The Sounds She Collected is a newsletter about mixtapes and mixed emotions. Thanks for being part of this hive mind for empathetic, hopeful people.
The night after the Meghan and Harry interview aired this month, I became captivated by this series of Tweets in which British people responded to American pharmaceutical ads. I’m still thinking about it now.
Including this gem that really sent me into a dark hole thinking about our medical system:
I am endlessly jealous of other countries that have universal healthcare. I probably bring this up to someone once a week.
Yet I still find myself tapping my fingers on my desk, drumming along to the high-octane “You Are My Sunshine” rendition a la Rybelsus commercials, likely sung over the typical list of terrifying side effects.
Or, on a walk, my brain will start to hum, O, O, O, O-ZEMPIC! I am unsure why Pilot gave this pharma company rights to their song, tormenting me with this aggressive rendition for a full calendar year, when I have watched more TV than ever before.
My personal favorite is the Skyrizi “Nothing is Everything” song. It was so beloved, it even has a second country rendition out now. I’m apparently not alone in this, as a lot of People of the Internet think it totally slaps. Yet I truly still don’t know what Skyrizi does.
Other things I don’t understand:
What an NFT is
How to classify Dominic Fike’s music
Why people on TikTok care about which way I part my hair
While I can’t believe the first quarter of this year is over or the number of times pharma commercial songs get stuck in my head, the good new music is aplenty, and I’m already finding top contenders for my year-end list.
If you’ve listened to these albums too, let me know what you think. I’d love to know!
Jon Batiste
I recently started listening to Jon Batiste after seeing Soul, in which he plays piano. He is an outstanding musician who effortlessly hops from genre to genre, and his new album WE ARE features the greats, from PJ Morton to Trombone Shorty to Hot 8 Brass Band. Oh, plus an interlude from Chicago’s own soul idol, Mavis Staples.
Quick Hits: “TELL THE TRUTH,” “BOY HOOD,” “SING”
Lana Del Rey
I love any music that Lana Del Rey makes. But Chemtrails Over the Country Club is the Lana-Del-Rey-if-she-lived-in-Laurel-Canyon release we all needed. Here, the sound is hushed, the hooks are delicate, and the verses are lush. The tender nature of the record allows her stunning vocals to absolutely show off.
Quick Hits: “Tulsa Jesus Freak,” “Wild At Heart,” “Dance Till We Die”
SG Lewis
It’s 2021 and…I really like EDM? I don’t know how this happened to me, but folks, here we are. The debut album by musician and producer SG Lewis, time, is a nonstop dance party with epic collaborators. Like Robyn, Channel Tres, and Nile Rodgers, original member of CHIC. Listen in, and get ready for endless grooves.
Quick Hits: “Time,” “Feed The Fire,” “Impact”
This week’s playlist, under control, features a lot of this newness. The releases are strong, so this mix shares some of my favorite new songs as well as some vintage classics you may not have heard.
Shuffle it up,
Sarah
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The Sounds She Collected is committed to social justice and advocacy. Each month, I’ll be matching donations to a charitable organization. This month’s organization is Stop AAPI Hate, which tracks and responds to incidents of hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, shunning, and child bullying against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States. Share your donation receipt with me, and I’ll match.