“Throughout most of the world and for most of human history, music making was as natural an activity as breathing and walking, and everyone participated.”
Daniel Levitin, author of ‘This is Your Brain on Music’
I am currently reading ‘Recapture the Rapture’ by Jamie Wheal and that’s where I found the above quote. The book is about us suffering a collapse of meaning and identifies that fundamentalism and nihilism are filling the vacuum. It also identifies that given the existential crisis’ we are facing we need to be at our best however our diseases of despair, tribalism and disaster fatigue are leaving us at our worse. The book goes on to show us how we can be at our best.
Now, I hear you ask, what has that to do with music? Well, as Jamie highlights in his book, music plays an intrinsic role in our history, culture and society and that if we are to mend our current crisis in meaning, and the fractures that threaten to tear us apart, our music can bring us together and give us hope. In fact, music enables us to be more than giving hope, it is being a hope. As Jamie points out, “music … when intentionally programmed, creates sonic and lyrical states that transport us and connect us. More than almost any other intervention, it can colour our surroundings and experience. Music is the wallpaper of our minds.”
What an inspired thought … music being the wallpaper of our minds!
With that context, I present this blog on what has been in my ears and feeding my soul over winter this year.
This winter has been a particularly fertile period for new music from not only some of my favourite artists but also several new artists and bands that have found their way onto my radar. Some of the new bands that have become favourites include the likes of Faun, Heilung and Wardruna. I guess I would describe these bands as Nordic/German folk music, and I have loved learning about and listening to this music. From some of my old favourites there has been releases from the likes of Aurora, Bob Marley (posthumously released of course), Jack Johnson, Rage Against The Machine and Thelma Plum (amongst others).
So, without further ado, here’s my Soundtrack for Winter 2022.
NEW MUSIC
Aurora
Not just content with releasing her third studio album The Gods We Can Touch in January, which is a contender for my favourite album of the year, Aurora also released the singles The Woman I Am in April, Storm which is a collaboration with 吳青峰 in June and then The Devil is Human and A Potion For Love in July … 2022 is proving to be quite a prolific year for Aurora and we are all the better for it.
Aurora has become one of my all-time favourite artists and her new album (and her new singles) have been on high rotation ever since their release this year. Her tracks, A Temporary High and The Devil is Human are contenders for my number 1 track for the Hottest 100 this year.
Aurora is touring Australia in March next year but alas she is not coming to Adelaide. I have asked Womad if they could get her to perform there as that would be tops and save me making a trip to Melbourne or Sydney … I’m sure they will drop everything and ensure this happens, Ha! 😊
Ausecuma Beats
I came across Ausecuma Beats while wandering around Womad back in March and I loved watching them perform. Their latest singles, Deep Heat (feat. Rara Zulu) and Tropical Storm were released in July and August respectively.
According to their bio, Ausecuma Beats are more than a band, they are a philosophy based on the idea of place and of people from all corners of the world finding themselves together in new environments, as a community. The band members are predominantly from West Africa and have come together in Melbourne. I just love their percussion and beat; you can’t help but be invigorated by them.
Bob Marley
A new album, Bob Marley with the Chineke! Orchestra was released in July, it includes classic tracks such as Redemption Song, Satisfy my Soul, Get Up Stand Up and One Love/People Get Ready. The new versions of these classic tracks are a collaboration of Bob Marley and the Wailers and the Chineke! Orchestra. I love the new versions of these songs and they’ve been on high rotation over the last couple of months.
In addition, in June there were several releases of live concerts Bob did back in 1977, including Live At The Rainbow, 1st June 1977, Live At The Rainbow, 2nd June 1977 and Live At The Rainbow, 3rd June 1977.
I love these posthumously released live albums and they complement the live album recently released for Peter Tosh that I highlighted in my Autumn soundtrack, Light The Chalice (Live 1983).
I am a big fan of both Bob Marley and Peter Tosh and I wrote a thing about Peter Tosh last year, here is a link.
Baker Boy
Baker Boy’s latest single, Wish You Well ft. Bernard Fanning is a cracker. It’s a cover of Bernard’s song Wish You Well which coincidently is one of my favourite tracks of his. This track is a contender for my Hottest 100, and if it was to make the cut that would be 6 years in a row that Baker Boy has found his way into my top 10 songs.
Bliss n Eso
In July, Bliss n Eso released their latest single, Not Today, which is another one of their typically triumphant and inspirational tracks. According to the band their latest song “is all about the little guy standing up to Goliath” and “If you get knocked down, you get back up and keep going. You keep striving no matter what the adversity you have in front of you.”[1]
Elephant Sessions
I first listened to Elephant Sessions in the lead up to Womad earlier this year. Their latest singles For The Night and Is This a Vibe were released in July and August respectively.
Elephant Sessions hail from the highlands of Scotland and are an indie-folk band and they are great live, I loved their set at Womad. They describe their music as a progressive blend of intricate tunes, engulfing guitars, with a bass and drum heavy backline creating a new and exciting sound.
Estas Tonne
I thought John Butler was the master for his propensity for long guitar solos, but Estas now takes the cake for me. His latest release, Inner Worlds (Live in Royal Theatre Carré) is a 25-minute guitar solo.
I first became aware of Estas through the documentary, Time of the Sixth Sun, which I encourage everyone to watch.
Estas is a Ukrainian and is described as a ‘modern day troubadour’. According to his website, ‘Estas Tonne is a charismatic being who is committed to artistic expression and the authentic unfolding of music’.
His music is powerful, moving and meditative.
Faun
Faun are a German band that plays pagan folk, darkwave, and medieval music. The originality of their music style is evident in the ‘old’ instruments they use including the Celtic Harp, Swedish Nyckelharpa, Hurdy-Gurdy, Bagpipes, Cittern, and flutes with their vocals being performed in a variety of languages including German, English, Latin, Greek as well as Scandinavian languages.
I only started listening to them in the last couple of months and they released their latest album, Pagan in April. My favourite track from the album is Gwydion which is actually a collaboration between Faun and Eluveitie, a Swiss folk metal band.
Eluveitie released a single in June called Aidus and I have added it to my Winter playlist as well.
Golden Psalms
I went to school with Peter Sant who is a member of Golden Psalms. Peter is a film maker but has shown his versatility and creativity by making music as well. Golden Psalms make instrumental music that has a documentary-like approach where hours of recordings are made to later be edited down and mixed.
Their self-titled debut album, Golden Psalms, was released in April. My favourite track from the album is Pa Wowo.
Heilung
I have only started listening to Heilung in the last few months. They are an experimental folk band made up of members from Denmark, Norway and Germany. They describe their music as ‘amplified history from early medieval northern Europe’ as it is based on texts and runic inscriptions from Germanic peoples of the Bronze, Iron and Viking ages. The word ‘Heilung’ is a German noun meaning “healing” in English.
Heilung released their 3rd studio album, Drif in August but in the lead up they released Anoana, a track from the album in June. Anoana is a contender for my Hottest 100.
According to one of their fans, ‘you don’t listen to Heilung with your ears, you listen to Heilung with your heart’. I love that description of them, and it is absolutely true.
Horrorshow
Following up their EP, Good Problems which arrived back in May, Solo and Adit released their latest single Melancholaholic in July. It’s not bad but DMT from the EP is a definite contender for my Hottest 100.
Jack Johnson
After releasing a couple of singles, One Step Ahead in March and then Meet The Moonlight in May, Jack released his 8th studio album, Meet The Moonlight in June.
My favourite track from the album would be I Tend To Digress and it is a contender my Hottest 100.
Jack has been one of my favourite artists ever since I purchased his album, On And On, back in 2003.
I have yet to see Jack perform live, albeit I have a couple of DVDs of his live performances, so I was excited to see he is touring Australia later this year but alas, the tour doesn’t include Adelaide, so it is unlikely I’ll be able to see him this time around.
Khi’leb
Khi’leb is one of the new artists on the Elefant Traks label, so I must give him some love. He released Where The Food At? in July and followed up with Cheques in August.
King Stingray
I enjoyed watching King Stingray perform at Womad. They released Camp Dog back in March and Let’s Go in June as a lead up to the release of their self-titled debut album King Stingray in August.
My favourite track from the album is Milkumana but it was released as a single last year. A contender from the album for this year’s Hottest 100 is Life Goes On.
I really enjoy their music and have only started getting into them this year.
Megadeth
Megadeth’s latest single, We’ll Be Back was released in June and is the first single from their upcoming album, ‘The Sick, The Dying … And the Dead’ which is to be released tomorrow on 2nd September. This will be their 16th studio album and is the first they have released since Dave Mustaine recovered from throat cancer.
A great friend of mine from back at school, Chris Quinane, put me onto Megadeth and the first album of theirs that I bought was Countdown To Extinction in 1992. I also have Peace Sells…But Who’s Buying?, So Far, So Good…So What!, Rust In Peace and Youthanasia.
I really haven’t listened to them often since the 1990’s but I’ve enjoyed their latest single, which still has the signature Megadeth sound and I’m looking forward to listening to the new album tomorrow.
Thinking about Chris, his favourite band was Helloween so I thought I’d check if they’ve released anything lately … and they have. Their new single, Best Time, was released in May so I’m sure Chris has been rocking out to that in recent months. As you will find out shortly, they are not the only German heavy metal band to find its way into my playlist this winter.
Omar Musa
Omar is one of my favouritest artists, he is also an author and poet. His last album, Since Ali Died was released in 2017 and the last music he released was a collaboration with Birdz called About Me in 2018. So, I was excited to hear his latest single, Oh Child of Mine which was released in June this year. It is a contender for my Hottest 100.
Paul Kelly
In May, Paul released a thematic compilation called Time. He has followed up with another thematic compilation called Rivers And Rain which draws from his 28-album back catalogue. However, the opening track is a new one called Northern Rivers, another typically brilliant and beautiful Paul Kelly song.
Rage Against The Machine
I still remember when I came across the debut album for Rage Against the Machine. It would have been late 1992, maybe early ‘93, it was a hot day so summertime, I was at my favourite record store in Parramatta and just based on the cover and the track list I bought a CD of some band I’d never heard of but my gut told me it would be good, and it was awesome … and that was my introduction to Rage Against the Machine.
I have been a big fan of theirs ever since so I was pleased when I came across their latest release in July called Live & Rare, an album of just that, live and rare tracks. My favourite track being their version of Fuck tha Police, played at the benefit concert for Mumia Abu Jamal in Washington DC, 1995.
Rammstein
I haven’t listened to Rammstein very often over the years, but I do recall being blown away watching them perform at the Big Day Out, they were awesome! It’s weird, two of the best performances I’ve ever seen at the BDO were Rammstein and Primus and I haven’t bought a CD of either of theirs.
I came across their single Dicke Titten in June however the music video was released in May but actually comes from their latest album, Zeit which was released in April. Anyway, Dicke Titten is a great song and is a contender for my Hottest 100.
Skunkhour
Skunkhour’s last release was their 4th album, The Go back in 2001, so it’s been a fair while since they’ve released new music. Their latest single, Blue was released in August and coincides with a tour they are currently embarking on. Unfortunately, I’ll miss their show at the Gov in September as I’ll be in Ubud.
This is probably a good thing as apparently last time I saw them perform, which was back in my uni days, I got up on stage and I’m sure this didn’t impress the band. But I was very drunk and don’t recall doing this.
The Bennies
I love The Bennies, they released their 4 track EP, Great Barrier Reefer in July. My favourite track is Weed Is Beautiful.
The Chats
I also love the Chats. They’ve given us classics such as Smoko and Pub Feed and in May they released their latest single, 6L GTR. It is the opening track from their latest album, Get Fucked, which was released in August.
My favourite tracks from the album would be 6L GTR, Struck By Lightning and I’ve Been Drunk in Every Pub in Brisbane.
The Hu
I only came across this band this year and they have been on high rotation ever since. They are a folk rock/heavy metal band from Mongolia with a unique sound due to the traditional Mongolian instruments they use as well as the Mongolian throat singing which I love.
They have been around for some time, releasing their debut album, The Gereg in 2019 and were touring Australia when the pandemic started in 2020. They returned to Oz in August and I was very keen to see them perform live but alas I had my nieces engagement party that night so I missed them.
The Hu released a single This Is Mongol in May and followed up with Black Thunder in July. These songs will be on their next album called ‘Rumble of Thunder’ which is to be released tomorrow and will be part of my spring playlist. I cant wait to get my ears around that.
At this stage This Is Mongol will make my top 10 for the Hottest 100 but who knows what other gems may be on the new album.
The Offspring
For a period of time during the 1990’s The Offspring were my favourite band. I loved their albums Smash, Ixnay On The Hombre and Ignition. I recall losing my shit seeing them at the Big Day Out back in the day. Be that as it may, I haven’t listened to much of their music since Conspiracy Of One was released in 2000.
But I was excited to hear their latest single, Behind Your Walls which was released in May. Whilst the song doesn’t grab me like their music of the 1990’s did, I have enjoyed listening to it over the last couple of months.
Thelma Plum
Thelma released her new six track EP, Meanjin, in August. I have loved Thelma’s music ever since I first heard her song, Not Angry Anymore back in 2019.
My favourite track from the new EP is Backseat of My Mind and it is a contender for my Hottest 100.
Thundamentals
It’s been a while since the Thundas released new music, their last album I Love Songs came out in 2018, however they did release two live albums, Iso Tapes Vol. 1 (Live) and Iso Tapes Vol. 2 (Live) in 2020.
In August they released a new single, Top Of The World which is the first taste from their upcoming 6th studio album ‘All This Life’ which will be released in November later this year.
Urthboy
Urthboy has released the first single Cheetah and Gazelle feat Jarulah from his yet to be released new album, apparently it may hit our ears later this year.
He also released a single today, Underline, so it will have to be included in my spring soundtrack.
Vida Sunshyne
Vida’s latest single, Free was released in August and follows up KOM KOM which was a collaboration with Kuuku Black which was released back in March.
I love Vida’s voice and she is one of my favourite artists.
Wardruna
Wardruna are a Norwegian music constellation dedicated to creating music renditions of ancient Norse and Nordic traditions. They use a broad selection of both traditional and historic musical instruments as well as non-traditional instruments and other sources of sound. They seek to take thoughts, tools and methods from the past and use them to create new music which builds on the contemporary as well as the ancient. The name Wardruna means ‘guardian of secrets’ or ‘she who whispers’.
In April, they released Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven which includes the Kvitravn album, released in 2021 as well as live performances of a selection of songs from all their albums.
My favourite track of theirs is Helvegen. But this version of this song that they also performed with Aurora, Wardruna and Aurora – Helvegen (Live) is the best.
Wardruna’s music is so powerful and moving, I just love it. The album cover for Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven is the cover picture for this blog.
So, there you go, that’s what’s been in my ears and feeding my soul for the last few months, so what’s been in your ears? Are there any releases I’ve missed?
Here is a link to my Spotify playlist, Winter 2022, which includes all the above new releases and a few others that I haven’t mentioned in this blog.
For what it’s worth, here’s how my Hottest 100 is starting to look like for 2022 and with only 3 months to go its already difficult to choose a top ten … so here are my top 25 to choose from.
- Xavier Rudd – We Deserve To Dream
- Aurora – A Temporary High
- Lisa Mitchell – I Believe In Kindness
- Mallrat – Teeth
- Horrorshow – DMT
- DOBBY – Walk Away
- Omar Musa – Oh Child of Mine
- King Stingray – Life Goes On
- Barkaa – Groovy Remix
- The Hu – This Is Mongol
With these tracks still contenders for the top 10 …
- Jack Johnson – I Tend To Digress
- The Bennies – Weed Is Beautiful
- Rammstein – Dicke Titten
- Heilung – Anoana
- Red Hot Chili Peppers – Poster Child
- Tones and I – Eyes Don’t Lie
- Thelma Plum – Backseat of My Mind
- Nardean – The Come Down
- Thundamentals – Top Of The World
- Baker Boy – Wish You Well ft. Bernard Fanning
- Megadeth – We’ll Be Back
- Paul Kelly – Northern Rivers
- Skunkhour – Blue
- Ausecuma Beats – Deep Heat (feat. Rara Zulu)
- Vida Sunshyne – Free
I’m sure the order of tracks will change between now and the end of the year and who knows what will be released over the next 3 months which will need to be included.
I’ve put these 25 songs into a playlist, you can find it here.
To finish up I will share another quote I found in Jamie Wheal’s book, ‘Recapture the Rapture’.
“There are ten levels of prayer. Above them all is song.”
Hasidic saying
Thanks for reading this blog.
[1] Bliss N Eso refuse to back down with triumphant new single ‘Not Today’ (nme.com)