2020s

October 2023 Playlist

1st November 2023 · 2023, Music, Playlists

Reggae and blues, country and funk, soul, disco – even jazz in this month’s playlist. Take your pick from vintage Janis Ian to recent Carla Bley (RIP), the best Velvets track ever, and the one decent track from the new Stones album. And much more.

Killers Of The Flower Moon

Director: Martin Scorsese

Cast: Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone

Screenplay: Eric Roth, Martin Scorsese.

Running time: 206 minutes.

I confess I had some apprehension over its length, but Killers Of The Flower Moon is well worth the numb bum. And we can surely expect Oscar nominations for the three principals – De Niro, DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone – as well as Scorsese himself.

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Even in the darkest depths of my lifelong jazzophobia I had a soft spot for Carla Bley. I’m not sure why; maybe because a female jazz musician is such a rarity.

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The Rolling Stones channel their vintage heyday with guest performers Stevie Wonder and Lady Gaga on a bluesy gospel-flavoured new tune, Sweet Sounds Of Heaven, from their new album Hackney Diamonds.

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Butcher Brown are a self-proclaimed “proud throwback to the progressive jazz-funk bands of the 1970s with a 21st century twist” – a phrase that would once have filled me with horror.

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Here’s a marriage of two marvellous musicians making magic when they meet – Welsh harpist Catrin Finch and Irish violinist Aoife Ní Bhriain.

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John Grant reunites with Midlake on a new EP, Roadrunner Blues, 13 years after they collaborated on his debut album. They’ve lost none of the magic they made together.

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Here’s a nice thing by two of the great names in hip hop – DJ Muggs and Kool Keith. It’s the title track from the soundtrack of a new sci-fi film called Divinity by regular David Lynch composer Dean Hurley.

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I’m not the biggest fan of those bands with only two members – White Stripes, Royal Blood, Slaves/Soft Play – though I’m quite fond of Sleaford Mods. Here’s Big Special – another two-piece with only one musician. And I love it!

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Here’s some banging techno: a self-styled “queer non-binary anthem” – More Femme, More Masc – straight out of New York City. Listen closely and you may discern the chords of Tracy Chapman’s Fast Car in there.

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