Cam Recommends

Amadou & Mariam are a couple from Mali who have been making afro-beat blues music for 30+ years. La vie est belle is their latest release, a greatest hits compilation dating back to their debut record in 2004. It’ll also serve as a great primer if, like me, you unfortunately haven’t been introduced to this band previously (despite some of their wide popularity and some very high-profile collaborations, a result of inherent western bias in most American music media). “Sabali” is a track from 2008 and sounds both of its time and incredibly forward thinking. A touch of lo-fi fuzz, a programmed-but funky–beat, wistful vocals and a spiraling synth that reminds me, of all things, of Grandaddy’s iconic 2002 masterpiece The Sopthware Slump. The whole record is a great listen and while it’s taken too long for me to clue in to this group, I’m so grateful for continued efforts by those to get more diverse music out there for the masses (in this case, shoutout to Small Albums a great little blog that curates a ton of awesome tunes from a  wide variety of artists; give them a follow!).

Fabienne Debarre’s Welcome to the Age of Broken Dreams is a fabulous synthpop record from earlier this year that I’ve had on pretty consistent rotation since its release. Debarre’s delivery, half in English, half in French, slides effortlessly between earnest sweetness and ironic detachment all over the top of sugary neo-disco earworms. Every track is a banger but “Let You Go” is a sparkling highlight. 

As the temperatures here in Las Vegas finally start dropping and the season seems to be noticeably changing, my heat-poised brain is, for some reason, kinda missing the warmer days. It’s absurd, really, especially considering how brutal this past summer was. But having been back in Vegas for four years now (relocated from the comparatively chillier climes of Northern Nevada), my inner desert rat has nearly fully taken over. These brisk mornings have me shivering a little too much, you know?

To that end, it’s a great time to revisit the new album from Los Bitchos, Talkie Talkie, released at the tail end of August. And the album perfectly captures those late-summer vibes—or at least, the ideal ones: an August filled with long, golden evenings, splashes from the pool, and cold drinks with friends. Their cumbia-inflected, mostly instrumental jams groove on solid hooks and a tight rhythm section. “Don’t Change”—with its end-of-summer music video in particular—is probably the catchiest track this four-piece has released (and that’s saying something!). Give it a spin if, like me, you don’t quite miss the summer extremes but miss the idea of summer.

It's nice to see the return of not one but two legacy post-rock bands this year. Not that either Godspeed or MONO has been silent in recent years, but both bands dropping top-tier records within months of each other certainly helps offset a tiny part of the hellish reality in which we live. The title track on MONO’s record from June, “Oath,” is one of those rare musical gems: the post-rock “pop single.” In a different world, “Oath,” with its zippy four-minute runtime, propulsive tempo, and near-instant gratification of those big bombastic swells, would be a crossover hit equal to similar “hits” from Sigur Rós back in the early 2000s. Regardless, it’s a great track that kicks off a great record, and if you just need that particular euphoric boost that only instrumental post-rock can provide, then MONO has your number.