8 Tracks is your antidote to the algorithm. Each week, NPR Music producer Lars Gotrich, with the help of his colleagues, makes connections between sounds across time.
I'm still thinking about , a Christian rocker who spent most of his life upending that scene. Knott, , was an inscrutable character who nevertheless wore a bleeding heart on his sleeve. Across a long and diverse catalog, Knott was only ever himself, pissing off church authorities, record labels and even his own fans 鈥� it's what drew people to his damaged portraits of grace because they were often of himself.
In short, he kept it real, to his own enlightenment and detriment. This week on 8 Tracks, I want to throwback to one of those moments from Knott, plus a number of newly released songs that speak their own truths.
Michael Knott, "Shine a Light"
For those new to Knott 鈥� and I imagine there are many 鈥� there are lots of spots to dive in: the of L.S. Underground, the of Aunt Bettys or Cush's . I tend to point folks toward his solo material, particularly 1992's Screaming Brittle Siren, a real crash-and-burn album in every sense of the phrase. On it, Knott takes aim at false prophets 鈥� a constant theme 鈥� and his own shortcomings with funk-forward, Hollywood Strip-indebted hard rock that borders on (and perhaps sneers at) the then-burgeoning grunge scene just up the West coast. "Shine A Light" sums up his place within and against Christian culture, yet offers insight into his zen-like emblem of enfant terrible: "I'm no captain, just a reflection of the sea."
Rapsody, "Stand Tall"
I can't tell if I'd be thrilled or terrified if stared me down and asked me to be real... about myself, or whatever else. She is a rapper who has always asked the same question of herself, taking a different route every time. The same way a brilliant basketball player plots their moves toward the hoop, Rapsody's mind makes chess moves while she holds court. Sanaa Lathan, of Love & Basketball fame, plays the antagonist in the music video for this song, our proxy for the facelessness of a social media-ridden society that pretends to go deep, but only clicks in for the bait. So when Lathan asks her to be real, Rapsody is a mirror and a window, reflecting on her own anxieties and struggles, but showing us how easily we can break the promise of our best self: "Either you Annie or you Annikan," she intones. "You gon' shine or fade to black as a result of all your damages."
Luxury, "Maker / Wheel Within a Wheel"
Lee Bozeman has the kind of voice that caresses even as it unfurls an unsettling scene. "Our friend takes drugs every day," he croons over a throttling bass line. "And she contemplates life when she plays / So hard upon the piano keys." Ever since 's return a decade ago, which coincided with a documentary that followed , the band has shifted its tone toward healing, yet doesn't shy away from a world as it's breaking. "Maker" is a propulsive piece of punk-ish indie rock, yet its guitar latticework girds the song's intricate message of comfort.
Ariana Grande, "we can't be friends (wait for your love)"
What if front-loaded pop albums flipped the script in the back half? A reward for sticking it out, perhaps. Track No. 10 on 's eternal sunshine comes after a bunch of heartbreak and therapy speak, and marks something of a turn in the album's narrative. Max Martin's dance-pop production here is more muted, yet sparkling 鈥� his ambient synth pads allow Ari's ballad more room to air out the misunderstandings of her heart. SNL's Bowen Yang makes a that "we can't be friends" is "about the way the media relates to her," but I keep coming back to one line ("Me and my truth, we sit in silence"), the two seconds of white noise that follow and her return: "Baby girl, it's just me and you." In that moment, at least, the song feels like a reflection of herself, giving the title far more weight.
The Rocky Valentines, "Stick It Out"
Charlie Martin is the son of Jason Martin, the primary songwriter of , a shapeshifting rock band with a deep catalog that might as well be encoded into my DNA. As The Rocky Valentines, Charlie plays everything except the bass and, like his dad, has a way with a handful of chunky power chords and a sad-yet-sticky melody. Very quickly, however, The Rocky Valentines has established its own economy of songcraft: "Stick It Out," in particular, takes a roiling, slowcore riff and manages to make it sound like rocking out in a garage.
Jackie West, "Snow Amplified"
I love a song title with kinetic energy. On "Snow Amplified," recorded in a live room with a full band, a folksy flurry suddenly becomes a swirling squall. Erratic strum patterns (each "off" just enough for discomfort) clash up against a drummer desperate to keep everything together, as Jackie West's clear-eyed voice acts as the catalyst and the center of the storm: "Warm to the touch, you're a blood rush."
Tierra Whack, "IMAGINARY FRIENDS"
When one of my favorite artists puts out music that tickles my brain, I always want to get nerdy about it. Case in point: It's such a joy to hear my colleagues Ann Powers and Daoud Tyler-Ameen talk about 's WORLD WIDE WHACK on . It's a dark, bewildering, but often goofy rap album that plays with the human voice like Robin Williams on a wild impersonation spree. But unlike a rapper who switches character on a dime, Tierra Whack is far more subtle. "She finds ways to shapeshift before you totally know what she's doing," Tyler-Ameen says in that episode, illustrated best by "IMAGINARY FRIENDS," which slowly slips from an unsteady warble to a crisp and confident cool, especially in the smirking hook once she realizes: "How can I be lonely when I'm hanging with my homies?"
Baby Rose (with BADBADNOTGOOD), "One Last Dance"
Admittedly, I've been iffy on , a jazz-not-jazz band attuned to recreating crate-digger samples with live instruments. However, I don't mind being wrong, especially when something sounds so right. On "One Last Dance," BADBADNOTGOOD leans into a soulful, Muscle-Shoals-meets-Pet-Sounds sweetness. It's dreamy, yet undercut with a touch of sadness ... a specialty. As she seeks to mend an old friendship, her voice crackles with yearning and a soft flute responds with a soft hand on her shoulder.
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