Object Of Sound

We’re in an unprecedented moment of emergence: long-shuttered venues are reopening their doors, artists are hitting the road again, and you’re probably thinking about what concerts you’ll be heading to in this new world. We’re looking ahead to a summer full of live music, and what it means to listen together -- again. Hanif speaks with GRAMMY Award winning artist, Esperanza Spalding on creating ‘Songwrights Apothecary Lab’ and how live music can help rebuild our communities. And journalist Cherie Hu shares her predictions for the future of live music. Plus, listeners call in and share reflections from their favorite festival moments,

/Show Notes/ 

Cherie Hu’s newsletter is Water and Music.

Esperanza Spalding’s latest project is the Songwrights Apothecary Lab. She has also released music that she worked on at the residency.  

Hanif and Cherie bring up Verzuz and Mark Rebillet’s improvised performances. 

Hanif tells a story about performing at the Eaux Claire’s Festival with Julien Baker in 2018. 

/Credits/

This show is produced by work by work: Scott Newman, Jemma Rose Brown, Babette Thomas, Mayari Sherina Ong and by Hanif Abdurraqib. The show is mixed by Sam Bair. 

After a long year apart, there’s something particularly comforting about listening to a duet. In this week’s episode, we talk to Sharon Van Etten, who recently released ‘Like I Used To’ a duet with Angel Olsen. Hanif and Sharon dig into the interpersonal stories behind some of their favorite duet collaborators, unpack what makes for a great pairing of voices, and make a playlist of their top duet songs. To listen to the playlist of songs curated for this week's episode visit www.mixcloud.com/sonos.

/Music In This Week's Episode/
Like I Used To - Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen
The Boy Is Mine, Brandy and Monica
Streets of Paradise, Richard and Linda Thompson
Waves, Miguel (feat. Kacey Musgraves)
Oh, What A Good Thing We Had, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash
Perfect Combination, Johnny Gill and Stacey Lattisaw
Da Rockwilder, Method Man and Redman

/Show Notes/ 

“All I Need” by Mary J. Blige and Method Man and “Dilemma” by Nelly and Kelly Rowland are two of the iconic duets that Hanif remembers from the 90’s. 

Hanif cites Fleetwood Mac and Dolly Parton as artists with varying duet styles. 

Some of Sharon’s favorite duets include, “Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore,” by Marlon Williams and Aldous Harding, “Streets of Paradise” by Richard and Linda Thompson and “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie. 

Hanif gives his praises to Tony Bennett’s albums Duets I, and Duets II. 

/Credits/ 

This show is produced by work by work: Scott Newman, Jemma Rose Brown, Babette Thomas, Mayari Sherina Ong and by Hanif Abdurraqib. The show is mixed by Sam Bair. 

Welcome to season two of Object of Sound! As the world opens back up, we’re entering a moment of collective renewal and return, so it feels right to speak with an artist who is versed in reinvention: Mykki Blanco. Hanif sits down with Mykki to talk about the release of their new album ‘Broken Hearts and Beauty Sleep’ coming out today, and the two enter into a layered conversation about what it means for an artist to be labeled as ‘ahead of their time.’ Visit https://bit.ly/oos-mykki to check out the playlist of songs curated for this episode.

/Show Notes/

Mykki Blanco’s newest album is Broken Hearts and Beauty Sleep. 

Mykki brings up their previous projects, Betty Rubble: The Initiation and Gay Dog Food as examples of their evolution as an artist.

Mykki Blanco cites Big Freedia, Madonna, Prince and David Bowie as legends who inspire them. 

/Music in This Week's Playlist/

Love Me, Mykki Blanco

Cruel Cruel World, Jackie Shane

Rent, Big Freedia

Koi, Le1f

Queen Of This Shit, Quay Dash

Coytada, Linn de Quebrada

Don’t Despair, Beverly Glenn-Copeland

Adore, Dreamcrusher

/Credits/ 

This show is produced by work by work: Scott Newman, Jemma Rose Brown, Babette Thomas, Mayari Sherina Ong and by Hanif Abdurraqib. The show is mixed by Sam Bair. 

For the season finale of Object of Sound, a reminder that you are an artist, regardless of what you do for work. Before Brittany Howard became a striking soloist and lead singer of Alabama Shakes, she worked at Cracker Barrel, sold cars, and even delivered mail in rural Alabama. In this episode, Hanif and Brittany reflect on how they preserved their creative lives and taught themselves writing and music while on the job. They dive into a shared love of funk and Brittany reveals how she learned to play guitar as a kid from reading magazines. Plus, a playlist of songs to soundtrack your work day. After this episode, we’re going to take a break. Season Two of Object of Sound picks up June 18th! Stay tuned. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode, visit http://bit.ly/oos-work

/Show Notes/

Brittany Howard’s most recent album is Jaime. 

Hanif and Brittany talk about Bill Withers and Brittany’s cover of Parliament Funkadelic’s “You and Your Folks.”

Brittany cites Vulfpeck and BadBadNotGood as the bands with funk rhythm sections that she admires. 

Brittany adds “Ain’t It Hard” by Sharon Jones,“Cold Sweat” by James Brown, “Oh Marie”

by Louis Prima and “The Prophet’s Song” by Queen to a playlist of songs for the work day.

/Music In This Week's Playlist/

You and Your Folks, Me and My Folks, Brittany Howard covering Funkadelic

The Prophet’s Song, Queen

Pressure, Paramore

Ain’t it Hard, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings

Tears of Rage, The Band

People Everyday, Arrested Development

Time’s a Wastin, Erykah Badu

/ Credits / 

Object of Sound is a Sonos show produced by work x work: Scott Newman, Jemma Rose Brown, and Babette Thomas. The show is additionally produced by Hanif Abdurraqib. Our engineers are Sam Bair and Josh Hahn of The Relic Room.

 What does it mean to be a curator of songs? The one friend who recommends new records, specifically with your tastes in mind. Hanif speaks with Hrishikesh Hirway, the creator and host of Song Exploder and a fellow music enthusiast. In this episode, Hanif and Hrishikesh discuss the communal and emotive nature of music sharing. They reflect on the experience of often being the only person of color at punk shows and what it means to, now, be in a position to evaluate music, while moving beyond the role of “tastemaker.” Plus, they collaborate on a playlist of musical underdogs who give you the most bang for your buck. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode, visit http://bit.ly/oos-hrishikesh

/ Show Notes /

Hrishikesh Hirway is the creator and host of the Song Exploder, a music podcast from Radiotopia and  Netflix show. His podcast credits also include Partners, West Wing Weekly and Home Cooking. 

Hanif and Hrishikesh reference Moneyball, in their playlist creation. And Hanif brings up the punk band Racetraitor.

/ Music In This Week's Playlist /

I’d Like to Walk Around in Your Mind, Vashti Bunyan

Sour Times, Portishead

Machine Gun, Slowdive

For Want Of, Rites of Spring

Too Much Information, The Police

The Sun, Alice Coltrane

Sound and the Fury, Fanny

Super Duper Love Parts 1&2, Sugar Billy

/ Credits / 

Object of Sound is a Sonos show produced by work x work: Scott Newman, Jemma Rose Brown, and Babette Thomas. The show is additionally produced by Hanif Abdurraqib. Our engineers are Sam Bair and Josh Hahn of The Relic Room.

What makes a home? Is it where you create? Where you feel seen? And for a musician like Rhiannon Giddens, how does the idea of home shape the sound of her music? This week, Hanif sits down with North-Carolinian multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens from her new homebase in Dublin. They talk about how Ireland has seeped into her music, muse on the banjo as a weapon and a tool of archiving Black histories, and how Rhiannon is able to masterfully draw influences -- wherever she finds herself. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode, go to www.mixcloud.com/sonos.

/Show Notes/ 

Rhiannon Giddens’ recent release is They’re Calling Me Home. 

Hanif references his book, Little Devil In America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance  and brings up the performer, Bert Williams. 

Rhiannon talks about learning to play the akonting in Gambia and her first solo album Tomorrow is My Turn. 

This interview was originally recorded at On Air Fest. 

/Music In This Week's Playlist/ 

Waterbound, Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi

Carry Me Ohio, Sun Kil Moon

Dishes, Pulp

Baby Can I Hold You, Tracy Chapman

A Piece of Ground, Miriam Makeba

Midwest, Midsummer, Used Kids

My City Was Gone, Pretenders

Domestica, Björk

/ Credits / 

Object of Sound is a Sonos show produced by work x work: Scott Newman, Jemma Rose Brown, and Babette Thomas. The show is additionally produced by Hanif Abdurraqib. Our engineers are Sam Bair and Josh Hahn of The Relic Room.

When you think of protest music, you might think of the rock anthems of the 1960’s, or rap that turns frustration into elegantly poignant lyrics. For pianist Vijay Iyer, music without lyrics—has always been political music. This week, we talk with Vijay about the release of his new album 'Uneasy,' which in many ways is a protest album. We delve into the political history of jazz, the role of music in protest movements today. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-vijay

/ Show Notes /

Vijay Iyer’s new album is Uneasy, with collaborators Tyshawn Sorey and Linda May Han Oh. 

Vijay shared Billie Holiday’s Strange Fruit and John Coltrane’s 1968 performance at The Newport Jazz festival as examples of performances of protest.

Vijay cites Miles Davis’ performance of “Ah-Leu Cha” at the Newport Jazz Festival and Jimi Hendrix’s “Machine Gun” as examples of powerful political music. 

Vijay references Cruel Optimism by Lauren Berlant. 

In his final thought, Hanif discusses Nina Simone’s songs “Pirate Jenny” and “Black Is The Color Of My True Love’s Hair.” 

/ Music In This Week's Playlist /

Children of Flint, Vijay Iyer, Linda May Han Oh, Tyshawn Sorey

Song of the United Front, Charlie Haden

Volunteered Slavery, Rahsaan Roland Kirk

Pirate Jenny, Nina Simone

Transcendence, Alice Coltrane and Pharoh Sanders

Ah-Leu-Cha, Miles at Newport

/ Credits / 

Object of Sound is a Sonos show produced by work x work: Scott Newman, Jemma Rose Brown, and Babette Thomas. The show is additionally produced by Hanif Abdurraqib. Our engineers are Sam Bair and Josh Hahn of The Relic Room.

When Julien Baker and Hanif first met, they felt pulled by the orbit of each other’s work—work that is emotionally layered and complex. This week on the show, Hanif and Julien catch up. Of course, they talk about Julien’s recent album release, Little Oblivions —which Hanif wrote the liner notes for— but they also get into ideas of self-redemption, digesting emotions through music, and missing the miraculous feeling of live music. Plus, Hanif and Julien collaborate on a playlist of their personal praise songs; the music they would play in their own respective churches. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-julien

/ Show Notes / 

Julien Baker’s new album is Little Oblivions. The songs that Julien Baker would play at her church are “The River” by Manchester Orchestra, “The Joke” by Brandi Carlile, and “Love Theory” by Kirk Franklin.

/ Music In This Week's Playlist / 

Bloodshot , Julien Baker

The Joke, Brandi Carlile

When I Was Young, Tina Turner

Blown a Wish, My Bloody Valentine

How I Got Over, Aretha Franklin

Lived In Bars, Cat Power 

The River, Manchester Orchestra 

The Ocean Grew Hands to Hold Me, The Wonder Years

/ Credits / 

Object of Sound is a Sonos show produced by work x work: Scott Newman, Jemma Rose Brown, and Babette Thomas. The show is additionally produced by Hanif Abdurraqib. Our engineers are Sam Bair and Josh Hahn of The Relic Room.

This week marks the release of Hanif’s new book, A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance, and the opening chapter dives into the colorful world of Soul Train. Bell bottoms, the Soul Train line, afro’s as high as the sky. Hanif and journalist Ericka Blount Danois talk through how the show forever changed fashion, dance, and carved out a path for the all-Black media empires we see today. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-soultrain

/ Show Notes / 

Hanif’s new book is A Little Devil in America: Notes In Praise of Black Performance. 

Erica’s book on Soul Train is Love, Peace and Soul: Behind the Scenes of America's Favorite Dance Show Soul Train: Classic Moments.

/ Music In This Week's Playlist / 

Some Kind of Lover - Dance Remix , Jody Watley 

Let It Whip, Dazz Band

He’s The Greatest Dancer, Sister Sledge

Love Come Down, Evelyn Champagne King

Family Affair, Sly & The Family Stone

September, Earth, Wind & Fire 

Do Wa Ditty (Blow That Thing), Zapp

Love Train, The O’Jays

/ Credits / 

Object of Sound is a Sonos show produced by work x work: Scott Newman, Jemma Rose Brown, and Babette Thomas. The show is additionally produced by Hanif Abdurraqib. Our engineers are Sam Bair and Josh Hahn of The Relic Room.

 For Hanif, music that some folks would consider ‘dark’ like emo, doom metal, and goth, have helped him find illumination. In this episode, Hanif talks to a master of darkly humorous lyrics, Sydney Sprague, about her debut album, ‘maybe I will see you at the end of the world’ and what it takes to make music at a time when survival feels like a question mark. Plus, Hanif and Sydney make a playlist of songs that’d be the perfect soundtrack to the apocalypse.  For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-apocalypse

/ Show Notes / 

Sydney Sprague’s debut album is maybe I will see you at the end of the world. 

Hanif references Sydney’s music videos for “I refuse to die” and “object permanence.”

The book Hanif wrote while living in Provincetown was They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us.

/ Music In This Week's Playlist / 

Object Permanence, Sydney Sprague (feat. Danielle Durrack)  

Bird is Bored of Flying, Mastersystem

We No Who U R, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Gimme Shelter, Merry Clayton

Some Velvet Morning, Slowdive 

Meet You In The Light, With Our Arms To The Sun 

What’s Mine Is Yours, Sleater-Kinney 

Hell on Earth (Front Lines), Mobb Deep

/ Credits / 

Object of Sound is a Sonos show produced by work x work: Scott Newman, Jemma Rose Brown, and Babette Thomas. The show is additionally produced by Hanif Abdurraqib. Our engineers are Sam Bair and Josh Hahn of The Relic Room.