What do Kelela Kan Wakan, Zara McFarlane, Diego Garcia and Ariel Pink all have in common? KCRW, that’s what! Check out tracks by five artists we’re digging.
Monday, October 30
Kelela’s debut album is an homage to R&B, both from the past and into the future. Honesty and vulnerability are cornerstones anchoring her sound. Last year she graced the recordings of several other artists, including Solange and Gorillaz. But Turn to Dust is our favorite tune of hers.
Tuesday, October 31
Kan Wakan: Tuesday (feat. Rachel Fannan & Avi Buffalo)
Gueorgui Linev, the Bulgarian born mastermind behind Kan Wakan says, “I’ve always been all about getting lost in a record, putting on my headphones and just listening, over and over again,” “If I like it, it’s a record I live in for weeks.” And that’s what he aims to do with his own music. Meticulously crafted, his compositions are lush and epic in scope. Tuesday features the soulful sound of Rachel Fannan and Avi Buffalo.
Wednesday, November 1
Zara McFarlane: Fussin’ and Fightin’
Zara McFarlane explores her British-Jamaican identity on her third album. It’s a meeting point between jazz and the rhythms of reggae, calypso and nyabinghi. A syncopated rhythm and piano punctuate Fussin’ and Fightin’.
Thursday, November 2
Singer/songwriter Diego Garcia centered his last album on his courtship with wife Laura through the lens of his Argentine roots. In a nod to singers like Sandro, Julio Iglesias and Leonard Cohen, Garcia offers a timeless romanticism on his song Don’t Go.
Friday, November 3
Ariel Pink has dedicated his new work to Bobby Jameson, a singer/songwriter with a lot of promise in the early 60s whose work attracted a cult following. Recorded in his bedroom, Pink begins the album at the end of the protagonist’s life and ends at the beginning. Feels like Heaven is a song we’re gravitating towards.
(Ariel Pink carousel photo: Amy Hope Dermont)