm, explained in our interview:

“…there’s so many different ways to love people, in music it’s usually only focused on the romantic side of things. The song was written about a friend of mine, she was an artist and she moved to the central Australian desert to work with indigenous artists…for a woman who was the same age as me, and in this amazing city (Melbourne)…It just really struck me. The song is about just how proud I was of her to make such a strong move in her life at such a young age, but also spending a lot of time out in the desert, it’s my homage to that space, the land out there and the people.”

“Nakamarra” doesn’t simply reference a particular person, but it simultaneously contains very specific references to Australia. The title is in reference to a tribal name that was given to Nai’s friend, one that is a name of kinship and one with specific ties to Aborigine culture and particular spaces in the Australian desert. The song then works as an expression of love in a variety of different ways, lyrically as the deep affection between two friends, and musically, with it’s references to the production styles of the Soulqarians, most specifically Hip-Hop’s most sanctified producer, J-Dilla. All those many layers of love shine brilliantly through in the finished product, unquestionably the best song I heard in 2013.

All week long here on Melting Pot we’ve been taking a look at the year in music for 2013. Today’s post focuses on the best new releases I heard in 2013.  More than any other year in recent memory I’ve felt distinctly overwhelmed by how much music is out there in the world.  It’s getting to the point where I almost feel like there is too much music out there.  My favorite records are often out of step with mainstream and underground lists, but this year in particular I felt a bit more disconnected.  It wasn’t that I hadn’t heard records that other people felt were the “best,” I just wasn’t feeling them.  The following are the records that I most definitely felt in 2013.

***Honorable Mentions: Boogaloo Assassins – Old Love Dies Hard (Sicario), Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators – Tortured Soul (Timmion), Dom La Nena – Ela (Six Degrees), Jaimeo Brown – Transcendence (Motema), Toro Y Moi – Anything In Return (Carpark)

 5. Myron & E with the Soul Investigators – Broadway – Stones Throw

Myron & E with the Soul Investigators – Turn Back

Original Post

2013 was the year of Retro Soul, with seemingly every Soul act of worth releasing an album.  The most anticipated for me was this album from Myron & E with backing from the Soul Investigators.  I’ve spent the better part of the last three years playing 45s from the group, almost always mentioning that the full-length was coming soon.  This year that became a reality and the boys did not disappoint, building off of their singles and including a variety of new songs showcasing their distinct vocal harmonies and top-shelf grooves from the Soul Investigators (who also did exceptional work with long-time collaborator Nicole Willis).  Hopefully we won’t have to wait quite as long for the follow-up.

4. Valerie June – Pushin’ Against A Stone – Concord

Valerie June – The Hour

Original Post

Valerie June has been making music for quite some time, initially gaining some notice in the group Bella Sun and her own solo work.  2013 was the year she fully got the recognition she deserved via Pushin’ Against A Stone. As a native southerner with roots in West Tennessee there were a lot of aspects of June’s album that I felt a connection to.  Few recent artists have as deftly moved from genre to genre in the space of a single album and made it all sound as fluid, natural and authentic as Valerie June.  Production work from Dan Auerbach certainly helped, but as was clear from the many live performances June graced us with over the year, the woman doesn’t need anyone’s help.  All she needed was for people to pay attention and listen.

3. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Push The Sky Away – Bad Seed LTD

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Jubilee Street

Original Post

After almost 20 years as a fan, it’s quite possible that I’m genetically predisposed to love virtually everything that Nick Cave puts out.  In my book the man hasn’t made a “bad” album despite being one of the more prolific artists in the last several decades.  Push The Sky Away doesn’t have quite the same amount of menace as his recent work with Grinderman, or the latent grooves of the last Bad Seeds album Dig Lazurus Dig!, but what it does have in abundance is deep soulfulness musically.    Lyrically, much has been written about how Cave looked for inspiration online, jotting down ideas from Wikipedia entries and google searches.  All told it’s an exceptional listen. Perhaps more so than any of the other records on this list, Push The Sky Away is an album that deserves to be heard from start to finish and back again.

1. Quadron – Avalanche – Vested In Culture/Epic   &   Rhye – Woman – Innovative Leisure/Polydor

Quadron – Neverland
Rhye – Open

Original Post

I’m not sure if this is a cop-out or not, but I went back and forth between these two albums and eventually just gave up trying to chose one and decided they’d share the top spot. A major reason why they share this position is because of the sterling production work from Robin Hannibal.  In a year that was marked by more of the theft side of “love and theft,” Hannibal was able to pay respect to his inspirations without sounding as if he had just wholesale ripped them off (yes, I’m talking about you Robin Thicke and Pharrell!).  As with his previous work, you can hear elements of artists he’s clearly been influenced by, on Quadron’s album Rod Temperton era MJ and on Rhye’s debut, most prominently, the vibe and sound of Sade, but they stay just that, influences.  Hannibal has produced an instantly recognizable, highly referential, sound, but it also a singular sound, special and distinctive in its own regard.  Having both of these releases in the same year provides a fair amount of symmetry, but also interesting juxtapositions.  Both vocalists Hannibal is paired with, Coco O. in Quadron and Mike Milosh in Rhye, have a bit of ambiguity in their voices.  For some Milosh’s voice has a feminine quality to it, not unlike Little Jimmy Scott, that seemed to trick quite a few listeners.  While a lot has been said about Coco O’s marvelous voice, it doesn’t seem that many people pick up on just how much she sounds like Little Michael Jackson.  Where both vocalists excel is in conveying extraordinary tenderness in their performances.  While their songwriting has its merits, it almost doesn’t matter what they are singing, so much is communicated simply in the way they sing.  In a world filled with distraction, each song on these albums commands your attention and creates a space you don’t easily want to relinquish.  For all these reasons, I feel they are most deserving of sharing the top spot on my list this year.

All this week we’re focusing on the best music we heard in 2013. Today’s post looks at the top reissues from the past year. 2013 was another year of surprisingly unreleased music being dug up from true masters as well as choice cuts from around the world. At some point we’ll have uncovered all of the unreleased material from all of the giants of music, but thankfully it doesn’t appear that is any time soon. Here are my picks for the top reissues of 2013, let me know your favorites in the comments.

***Honorable Mentions: V/A – Good God!: Apocryphal Hymns (Numero), Sly & the Family Stone – Higher! (Legacy), Ilaiyaraaja – Ilectro (Finders Keepers), Unwound – Kid Is Gone (Numero Group)

5. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou – Volume 3: The Skeletal Essence of Afro Funk 1969-1980 – Analog Africa

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou – Min We Tun So

Original Post

Three volumes in and still not a single disappointment with Analog Africa’s ongoing exploration into the catalog of Benin’s Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou. The series has already done more than just put Poly-Rythmo on the map, the group has reformed and recorded new music and we’re still only at volume three of what is sure to be a very long series. Though Volume 2 remains my favorite of the three, the slow burn of “Min We Tun So” might be my favorite track from the group thus far.

4. Songs: Ohia – Magnolia Electric Co.: 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition – Secretly Canadian

Songs: Ohia – John Henry Split My Heart

Original Post

I very recently wrote about this collection, a 10th anniversary set of the final, and perhaps best, album Jason Molina recorded under the Songs: Ohia banner. As someone who is always fascinated with the process of making music, hearing the demos of the songs, stripped bare with just Molina’s voice and his guitar, become transformed and fully realized on the finished album is a truly precious thing. So to is the chance to once again marvel at the artistry of Jason Molina.

3. Jimi Hendrix – People, Hell & Angels – Experience/Legacy

Jimi Hendrix – Mojo Man

We knew this day would eventually come. After over 40 years of posthumous releases, we’ve finally (apparently) come to the end of the road with unreleased material from James Marshall Hendrix.  People, Hell & Angels marks the final unreleased studio recordings from Hendrix, mostly alternate takes or unvarnished cuts from some of his last recording sessions, including more stripped down versions of “Earth Blues” and “Izabella.”  “Mojo Man” is the track that I keep coming back to, showcasing the tougher and funkier sound that Hendrix was moving towards and likely would have further developed had he lived past 1970.  We might still get a few “unreleased” live performances from the Hendrix vaults, but if this is the final collection of unheard tracks from Hendrix, we can be thankful for the care that’s been applied to his lasting musical legacy.

2. Shuggie Otis – Inspiration Information/Wings Of Love – Legacy

Shuggie Otis – Magic

Original Post

At some point in 2012 I was listening to Inspiration Information wishing that there was more recordings from this period of Shuggie Otis’ career.  Lo and behold, in 2013, we got not only additional tracks recorded around the same time as that classic album, but also a full disc of tunes Otis had been recording over the years, proving that he never really retired, and was just biding his time until we were all finally ready for him.  This set is in some ways bittersweet, because it’s clear that Otis likely had many more songs that could have been recorded had he found the right situation and the right label to put out his music.  But it’s hard to bittersweet when hearing all of these songs and witnessing the return of Shuggie Otis, instead it’s very easy to be thankful for all that we’ve gained.

1. Donny Hathaway – Never My Love: The Anthology – Rhino

Donny Hathaway – Memory Of Our Love

As much of a surprise the unreleased material from Shuggie Otis was, this set from one of my favorite soul singers was even more shocking.  Shocking primarily because the unlreased tracks are so incredibly good that it’s really hard to imagine how they could have sat on a shelf for so long.  When you hear gems like “Memory Of Our Love” and consider that it went unreleased for 40 years, you can’t help but wonder how that even happened.  No matter what, as with many of the other releases on this list, let’s be thankful that this music was not lost and now it can be enjoyed by anyone with a heart and ears to hear it.

Another year comes to a close, another year begins and we take a look back at some of our favorite selections from 2013. This year I was simply too busy to produce my usual “Honorable Mentions” web only mix, but there’s still plenty of music packed into the two hours of the program. This first full week of 2014 we’ll be taking a look back at our favorites from the past year, starting with some of the best vinyl I dug up tomorrow, and later in the week, best reissues, records and songs of 2013. As always, thanks for listening and for checking us out here on the web, enjoy the show!

Melting Pot’s Best Of 2013: First Hour
Melting Pot’s Best Of 2013: Second Hour

Melting Pot’s Best of 2013 on KPFK Playlist:

{opening theme} Booker T & the MGs – Melting Pot – 7” (Stax)

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Ghostface Killah & Adrian Younge – Return Of The Ghostface Killah – 12 Reasons To Die (Soul Temple)
Superhuman Happiness, Sahr Ngaujah, Abena Koomson and Rubblebucket – ITT (International Thief Thief) – Red, Hot & Fela (Knitting Factory)
Bosq of Whiskey Barons feat. Mendee Ichikawa – Never Feel Cold – Bosq Y Orquesta De Madera (Ubiquity)
Boogaloo Assassins – No No No (Single Edit) – Old Love Dies Hard (Sicario)
Bosq of the Whiskey Barons – Get Involved – Bosq Y Orquesta De Madera (Ubiquity)

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Dom La Nena – Anjo Gabriel – Recorded Live At KPFK (KPFK Archives)
Sly & the Family Stone – Fortune & Fame – Higher! (Sony Legacy)
Fat Night – Things You Do – 7” (Colemine)
Toro Y Moi – Grown Up Calls – Anything In Return (Carpark)
Sly & the Family Stone – Undercat – Higher! (Sony Legacy)

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Jose James feat. Emily King – Heaven On The Ground – No Beginning, No End (Blue Note)
Toddla T Sound – Worst Enemy (edit) – Worst Enemy 12” (Ninja Tune)
Amatorski – Never Told – TBC / Same Stars We Shared (Crammed Discs)
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Jubilee Street – Push The Sky Away (Bad Seed LTD)
The Heliocentrics – Calabash – 13 Degrees Of Reality (Now-Again)

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Jimi Hendrix – Mojo Man – People, Hell & Angels (Experience/Legacy)
Myron & E with the Soul Investigators – If I Gave You My Love – Broadway (Stones Throw)
Golden Grrrls – Past Tense – Golden Grrrls (Slumberland)
Frootful feat. Mazen Bedwei – The Road – Heavyweight (Freestyle)
Quadron – LFT (Looking For Trouble) – Avalanche (Vested In Culture)
Shelton Kilby – Poor Wayfaring Stranger – Good God!: Apocryphal Hymns (Numero)

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Valerie June – Shotgun – Pushin’ Against A Stone (Concord)
Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou – Min We Tun So – Volume 3: The Skeletal Essence Of Afro Funk 1969-1980 (Analog Africa)
Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators – On The East Side – Tortured Soul (Timmion)
Songs: Ohia – I’ve Been Riding With The Ghost – Magnolia Electric Co: 10th Anniversary Edition (Secretly Canadian)
Hot 8 Brass Band – Bingo Bango – Recorded Live At KPFK (KPFK Archives)

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Donny Hathaway – Memory Of Our Love – Never My Love: The Anthology (Rhino)
Rhye – The Fall – Woman (Innovative Leisure)
Hiatus Kaiyote – Nakamarra – Tawk Tomahawk (Flying Buddha)
King – In The Meantime – Recorded Live At KPFK (KPFK Archives)

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{closing theme} Adam Franklin – Big Sur (Instrumental) – Drones & Clones (Self-Released)

{I know I was away for ALL of December, but now that I’ve gotten all caught up, I’ll be taking the rest of the week off and then next week we’ll be taking a look back at all of our picks for the best music from 2013! Have A Happy New Year!!!}

Traditionally, the last show of the year has been reserved for the best vinyl that I dug up (including online) over the past 12 months. My collection still isn’t anywhere near it’s former glory, but it’s slowly getting there and this year I clearly did a lot of musical therapy in picking up so many records. It was almost too many records, not only did I have to leave a crate of records at home since I already had two bags packed, but I didn’t even play some of the best records I bought this year. With these vinyl freeform shows, I just go where the spirit moves me, and a day after Funky Sole’s 14th anniversary, I was very much in a funky mood for most of the show. Quite a lot of the things I picked up this year were records that Matthew Africa turned me onto, or reminded me of good times shared in Oakland with him, so it seemed fitting to have a set of a few of those records. The show closes up with what I think is one of the best sets I’ve ever spontaneously produced, coming together with roughly two minutes to go before I had to drop the needle on the first song, which ended up being maybe my top find of the year, Hopeton Lewis. I already know that 2014 is going to be a much leaner year on the homefront, so there won’t be nearly as many records to showcase, but at least in terms of music, 2013 was pretty good to me.

Melting Pot on KPFK #150: First Hour
Melting Pot on KPFK #150: Second Hour

Playlist: 12-29-2013
{opening theme} Boris Gardiner – Melting Pot – Is What’s Happening (Dynamic)

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Yusef Lateef – Russell & Elliot – The Best Of Yusef Lateef (Atlantic)
Eduardo Aruajo & Silvinha – Opinage – Sou Filho Desse Chao (Beverly)
The Grodeck Whipperjenny – Evidence For The Existence Of The Unconsciousness – The Grodeck Whipperjenny (People)
Johnny Pate – Constant Wind – Outrageous (MGM)

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Lebron Bros. – Dance, Dance, Dance – Brothers (Cotique)
The Isley Bros. – Keep On Doin’ – 7” (T-Neck)
Horace Silver – Acid, Pot & Pills – Total Response (Blue Note)
Johnny Frigo Sextet – Scorpio – The Electric Jazz OF Gus Giordano (Orion)
Junior Mance – Don’t Rush Us – With A Lotta Help From My Friends (Atlantic)

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Miguel De Deus – Black Soul Brothers – Black Soul Brothers (Underground)
Dave Pell Singers – Oh, Calcutta – Mah-Na-Mah-Na (Liberty)
Weldon Irvine – I Love You – Sinbad (RCA)
Marvin Gaye – Where Are We Going – 12” (The Power Of Funk & Soul)
Donald Byrd – You and Music – Places and Spaces (Blue Note)

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Sugar Billy – Brand New Girl – 7” (BGP)
Mongo Santamaria – Coyulde – Live At Yankee Stadium (Vaya)
Dee Edwards – Why Can’t There Be Love – 7” (GM)
The Jackson Sisters – I Believe In Miracles – 7” (Mums)
The Ohio Players – Ecstasy (Matthew Africa Edit) – 7” (Dub Plate)
Mary Jane Hooper – I’ve Got Reasons (Instrumental) – Psychedelphia (Funky Delicacies)

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Di Melo – Ma-Lida – Di Melo (Odeon)
Gabor Szabo – Galatea’s Guitar – Dreams (Skye)
Darondo – Listen To My Song – 7” (Music City)
Erasmo Carlos – Minha Gente – Sonhos E Memorias (Polydor)

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Hopeton Lewis – Hardships Of Life – Take It Easy (Merritone)
Johnny Hartman – Down In The Depths – Songs From The Heart (Bethelem)
George Jones & Tammy Wynette – Never Grow Old – George Jones With Love (Musicor)
Irma Thomas – Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand) – Take A Look (Imperial)

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{closing theme} Dungen – C. Visar Vagen – Tio Bitar (Kemado)

Returned from a fundraising break with what turns out to be the last “regular” Melting Pot on 2013, featuring our mix of new and classic recordings. Quite a lot had happened since the last time we were on, with the passing of Nelson Mandela, a extraordinary concert from Charlie Haden at RedCat, the epic grand finale of the Afro Funke weekly party and the arrival of Winter. We tried to pay tribute to all of these things in the first part of the show. Managed to get a few new things too, including long-awaited music from Sharon Jones and Swervedriver (not together of course, though THAT would be an interesting pairing!), unreleased Donny Hathaway and rare music from 24-Carat Black. Hoping to share some exciting news about changes coming to Melting Pot in the new year, but for now you’ll just have to wonder and enjoy our shows from this past year.

Melting Pot on KPFK #149: First Hour
Melting Pot on KPFK #149: Second Hour

Playlist: 12-22-2013
{opening theme} Booker T & the MGs – Melting Pot – 7” (Stax)

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Charlie Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra – Nkosi Sikelel’I Afrika – Dream Keeper (Blue Note)
Jose James – Winterwind – The Dreamer (Brownswood)

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Afro Funke Sound System – Grand Finale Mix – Self-Released (soundcloud.com/the_remitch)

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Donny Hathaway – Don’t Turn Away – Never My Love (Rhino)
Myron & E – Clap, Sing & Shout About It – Cold Game (Timmion)
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings – Making Up and Breaking Up – Give The People What They Want (Daptone)
The Aggrolites – Tonight – IV (Hellcat)
Mind & Matter – No One Else Can Do It To Me Baby – 1514 Oliver Avenue (Basement) (Numero)

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24 Carat-Black – Your Love Is In A World That Is Not Real – Acetate (Numero)
William Onyeabor – Something You Will Not Forget – Who Is William Onyeabor? (Luaka Bop)

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Swervedriver – Deep Wound – Single (Self-Released)
Matthew Sweet – Do It Again – Altered Beast (Zoo)
Broadcast – Come On Let’s Go – The Noise Made By People (Warp)
Danny Brown feat. Charli XCX – Float On – Old (Fools Gold)
Damon – Birds Fly So High – Song Of A Gypsy (Now-Again)

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The Pepper Pots – We Must Fight – We Must Fight (Legere)
The Strange Boys – Between Us – Be Brave (In the Red)
Wolfe – Dancing In Circles – Bespoken Future (BBE)
Rhye – Last Dance – Woman (Innovative Leisure)
James Mason – Funny Girl – Soulful (Luv’n’Haight)

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{closing theme} Dungen – C.Visar Vagen – Tio Bitar (Kemado)

I know, I know, it’s been essentially all of December since I did anything, including posting up the shows we did this month. Truth is, it was just a brutal month on the personal side of things and I didn’t have the time. Things have stabilized here at the end, so now I’m catching up, before I take another break until next week. This show was at the very beginning of December, before a two-week break for fundraising, features a few newer things and a couple things that I should have played more of earlier in the year. Wasn’t quite able to cram everything in, so I had to cut off the William Onyeabor track at the end, but there always seems to be not enough time and too much music. I’ll do my best to keep it regular in 2014…

Melting Pot On KPFK #148: First Hour
Melting Pot on KPFK #148: Second Hour

Playlist: 12-1-2013
{opening theme} Booker T & the Mgs – Melting Pot – 7” (Stax)

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John Mayall – Dream With Me – Back To The Roots (Polydor)
Songs: Ohia – Farewell Transmission – Magnolia Electric Co: 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition (Secretly Canadian)
Chelsea Wolfe – Destruction Makes The World Burn – Pain Is Beauty (Sargent House)
The Fresh & Onlys – God Of Suez – Soothsayer (Mexican Summer)

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Pruno Truman – I Want More Of You – Amigos EP (Empty Cellar)
The Velvet Underground – I Found A Reason – Loaded: Fully Loaded (Rhino)
Cat Power – Hate – The Greatest (Matador)
James Carr – Dark End Of The Street – 7” (Goldwax)

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Danny Brown feat. Freddie Gibbs – The Return – Old (Fool’s Gold)
Dennis Coffey & the Detroit Guitar Band – Garden Of The Moon – Evolution (Sussex)
Adam Franklin & the Bolts Of Melody – I Used To Live For Music – Black Horses (Goodnight)
Spain – Love At First Sight – Sargent Place (Glitterhouse)

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Haze – Waiting For The Moment – Purple Snow: Forecasting The Minneapolis Sound (Brainfeeder)
Thundercat – Heartbreaks + Setbacks – Apocalypse (Brainfeeder)
Charlie Haden – Ballad Of The Fallen / Si Me Quieres Escribir – Ballad Of The Fallen (ECM)

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Donny Hathaway – Memory Of Our Love – Anthology (Rhino)
Milosh – Jetlag – Jetlag (Deadly)
Julien Dyne feat. Dalziel – Tonight – December (BBE)
N.A.S.A. (Sam Spiegel & Ze Gonzales) feat. Aynzil Jones – Hide – Hide (Spectrophonic Sound)
Hartley & Wolfe – You’ve Got Nothing – Bespoken Future (BBE)

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Tim Maia – Hadock Lobo Esquina Com Matoso – Nuvens (Seroma)
The Crystal Antlers – Anywhere But Here – Nothing Is Real (Innovative Leisure)
Unwound – Warmth – Kid Is Gone (Numero)
William Onyeabor – Body & Soul – Who Is William Onyeabor (Luaka Bop)

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{closing theme} Dungen – C.Visar Vagen – Tio Bitar (Kemado)