Object Of Sound

This week on the show, we're taking a critical look at The GRAMMYs. We bring on NPR’s Sidney Madden and Rodney Carmichael to talk through the systemic inequities of an event that each year decides which musician can be called the “best.” Why do we still care about awards that trail seemingly years behind the culture? Plus, Hanif, Sidney and Rodney share which artists they think should be recognized, whether or not they take home an award this weekend. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-grammys

/ Show Notes / 

Sidney and Rodney are the co-hosts of NPR’s Louder Than A Riot. 

Sidney says Beyoncé’s 2017 Grammy performance, good kid m.A.A.d. city, Lemonade and My Dark Twisted Fantasy have changed the trajectory of music. 

Rodney cites Kendrick Lamar’s 2016 GRAMMYs performance, a 2008 Sly Stone Tribute and Little Richard’s speech at the 1988 GRAMMYs as iconic moments in awards show history.

Sidney is excited for Kaytranda and Jhené Aiko. Rodney is pulling for Lil Baby and The Box by Roddie Rich.

/ Music in This Week's Playlist / 

Shoegaze, Alabama Shakes

Sky Full Of Song, Florence + The Machine 

Leave the Door Open, Silk Sonic (Anderson .Paak & Bruno Mars)

Blue Lights, Jorja Smith 

River, Margo Price 

Shady Grove, Yola

Swimming Pools (Drank), Kendrick Lamar 

Right Back, Khalid

/ 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 the first month of the pandemic, Hanif couldn’t listen to music. Then KeiyaA dropped her album Forever Ya Girl! and the idea that new music could be made, in this moment, shook him. This week on Object of Sound, we're thinking back on the exhausting, scary, revelatory year we’ve just lived through, and how the pandemic has changed the need for music in our lives. We talk to KeiyaA about crystals, writing scene-rich lyrics and the music that carried her through these last 12 months. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-keiyaa

/ Show Notes / 

KeiyaA’s most recent album is Forever Ya Girl. Her zine is titled, On Returning My Quikest Language Back To My Mouth.

Hanif’s book A Little Devil In America: Notes in Praise Of Black Performance, is set to release March 30th. 

KeiyaA mentions Slauson Malone’s catalog for his exhibition ‘A star like any other’— at Midway Contemporary Art.

KeiyaA’s selects for music made in the last 12 months include “Use It” by Demae, “White Double Consciousness” by Nelson Bandela, and “Clock In-Out” by Cleo Reed.

KeiyaA mentions shows thrown by her friends AmaniFela and Maassai. 

Hanif gives a shout out to Brown Recluse Zine Distro. 

/ Music In This Week's Playlist / 

I Want My Things, KeiyaA 

I Refuse To Die, Sydney Sprague 

Queendom, Girlhood 

Other Side, Shamir 

I Finally Understand, Charli XCX

Body, Megan Thee Stallion

White Double Consciousness, Nelson Bandela

Weird Fishes, Lianne La Havas

/ 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.

Matt Berninger started out as the frontman of The National, but recently he’s taken off on his own artistic path. With the re-issue of the National’s early albums out today, we speak with Matt about revisiting past selves, his collaboration with Booker T. Jones, and take a broader look at artists who have reinvented their sound after going solo. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-solo

/ Show Notes / 

Matt Berninger says Willie Nelson’s Stardust was a large inspiration for his most recent album, Serpentine Prison. 

Matt cites “Sunny” by Booker T and the MG’s as an example of a record where you can “hear musicians look at each other.” 

Matt calls Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song” and Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” as, what he calls, “direct, on your knees, love songs”. 

Matt says “Collar Of Your Shirt,” is the song on his album where he feels he really hit the mark. 

Matt says “Even Here We Are” by Paul Westerberg and “When She Walks In The Room” by Bryan Ferry as his favorite song by front people who went solo. 

/ Music In This Week's Playlist / 

Collar of Your Shirt, Matt Berninger

Adam Lives in Theory, Ms. Lauryn Hill

Even Here We Are, Paul Westerberg

Mall Music, Nice As Fuck

Love, Selfish Love, Patrick Stump

Lazaretto, Jack White

Comes the Night, Karen O

Jòga, 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 Grammy nominated bassist Meshell Ndegeocello read James Baldwin for the first time, her world shifted on its axis. Like many before her, Baldwin’s words reverberated into her creative process. In this episode, we speak with Ndegeocello about the literary ancestors who inform her music, the arc of her decades-long career, and Hanif shares a playlist of songs inspired by poetry and literature.  For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-meshell

/ Show Notes / 

Meshell Ndegeocello’s most recent project is Chapter and Verse, The Gospel of James Baldwin. 

Meshell cites The Fire Next Time and Another Country as the texts that introduced her to Baldwin. 

Meshell says the writers whose work she'd most love to put to music are Kiese Laymon, Joan Didion's The White Album and Sheila Heti.

/ Music In This Week's Playlist / 

Mary Magdalene, Meshell Ndegeocello

The Sensual World, Kate Bush

Popular, Nada Surf

When I Can See The Valley, Leyla MCcalla 

Samson, Regina Spektor

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Iron Maiden

Guantanamera, Celia Cruz 

Baldwin,  Jamila Woods

/ 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.

 Sylvan Esso’s Nick Sanborn and Amelia Meath are tired of your typical love song. They’re more interested in the music that flows from an argument, singing about heartbreak, and falling back in love with yourself. As Valentine’s day approaches, we talk to the duo about what it takes to make art together as romantic partners, crack open what a love song can be, and Hanif reads a poem by Nicole Sealey. For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-love

/ Show Notes / 

Hanif references “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys. 

Amelia references the song “Free” from Sylvan Esso’s recent release, Free Love.

Amelia references “Juke Box Hero” by Foreigner as her first favorite love song. 

Nick references “They Might Be Giants” by Ana Ng as his first favorite love song. 

Amelia and Nick reference Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own” and Adele’s “Send My Love” as redemptive self-love songs.

/ Music In This Week's Playlist / 

Sylvan Esso, Rooftop Dancing

Roxy Music, In Every Dream Home A Heartache

Whitney Houston & Cece Winans, Count On Me

Ghostface Killah, The Sun (feat. Slick Rick, Raekwon & Rza) 

Bill Withers, Lean on Me

Robyn, Dancing On My Own

Nina Simone, Feeling Good

LCD Soundsystem, All My Friends

The National, Bloodbuzz Ohio

/ 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.

It’s Super Bowl weekend, and we’ve invited critic Wesley Morris on to talk about Whitney Houston’s jaw-dropping rendition of the Star Spangled banner. On the 30th anniversary of her performance, we explore the beauty and complexity the national anthem holds for Black Americans and ask: how should we be listening to the National Anthem today? For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-wesley

/ Show Notes / 

Wesley and Hanif reference Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye, and Jimi Hendrix’s versions of the National Anthem.

Wesley and Hanif cite Lady Gaga and Beyonce’s inauguration performances of the National Anthem.

Wesley Morris is the host of the podcast Still Processing, with former Object of Sound guest, Jenna Wortham. 

Jahja Ling is the conductor laureate of the San Diego symphony. 

John Clayton a jazz musician and composer, set to perform on a Jazz Cruise, in 2022. 

/ Music In This Week's Playlist /

Whitney Houston, I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me) 

Sophie, It’s Okay to Cry

Craig David, 7 Days

Fireworks, Oh, Why Can't We Start Old & Get Younger

Shame, March Day

CHIKA, Crown

Jay-Z, Public Service Announcement

People Under the Stairs, Mid-City Fiesta

mxmtoon, All Star (by Smash Mouth)

/ 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.

The strength of Black women as storytellers stands out on arguably the most celebrated album of this year, Heaux Tales, from Jazmine Sullivan. Through stories told by Jazmine’s close circle of women, the album explores themes of love, sex and Black womanhood. In this episode, we talk with Jazmine about her writing process, taking breaks from music and her upcoming performance at the Super Bowl. 

/ Show Notes / 

For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-jazmines-tale. 

Hanif says that Jazmine’s album reminds him of the Waiting To Exhale soundtrack. 

Jazmine cites Cardi B and Lizzo has some of her inspirations.

Jazmine says Whitney Houston’s Super Bowl rendition of the Star Spangled Banner is her favorite take on the song. 

Jazmine Sullivan’s album is Heaux Tales. 

/ 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.

From the late MF Doom to Grace Jones and Orville Peck, we take a look at musicians who have worn masks to protect their identities at a time when we’re all masking up to protect one another. In this episode, we talk with writers Sasha Geffen and Harmony Holiday about the different ways artists choose to mask up, and how covering one part of who we are can also uncover creative freedom. 

/ Show Notes /

For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-masks

Read Harmony Holiday’s elegy to MF Doom for Frieze

Sasha’s book which Hanif ‘pushes’ on everyone is Glitter Up the Dark How Pop Music Broke the Binary

Watch the 'Slime' video by Shygirl and Mequetrefe by Arca to see how these two artists play with ‘real’ and ‘fake’ images

Hanif referenced when SIA performed ‘Wolves’ with Kanye West on SNL.

/ 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 one song sits next to another, a new story is told. We talk with Moses Sumney about composing the arc of his album græ, making playlists, and how he honors his own work by refusing to define it. Welcome to Object Of Sound.

/ Show Notes /

For the playlist of songs curated for this episode visit here.

Moses referenced the album Speaker Box and The Love Below by Outkast. 

Hanif and Moses recommend cleaning your house to Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa. 

Moses says the albums Forever, Ya Girl by KeiyaA and Hannah by Lomelda are the music that'll be his archive of this moment in time. 

Moses' two-part album is græ.

/ 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.

2020 was arguably the year of the cover song. Listening to a familiar song spun a new way can be grounding or groundbreaking. We talk to the often covered and prolific performer of covers, Jeff Tweedy, about what goes into a great cover, and what it’s like to hear his own songs re-translated by other musicians. 

/ Show Notes /
For the playlist of cover songs curated for this episode visit http://bit.ly/oos-covers,
Jeff Tweedy’s book is How to Write One Song, 
Watch episodes of The Tweedy Show created by the Tweedy family during lockdown, 
Jeff Tweedy’s cover of Billie Eilish’s song, ‘I Love You’, 
Fans create a 70 song cover tribute album to Jeff Tweedy on Bandcamp, 
The song Head Rolls Off is by Frightened Rabbit , 
Listen to Tiny Changes: A Celebration of Frightened Rabbit's 'The Midnight Organ Fight'

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