Playing Robots Into Heaven
🔀 SS #109 • James Blake, Cafuné, Nothing But Thieves, Death's Door, and more!
💽 » Playing Robots Into Heaven, by James Blake
electronic, post-dubstep • 11 songs • 42 minutes
After experimenting with hip-hop, pop, and trap in some of his recent releases, James Blake decided to bring things back to his origins for his sixth studio album Playing Robots Into Heaven (2023), resulting in one of his best records to date.
From minimal ambient moments to explosive tracks ready for the club, there’s a little bit of everything and something for (almost) everyone in there. But although it may sound all over the place, in theory, Blake manages to tie everything together in a cohesive package, while still making each listening session a unique experience, where you’ll notice different things and have a favorite track each time.
🎶 » Perspective, by Cafuné
Cafuné, in Portuguese, is a word that means ‘fondling someone's hair through the fingers in a loving gesture of cherish’. And seeing that name popping up on the recommendation page on my YouTube meant instantly clicking to see what was that all about… and I’m so glad I did so! They are an American indie pop duo consisting of singer-songwriter Sedona Schat and producer Noah Yoo, and their music is as smooth and lovely as you would think after learning what Cafuné means.
🎶 » Welcome to the DCC, by Nothing But Thieves
From their fourth studio album Dead Club City, English alternative rock band Nothing but Thieves went deep down into the 80s rabbit hole to create one of the best songs in their catalogue. The opening track Welcome to the DCC brings a fresh sound to their discography while maintaining their identity, especially through Conor Mason’s powerful and distinguished vocals, making him one of the best of this generation. Nothing But Thieves continues to be a somewhat underrated band ready to explode.
🧩 » Random Bits
🎹 • The rise of video game music;
🎥 • I was glad to find out that I’m definitely not the only one who can’t hear/understand dialogues in contemporary movies;
🕹️ • Death’s Door was a great surprise I’ve played recently, borrowing direct influence from classic action/rpg games like Zelda: A Link to the Past, but adding its own flavor into the mix.
⚡️ Visual Inspiration
Aline Smithson is an interdisciplinary artist, filmmaker, educator, and editor based in Los Angeles, California, who examines the archetypal foundations of the creative impulse, using humor and pathos to explore the performative potential of photography. Check out her website or Instagram for more. Here are some favorites:
I’m not an alternative rock fan at all (hiphop/rap) but I loved Keeping You Around and Overcome from the Nothing But Thieves album!