Song of the Week Roundup: January 2021

ICYMI: A roundup of the song of the week features from the past month.

​"Dead Flowers" - Townes Van Zandt

T&E writer Nick Gonzaga says, "Just a brilliant, raw tune. I first heard this song at the end credits of The Big Lebowski and it’s been a treasured favorite ever since. The melody is so disarming that it’s easy for one to overlook the gritty, tortured lyrics. Truly an evergreen, this one."
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"Pop Star" - Coco & Clair Clair

T&E writer Noa Martucci says, "Wait you're not listening to Coco & Clair Clair already? I'm politely asking that you get started with this catchy pop tune from these dreamy queens."

"Deathhouse" - Sopor Aeternus and The Ensemble of Shadows

T&E artist Mike Cochiolo says, "This incredible track off of their latest album, Island of the Dead, is one of the most interesting and enjoyable darkwave songs in the past decade. Accompanied by medieval inspired instrumentals, Anna-Varney Cantodea's tortured, feminine vocals balance between delicacy and vitriol, providing haunting and cathartic sensations simultaneously. Their lyrics are as relentlessly negative and cold as fans have come to expect from them since their debut in 1989, and they continue to deliver the sweet soothing sounds of decadence and despair that all great gothic artists are known for." 

 "Shūji Terayama Song" - Otagh band

Vaak Records | نشر موسیقی واک · Bamdad Afshar & Otagh Band - Shūji Terayama Song (feat. Kaoru Osanai)

T&E writer Parisa Eshrati says, "Otagh band is an Iranian electroacoustic experimental group that is quickly becoming one of my new all-time favorites. This new single was made for an upcoming exhibit in Japan (curated by Tsuyoshi Osawa) about the life of avant-garde poet, director and photographer Shūji Terayama. Terayama had traveled to Iran at one point in his life, and this track is specifically about that trip. It's a brilliant blend of traditional instrumentation from both cultures (featuring one of my favorite instruments, the ney-anbān), sliced together with narrations to create a very linear and visual experience. This song is a pillar of musical storytelling and cultural harmony, and I recommend checking out the new 30M label for more."
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