Hey there!
Back at it with another ‘radio show’ this week with my PLP Matt. We’ve had a shared playlist of heartfelt RnB for the better part of the last decade that’s a mixed bag of slow jams, trap tears, breakup jawns, and ethereal love letters primed for a late-night drive. A little bit sad, a little bit sexy.
This year has felt particularly fruitful for music discovery as it seems I’m coming across album of the year contenders every time I put one of these together, and this week is no different with some heavy hitters from across the genre map.
Gorgeous. Cosmic. Buttery. All my fav buzzwords. Hope you love em as much as we do. 🥭🥭🥭
Album: Dummy - Free Energy (2024)
Nick: Not sure there’s been an album released this year that’s as much in my sweet spot as this one from LA-based noise-pop band Dummy. I shared the first single from this a couple newsletters back and damn have they followed through with a slammer of an album. Heavy Stereolab influences, extended ambient guitar jams, and some early 2000s new wave vibes a la Interpol. AOTY contender.
Album: Toro Y Moi - Hole Erth (2024)
Matt: Toro Y Moi, aka Chaz Bear, has consistently transformed his sound over the course of a prolific string of releases since I started listening with the 2011 album ‘Underneath the Pine’. His latest offering ‘Hole Erth’ is dripping in nostalgic flavors from the last two decades that feels like a millennial time capsule of sounds – 00s emo and alt-rock, even some 2010s soundcloud rap a la Lil Peep. Yet the collective work feels somehow fresh and modern at the same time. The standout track for me is ‘Smoke’ feat. Kenny Mason’.
Album: Nala Sinephro - Endlessness (2024)
Nick: Cosmic jazz bliss from Caribbean-Belgian jazz artist Nala Sinephro. This is the follow up to her debut album, ‘Space 1.8’, which has been a go-to morning record of mine over the past couple years. Got to see her and her band here in Berlin earlier this year and they played a 1.5hr set that consisted of two songs.
Album: Pizza Hotline - Old School Runebreaks (2024)
Matt: Pizza Hotline has been in the Mango mix before, always serving an internet blend of gamer nostalgia, liquid drum & bass, and vaporwave. His latest album ‘Old School RuneBreaks’ provides more of what Pizza Hotline does best; video game OSTs (in this case music from the OG 2001 free-to-play mmorpg Runescape) tuned up with smooth and buttery breaks.
Album: Bruno Berle - No Reino Dos Afetos 2 (2024)
Nick: I use the word gorgeous to describe records in here quite a bit but there’s few other ways to describe this gem from Brazilian multi-instrumentalist Bruno Berle. Gorgeous, heartfelt pop tunes from front to back. I’m a little late to the party too as his first record from a couple years ago is just as special.
Archive: Mazzy Star - Seasons of Your Day (2013)
Matt: Everyone knows Mazzy Star for their mid-90s MTV-era hit ‘Fade Into You’, but recently I’ve been revisiting their 2013 Album ‘Seasons of Your Day’ after hearing DoYou.world radio host OG play the absolutely gorgeous tune ‘In the Kingdom’ on a breakfast show segment last week. It’s so easy to get lost in Hope Sandoval’s vocals, and this album picked up right where their 90s sound left off – slide guitars, brushed drums, and moody minimalist arrangements.
Archive: Donna Regina - A Quiet Week In The House (1999)
Nick: Dusty find of the week courtesy of my good bud Alessandro and Berlin-based electro-pop duo Donna Regina. Kinda feels somewhere in between Saint Etienne and Everything But The Girl with its blend of loungey trip-hop, gentle DnB, and airy vocals.
Tune: Pa Salieu - Belly (2024)
Matt: Pa Salieu keeps putting music out that reminds me to never overlook hip-hop from the UK. The Gambian by way of Coventry just dropped this and another single ‘Allergy’ potentially signaling an album on the way.
Tune: Molina - Organs (feat. ML Buch) (2024)
Nick: Gentle alt-rocker ML Buch seemed to be the unanimous crowd-pleaser from last year with her ‘Suntub’ album finding it’s way onto many a year-end list. An excellent breakfast companion in any season. This new one with fellow Danish composer Molina is right in that same pocket.
Tune: A$AP Rocky - Taylor Swif (2024)
Matt: The full ‘Don't Be Dumb’ album was supposed to be here by now but we get a single instead. ‘Taylor Swif’ comes with a music video shot in Kyiv back in December 2021, and has the Swifties in a bit of a stir.
Tune: yunè pinku - Half Alive (2024)
Nick: yunè pinku always hits the early rave nostalgia feels with her blend of techno and UKG-influenced electro-pop. Her latest singles from her upcoming ‘Scarlet Lamb’ EP are drenched in that same energy and are lighting the transitional season fire over here.
🥭 Here’s a Spotify playlist that has a taste of everything mentioned 🥭
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See ya in a couple weeks for NL16!
Nick
🥭🥭🥭
Triple Mango NL15: Little Bit Sad, Little Bit Sexy