Music of the Month: August | Zafira
Hello!
I’m not even going to address my absence from here because it’s becoming a little bit of pattern recently but all you need to know is that I’m back with some cool blog post ideas that I hope you’ll enjoy reading as much as I’ll enjoy creating them.
But first I thought we should start with what seems to be everybody’s favourite post to read, an August edition of the much beloved Music of the Month.
It’s been a beautiful month in the music world, for me anyway. I feel like everything I have been listening to these past few months was very ‘listen a few times and then never again’ kind of music but this month, I’ve found a few songs and artists that I know will forever be in my head and my life.
As always, you can check out my entire August playlist here.
euphoria original score - labrinth
I feel like everyone who watched Euphoria is completely infatuated and entangled with the show. Whether that’s the with the oh so very cool editorial-esque makeup or the funky too hot for their own good outfits or in my case, this album.
I only got around to listening to the entire score this August, I had no idea it was even out and available on Spotify. I remember when the show first aired and the one thing (alongside the dreamy cinematography) that really stood out to me was the music and way it seamlessly blended into every scene of the show.
I have a lot of favourites but one I try to very badly sing or I guess hum since it doesn’t really have any proper words is Forever. It’s crazy how good Labrinth is on this album because the only memories I have of his music are from his Earthquake days and that is an entirely different world from this album. I adore We All Knew and WTF Are We Talking For too but this is one score worth listening to the entire way through.
Perdus -
AngÈle
Angèle’s voice is the dreamiest thing I think I’ve heard in a while. It’s so soft and gentle and comforting.
I think French pop music is so underrated in the world of mainly western pop because it’s so unique and not cheesy and every artist always has some sort of unique factor about them rather than all sounding exactly the same.
I guess you could say Angèle’s unique factor is not only the soft tones of her voice but the grace in the way she sings. She sounds so eloquent but still carries a certain coolness.
I heard Perdus on one of her COLORS sessions and I’m in love with it. Alongside her hauntingly beautiful voice, Perdus is still a very modern song with a catchy beat that makes this song so irresistible.
falling for you - jaden smith & justin bieber
Growing up I was never a Justin Bieber fan, I was more of a JLS gal, but there was one song by Justin Bieber that I loved and that was Never Say Never with Jaden Smith.
So you can only imagine how happy the resurface of this very cute duo in Jaden’s new album made me.
This song is the epitome of love, it’s cheesy, upbeat and so very sweet. I think this is probably the best song on CTV 3.
Listen here.
1999 - rich brian
I don’t know why but Rich Brian’s songs always remind of summer.
I’ll have to admit, I don’t think 1999 has anything on Amen and The Sailor but this in my eyes, is a pretty different album to them both.
1999 is what I’d consider more of a pop style album which isn’t what I’d expect from Rich Brian but I think it was interesting to listen to him play with a different genre of music and listen to something so personal.
Obviously Love in My Pocket is my absolute favourite. This song plays in my head 24/7. I love DOA and Sins too. It’s weirdly cool hearing him actually singing too, I don’t think he has the greatest vocals but I quite like his voice anyway.
dreamland -glass animals
I’ve loved Glass Animals since my early teens and I think they’ll forever be one of my all time favourite bands. They have this certain quirkiness about them that I just cannot get enough of.
Dreamland might just top How to Be a Human Being in my list of favourite Glass Animals albums. They took everything they did well in HTBAHB like the beats and the occasional rap verses and really threw it all into Dreamland, thus birthing probably one of my favourite albums to be released this year.
Also I’m the biggest fan of the whole Windows 98/glitch-y vibes on this album.
You have to listen to the album from start to finish to really enjoy it but a few of my favourites are of course Dreamland, Hot Sugar and Tangerine.
Burden - aminé
Other than REEL IT IN, I had never really listened to anything else by Aminé but listening to Limbo has me questioning why I took this long divulging into his music.
This is yet another album I can happily listen to all the way through but I of course have a few favourites that I have on repeat all the time.
Pressure in My Palms (featuring slowthai and Vince Staples), Easy (featuring Summer Walker) and Becky are my faves at the minute but the more I listen the more my favourites change.
Here’s a few other songs I’m also loving and that you should definitely check out:
If you ever want to send me some stuff you’re listening to at the minute then please go ahead, I love listening to new things.
Thanks for reading!
Music of the Month: November | Zafira
Hey!
How is there only a month left of this year? I can’t even remember feeling like it ever began.
So, it’s December. It’s freezing, it’s pitch black when I wake up at awful times to go to uni and it’s also…deadline season. I’ve been a little preoccupied with my assignments for the past month or so which explains the lack of content over on here which is incredibly unfortunate because I was feeling like I was on a roll with these posts a few months ago. Anyway, I have to prioritise what’s important to me right now and that is uni sadly. But I have a few weeks off for Christmas to rejuvenate and get my life into order so expect some very cute things next year.
For now, let’s roll on with my favourite songs this November!
In the midst of political nightmare, numerous breakdowns, a bad haircut (might as well call me Noel Fielding at this point) and nothing but stress pilling on top of me as the days pass, this month has definitely been a highlight in terms of music.
You can check out my entire playlist for November here.
FKA TWIGS
FKA Twigs’ new album was the most beautiful thing to have ever happen to me this entire year. I remember hearing Cellophane for the first time a few months ago and knowing that whatever she had prepared after that would be insane. And it was. Magdalene has been angelic. Like you know when you see those ads of like honey or golden syrup being drizzled in slow motion? That’s Magdalene felt like.
In NME I read that Mirrored Heart ”vibrates with Twin Peaks-style synths” and as a Twin Peaks fan from the age of 12, it resonated with me so much. I love Twin Peaks and FKA Twigs so this was the best of both worlds. Mirrored Heart sounds like a deeper version of Angelo Badalamenti’s Twin Peaks theme song it’s so weird. I love the lyrics in this too.
I love all the songs on this album equally but Thousand Eyes definitely stood out the most and has probably been my most listened to song in November. It’s so sad. I think it’s about Robert Pattinson which is strange considering nearly a decade ago this boy, sorry this man, was a nation’s heart throb for sparkling in the sunlight. It’s so haunting but I could totally sit staring into space and listen to this song for hours upon hours on repeat.
2. HELENA DELAND
If you’ve read some of my other Music of the Months, you’ll know I’m a huge fan of this music based YouTube channel called La Blogotheque. I watched the most stunning performance by Helena Deland and have now officially become her no.1 fan. You can watch her La Blogotheque performance here.
My favourite two songs by her are Two Queries and There Are a Thousand. They are the dreamiest songs ever. Even in her live perfomance, I had never felt so zen. I love listening to these at night or even if I’ve had a little bit of stressful day (everyday).
3. SLO BIRD WHISTLE - APHEX TWIN (PEEL SESSION)
This song emanates chaotic energy and I love it. I have nothing else to say about this other than it’s so so so great.
4. JOY CROOKES
I’m ashamed and embarrassed to even admit that it took me this long to find Joy Crookes.
I’ve struggled finding artists that I like that having a similar background or ethnicity to me so for me to find Joy (like literal joy), who’s Bengali (and half irish) and who sings like a literal angel was truly like hitting the jackpot. Her voice reminds me a lot of Amy Winehouse which I honestly never expected.
Since I Left You has been on my mind ever since I listened to it a few weeks ago. It feels so raw and melancholic and she sings it so effortlessly. The music video is filmed beautifully too. Early, which is another fave of mine, has a totally different vibe. It’s so upbeat and catchy and I love Jafaris in this. I’ve recently started following her on Instagram too and her outfits and makeup looks are so cool.
5. SO HEAVY I FELL THROUGH THE EARTH - GRIMES
As weird as Grimes is, I completely adore her music.
So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth feels and sounds very futuristic. There two different versions of this, so there’s the algorithm mix which is the version I personally have been listening to and there’s also the art mix. They’re both pretty similar and both amazing and I can’t wait for her to release her new album next year.
6. JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ
I’ve been listening to José González for years now but there’s just something about this time of year that makes me go back to listening to him on repeat for weeks on end.
Heartbeats is in my opinion, is the perfect song for a winter’s morning. I don’t know whether it’s because the guitar strums in the beginning sound like the soundtrack to a snowy day or because I found this song during the winter a few years ago. I also really love Crosses. I think these are both very love-y songs and I love love love them.
HERE’S A FEW MORE SONGS I’M LOVING…
Thanks for reading! I can’t believe this will be my last Music of the Month this year, it’s flown by so fast.
Lots of love,
Music of the Month: September | Zafira
Here we are, 2 months away from the end of the year! I said I’d start doing these more frequently so here I am with another edition of Music of the Month.
September has been a little bit of a wild month, uni started and that completely flipped my usual timetable and of course, I’ve been insanely busy. But one thing I have made time for this month is music. I’ll usually sit and do nothing for an hour or two and listen to something, it’s really helped to handle my stress and wind down.
Here are a few of my favourite songs this month! You can listen to my full playlist this month here.
DOMINIC FIKE
I think the first thing I even heard by Dominic Fike was ‘King of Everything’ and that was enough to make me fall so so so in love with him. The instrumental bit right at the beginning of the song might just be the prettiest thing I’ve heard all year. He’s a great mix of either very chill and mellow stuff or upbeat stuff that makes you want to dance around your room.
Some other faves of mine are ‘3 Nights’ which immediately put a smile on my face. It’s one of those songs that make you so happy and put you in the greatest of moods. I’m also loving ‘Phone Numbers’ which features Kenny Beats and the two of them together are a match made in heaven. This is another upbeat song and I love nothing more than listening to this in morning to wake me up and get ready for the day.
2. The XX - Seasons Run
Other than being impeccably named for this transitional time of year, this song has been a favourite of mine ever since it came out. The XX have played such an integral part of my teenage years so starting off my second year of uni without them would feel very wrong.
p.s this entire album is amazing.
3. JELANI ARYEH
These past few months, there has been one man and one man only I’ve had a vast amount of love for and that’s Jelani Aryeh.
‘The Garden’ popped up onto one of playlists around August time and I had it on repeat for weeks. It’s such a pretty song. It’s very calm and chill which is Jelani’s whole thing. It makes me feel like I’m in love and makes my heart a little bit warm.
I’ve also been loving ‘Patagonia’ which I can imagine listening to when I’m driving off into the sunset. Like ‘The Garden’, it’s calm and chill but also has a hint of mellowness.
I can’t believe Jelani Aryeh is the same age as me and is creating prettier things than I ever will.
4. CELESTE - STRANGE
Since we’re on the topic of mellow songs, this is probably the saddest song on my playlist this month.
Celeste has the voice of what I imagine an angel to sound like. I think she sounds a little like Amy Winehouse in the sense that she has such a strong voice and I love that.
This song is all about disconnecting with people and how you can go from knowing someone really well to not knowing them all. It’s about people changing and how the entire process of that is strange. It fits in perfectly with this time of year because when I think of September, I think of change. Everything is always changing in September whether that’s education wise or even the seasons.
There’s also a version she did for COLORS and it’s beautiful. You can watch it here.
5. FRANK OCEAN - BLONDE
I can’t even begin to explain how Blonde has impacted my life and how many times a week I go back to it. This month however, I spent a few days listening to the entire album on repeat and it feels like 2016 all over again.
This month I’ve been really into ‘Nights’ which I like listening to at night lol and ‘Godspeed’ because I heard it in the Waves trailer which is one of those A24 movies which always the best. I’m so excited to see it when it comes out. I have a feeling it’s going to be a good movie.
I’ve also been really loving listening to ‘Facebook Story’. I like the instrumental music in the background and obviously, the really obnoxious French accent but there’s something about it that makes me want to listen to it over and over again.
6. matthew dear - modafinil blues
I listened to a podcast this month called The Clearing which was amazing. It’s about a woman named April who suspects her father is a serial killer, the podcast focuses on what happens after she makes a call to a detective that leads to her father’s arrest and unwinds the truth behind several murders and explores whether her father was guilty or not. It’s wild. It might actually be the craziest story I’ve ever heard. You can listen to it here.
At the end of the podcast, they play Modafinil Blues by Matthew Dear and the song fits the story perfectly. It’s also a pretty good song. Very catchy.
7. bombay bicycle club
When I first heard of Bombay Bicycle Club I was like “wow finally I’ve found a great brand for a brown girl who’s white on the inside like me”. But in all seriousness, they're one of my all time favourite bands.
At the end of August they released a new song after 5 very long years called ‘Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)’ and it’s just as good as their old stuff. They’re still as wonderful as they were in 2014.
I’ve also been re-listening to the ‘So Long, See You Tomorrow’ album on repeat for weeks now because it’s one of my favourite albums ever. The first three songs on the album which are ‘Overdone’, ‘It’s Alright Now’ and ‘Carry Me’ are my most listened to songs this month. I think they’re quite happy toned songs and make me smile whenever I listen to them.
8. BROCKHAMPTON - ginger
Now, is it really a music of the month without mentioning Brockhampton? They recently released Ginger and it’s changed my life a little bit.
My favourite songs on the album are definitely ‘SUGAR’ and ‘NO HALO’. SUGAR is very lovey dovey which I quite like whereas NO HALO is more about the band’s struggles with a lot of different things. I love the chorus of NO HALO so much. It was so hard to pick only a few songs off this album because the entire thing is so so so great.
HERE’S A FEW MORE SONGS I’M LOVING…
If you’ve enjoyed this, go check out my full playlist for this September here.
Thanks for reading!
Lots of love,
