March 2020 Podcast: Old and New..with Lionel Richie

As the old school song states, “Where do I begin?” I must admit. It’s been hard for me to make podcasts lately. Life is just a never ending steam of disappointments with a shimmer of good happening for me. But moreso bad than good mentally. It’s been a real struggle to enjoy things for long periods of time. And now the corona virus isn’t helping my mental state either. But, since we’ve all been quarantined, I’m forcing myself to try to get back to things I enjoyed. I can’t say whether or not I will make another podcast after this one. I will just take life as it goes and if I feel up to it, I will do it. It’s not like people listened a lot anyway so it’s not like there is a need for another person playing music when there are so many other podcasts better than mine.

But there I go again. Sorry about that. Anyhooters, here is a new one for you. Listen. Don’t. It’s there for whoever wants to consume. Thanks to anyone who does. And if you pass it, then that’s fine too.

Listen or download here –>March 2020 Podcast

Intro Song: The Regrettes – A Living Human Girl

1. Pearl Jam – Alright
2. Demi Lovato – I Love Me
3. The Weeknd – Until I Bleed Out
5. Circa Waves – Be Your Drug
6. Lizzo – Water Me
7. Janet Jackson – Make Me
8. Dana Dane – This Be the Def Beat
9. Beyonce’ – Don’t Hurt Yourself
10. R.E.M. – Driver 8
11. The Killers – The Man
12. Karyn White – Secret Rendezvous
13. Eddie Money – Take Me Home Tonight
14. Childish Gambino – Under the Sun
15. Harry Styles – Watermelon Sugar
16. Kygo & Whitney Houston – Higher Love
17. Phantogram – Pedestal
18. Mark Ronson – Uptown Funk
19. Brandy – I Wanna Be Down Remix

 

Follow @joelygabs

Follow me here if you tumble.. —> www.bondworks.tumblr.com

Follow me on IG if you need good design work at a reasonable price —–> theladycharms

Top 50 Songs of 2019

I don’t often make a year end favorite song list. There are a gazillion songs that were released in 2019. And it’s just an overwhelming task to take on – moreso than albums. So these songs are just a small collection of ones I played on my ipod (yeah, I still have mine), and Spotify. It’s random, it’s funny, it’s head scratching, it’s booty shaking, it’s whatever got me through this ridiculous year of 2019. Enjoy.

And Happy New Year.. it’s a wrap. FINALLY.

50. Harry Styles – Watermelon Sugar
49. Beck – Star
48. Bishop Briggs – Champion
47. SebastiAn – Handcuffed to a Parking Meter (Feat. Sparks)
46. Michael Kiwanuka – You Ain’t the Problem
45. Lil’ Kim – Pray for Me (Feat. Rick Ross and Musiq Soulchild)
44. Dermot Kennedy – Moments Passed
43. Hayley Kiyoko – Demons
42. Lady Antebellum – Be Patient With My Love
41. Brandon Banks – 8 Figures
40. The Black Keys – Every Little Thing
39. Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Giannis (Feat. Anderson .Paak)
38. Hayden James – Better Together
37. Jamie Cullum – Taller
36. Lucky Daye – Concentrate
35. Lizzo – Tempo (Feat. Missy Elliott)
34. Billie Eilish – Bad Buy
33. Lewis Capaldi – Someone You Loved
32. Post Malone – Circles
31. Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello – Senorita
30. Iggy Azalea – Sally Walker
29. Ed Sheeran – Beautiful People (Feat. Khalid)
28. P!nk – Hurts 2B Human (Feat. Khalid)
27. Mabel – OK (Anxiety Anthem)
26. Rob Thomas – Timeless
25. Ben Platt – Honest Man
24. Miley Cyrus – Mother’s Daughter
23. NF – Time
22. Snoh Aalegra – Love Like That
21. Tori Kelly – Pretty Fades
20. Lizzo – Juice
19. Megan Thee Stallion – Hot Girl Summer
18. Niall Horan – Nice to Meed Ya
17. Backstreet Boys – New Love
16. The Weeknd – Heartless
15. Jonas Brothers – Sucker
14. Sleater – Kinney – RUINS
13. Labrinth & Zendaya – All For Us
12. Taylor Swift – You Need to Calm Down
11. Fitz and the Tantrums – 123456

FINAL TEN SONGS
10. Tegan and Sara – Don’t Believe the Things They Tell You (They Lie)
9. Normani – Motivation
8. Summer Walker – Come Thru (Feat. Usher)
7. Missy Elliott – Throw it Back
6. Halsey – Graveyard
5. Ariana Grande – thank you, next
4. Sam Smith and Normani – Dancing with a Stranger
3. Raphael Saadiq – Sinners Prayer
2. Lil’ Nas X – Old Town Road (Remix) (Feat. Billy Ray Cyrus)
1. Lizzo – Truth Hurts

Follow @joelygabs

Follow me here if you tumble.. —> www.bondworks.tumblr.com

Top Albums of 2019

Alright. It’s been a while, I admit. Life continues gets in my way. Constantly. And frankly it sucks. But I thought I would give you all a list of my top 50 albums of 2019. I like everyone else in the country depend on lists to get through life. So I thought I’d go ahead and show you mine, so to speak. I know some of these selections are nothing new if anyone knows me. And there were some surprises I must say. Music in 2019 was stellar for the DIYs, the left of center folks, and alternative music, and most IMPORTANTLY, WOMEN. Yup, women ruled this year in music. We were everywhere. And some of us finally got the LONG overdue recognition that was well deserved. Pop music – eh. Not so much to me. So. Without further ado, here are my favorites…in really NO particular order – OTHER than the top 10:

50. While We Wait – Kehlani

49. Slowthai – Nothing Great About Britain

48. Guache – A People’s History of Guache

47. Fitz and the Tantrums – All The Feels

46. Logic – Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

45. Galcher Lustwerk – Information

44. Wale’ – Wow… That’s Crazy

43. Mark Ronson – Late Night Feelings

42. The National – I Am Easy to Find

41. Sudan Archives – Athena

40. Emily King – Scenery

39. The Raconteurs – Help Us Stranger

38. IDER – Emotional Education

37. The Coathangers – The Devil You Know

36. Young M.A. – Herstory in the Making

35. Escort – City Life

34. Tank and the Bangas – Green Balloon

33. Girlpool – What Chaos is Imaginary

32. Charly Bliss – Young Enough

31. Harry Styles – Fine Line

30. Chance the Rapper – The Big Day

29. Fever 333 – Strength in Numbe333rs

28. Emeli Sande – Real Life

27. Karen O & Danger Mouse – Lux Prima

26. Jamilia Woods – Legacy

25. Black Pumas – Black Pumas

24. Beyonce’ – Homecoming: The Live Concert

23. Empath – Active Listening

22. Gallant – Sweet Insomnia

21. Backstreet Boys – DNA

20. Broods – Don’t Feed the Pop Monsters

19. GoldLink – Diaspora

18. Michael Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka

17. The Highwomen – The Highwomen

16. Bat for Lashes – Lost Girls

15. Tyler, The Creator – IGOR

14. Jenny Lewis – On the Line

13. Chaka Khan – Hello Happiness

12. Sturgill Simpson – Sound and Fury

11. Wallows – Nothing Happens

And the TOP 10:

10. Anderson .Paak – Ventura

9. Tegan and Sara – Hey I’m Just Like You

8. Ari Lennox – Shea Butter Baby

7. Megan Thee Stallion – Fever

6. Dave – Psychodrama

5. Ex Hex – I’m Real

4. Ariana Grande – thank you next

3. Sleater-Kinney – The Center Won’t Hold

2. Brittany Howard – Jaime

…and NUMBER 1:

1. Lizzo – Cuz I Love You – There is no way you could escape the badass force that is Lizzo this year. 2019 was HER year. From the club to the radio to commercials, Lizzo was pretty much in every year, on every playlist, or playing in every car. She’s a beacon of light in a world that was filled and is STILL filled with hate and evil. Her views on body positivity and self worth is something all of us of every size need to hear and live by on a daily basis. She’s all about love y’all. And she’s not going anywhere, and for that, she made 2019 great for music.

That’s it for now. Have a wonderful new year everyone and fingers crossed 2020 is a stellar year for music.

Follow @joelygabs

Follow me here if you tumble.. —> www.bondworks.tumblr.com

 

 

March 2018: The Return of the Beatcast

Welp. I’m back again. Here’s a new podcast for a new year. A mix of old, new, odd, and wonderful. It’s my favorite cosmic slop. No coffee necessary. Just hit play. So here I am sharing with you. I’m trying to get into the groove again, so it’s going to take some time. But these songs help me get through the day. I hope they do the same for you.

Enjoy.

Click here for listen/download —->  First of 2018

 

 

Intro song: A Living Human Girl – The Regrettes

Sympin’ (Remix) – Boyz II Men

The Joke – Brandi Carlile

Glass House – Screaming Females

Brand New – Craig David

Right Now – Dream Wife

Perm – Bruno Mars

Black Sheep – Milck

Slither – Velvet Revolver

Real Friends – Camila Cabello

Rollin’ With Kid N’ Play – Kid N’ Play

Would? – Alice in Chains

Give Me a Reason – Ibibio Sound Machine

Violet Moon – Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

Killer – Seal and Pete Tong

Get Away – Kehlani

Do What You Gotta Do – Nina Simone

Nobody Can Save Me – Linkin Park

Follow me here if you tumble: Bondworks.tumblr.com

Follow @joelygabs

 

 

My Favorite Albums of 2017.

It’s that time of year again. Seems like yesterday 2017 began and now it’s over. So that means I’m going to share my favorite 30 albums of the year. I’m not going to call them the “best” but these 30 albums were on rotation for a period of time this year on my ipod. I enjoyed them all. They helped me stay sane, awake, and got me through the day when I felt like the world was just setting up shop on my shoulders, never to leave. There was a lot of fluff this year though. I will not share that with you. Some music left me scratching my head and thinking, “Really? People LIKE this?” But that’s for another discussion. If you follow me on twitter, you might have seen random one liner tweets about bands or singers that caught my ear and held onto my attention. If you haven’t listened to anyone on this list, and you want to broaden your mind, check them out. Don’t close off your mind to new music. There are plenty of diamonds in the rough. I would also be remised if I didn’t give a huge shout out to all the ladies who made some great music this year. I truly got a kick out of going back and seeing how many albums on my hard drive and ipod I had that were made by ladies, young and old. To quote Annie Lennox, “Sisters are doing it for themselves.” Whether the songs were about love, or injustice, or family issues, the voices of women made a huge impact this year. And I hope for years to come. So, here is the list. Happy New Year One and All..

30. Courtney Barnett and Kurt Vile –Lotta Sea Lice
29. Jamey Jasta – The Lost Chapters
28. Alex Lahey – I Love You Like a Brother
27. Annie Mac – Annie Mac Presents 2017
26. Blush – Blush
27. Beware of Darkness – Are You Real?
26. Gorillaz – Humanz
25. Tove Lo – Blue Lips
24. LCD Soundsystem – American Dream
23. Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears – Backlash
22. Pete Tong & The Heritage Orchestra – Ibiza Classics
21. David Banner – The God Box
20. Whitehorse – Panther in the Dollhouse
19. Daddy Issues – Deep Dream
18. Curtis Harding – Face Your Fear
17. Larkin Poe – Preach
16. St. Vincent – Masseduction
15. Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner, Nico Muhly, and James McAlister – Planetarium
14. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me
13. Grace and Rachel – Gracie and Rachel
14. The National – Sleep Well Beast
13. Syd – Fin
12. Jay Z – 4:44
11. Frankie Rose – Cage Tropical

And the final ten….

10. Talib Kweli – Radio Silence

 

9. Miguel – War and Leisure

 

8. Fergie – Double Dutchess

 

7. Jlin – Black Origami

 

6. Partner – In Search of Lost and Time

 

5. Kelly Clarkson – Meaning of Life

 

4. Alvvays – Antisocialites

 

3. Beck – Colors

 

2. SZA – CTRL

 

1. Kendrick Lamar – DAMN

 

Follow @joelygabs

Follow me here if you tumble.. —> www.bondworks.tumblr.com

Last Podcast of the Year, with a Mix to Boot. Bye 2016…

Happy New Year’s Eve my wonderful Earbudders,

As promised I made my last poddy a mix of just some of my favorite songs of the year. Better listen and download before it’s too late. Enjoy and I shall return next year.

Download

Stream

Intro Music – Praying For Time – George Michael

Starboy (feat. Daft Punk) – The Weeknd

VRY BLK (Feat. NoName) – Jamila Woods

Til The Evening – HONNE

Moving On – Roosevelt

Dollar Days – David Bowie

Alexander Hamilton – Broadway Cast of Hamilton

Dance with Me – LEAGUES

In The Lobby- Iggy Pop 

How To Fly – Skye And Ross

Lost On You – LP

Underwater – Goldroom

Light Up (Yachtclub. Remix) – MUTEMATH

Working Poor – Fantastic Negrito

Raise the Flag – BROOKZILL!

Don’t You Wait – Solange

Breathe Life – Jack Garratt

A-YO – Lady Gaga

Mad Love – JoJo

Lighting Turns Sawdust Gold – Sleigh Bells

Love Is a Soft Machine – Rocky

That Girl – Tegan & Sara

Close Enough – Ghost Beach

Have a safe and happy New Year. Thanks for listening…

Follow @joelygabs

Follow me here if you tumble.. —> www.bondworks.tumblr.com

My Favorite Albums of 2016

 

My fellow earbudders,

Well. Another year of music has come and gone, which means, another list of favorites to publish for you to read, consume, and just maybe decide what to put on your own end of the year playlist for gist and shiggles. These 40 albums were my favorites. I try not to say the “best “ones because I know that for every album that is on the list, I probably missed my fair share of musical goodies but these are the ones that got numerous plays on my ipod. This year revealed reunions, long awaited returns, artistic passion, departed souls, and your run of the mill pop fluff – of which there was a little too much of I admit. I was bored by many of the pop songs I heard on the radio – same beats, same squeaky voiced people singing the same things over and over again. You could take the head off one singer, replace it with another and you wouldn’t really be able to tell the difference. But the true artists – the ones that display quality over quality, fought their way through the cracks of pop goo. So for that I’m grateful for this year of music and helping me get out of darkness. For now anyway.. Enjoy the list. And Happy New Year.

1. Anderson Paak – Malibu
2. Solange Knowles – A Seat at the Table
3. Bruno Mars – 24K Magic
4. S U R V I V E – RR7349
5. The Weeknd – Starboy
6. A Tribe Called Quest – We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service
7. Beyonce – Lemonade
8. Brookzill! – Throwback to the Future
9. Tegan and Sara – Love You to Death
10. The Kills – Fire and Ice
11. JoJo – Mad Love
12. Emeli Sande – Long Live the Angels
13. J. Cole – 4 Your Eyez Only
14. Robbie Williams – Heavy Entertainment Show
15. Kane Brown – Kane Brown
16. Iggy Pop – Post Pop Depression
17. Childish Gambino – Awaken! My Love!
18. Raleigh Ritchie – You’re a Man Now Boy
19. David Bowie – Blackstar
20. Elizabeth Cook – Exodus of Venus
21. Car Seat Headrest – Teens of Denial
22. Teenage Fanclub – Here
23. Santigold – 99 Cents
24. Jack Garratt – Phase
25. Africaine 808 – Basar
26. Thao & The Get Down Stay Down – A Man Alive
27. Hamilton Soundtrack
28. Shura – Nothing’s Real
29. Margaret Glaspy – Emotions and Math
30. Michael Kiwanuka – Love and Hate
31. Leagues – Alone Again
32. Roosevelt – Roosevelt
33. Rocky – Soft Machines
34. Deftones – Gore
35. Hidden Figures – The Soundtrack
36. Lazarus (Original Cast Recording)
37. Ria Mae – Ria Mae
38. Jamila Woods – HEAVN
39. Skye and Ross – Skye and Ross
40. Ghost Beach – Blonde

Honorable Mentions:
LP – Death Valley EP
Big Gigantic – Brighter Future
Justice – Women
Dawn Richard – Redemption

Follow @joelygabs

Follow me here if you tumble.. —> www.bondworks.tumblr.com

Gambino’s Game Plan…

It’s hard to pinpoint Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino. He’s a writer, an actor, an entertainer, a rapper, and now … it seems a funk master. I’ve been a fan of his music for a few years now. His lyrics are honest, heartfelt, and in some regards, just plain weird but entertaining – ranging from his self proclaimed nerdiness, growing up in middle class life, racism, and relationships. There’s a lot going on in that mind of his. And now he’s back with a new album called, “Awaken, My Love!” This album hands down, threw me. Goodbye to the rhymes for this project, he concentrated on making an old school funk, rock, and r&b album that would make George Clinton and Bootsy Collins proud. I was quite surprised really. But that’s what an artist does – always throws you. You should never expect the same thing. And Donald delivers. From the opening track, “Me and Your Mama,” a standout rock and funk song where he illustrates his singing chops, lines right up with there with the best of them, to “Boogieman,” and “Zombies,” it’s just a roller coaster of fun.. It’s exciting, and I appreciate him taking a complete left turn with his music. As someone who listens to rock music, and is Black, I definitely applaud anyone else who is Black and is in the music field to stretch and break boundaries of what Black artists are used to doing in music.

I’m not going to go on and on like most critics do about albums. Most of you won’t read it anyway. Just trust me when I say this album is worth the time and the listen. It’s 40 plus minutes of pure funky entertainment. And I most add that Donald’s voice as a singer isn’t bad at all. Usually I joke, “all rappers want to act, and all actors want to sing” but in his case, he’s pretty good. The time away from doing music has served him well and he came back with a vengeance. This album is a musical head trip. With every listen I hear something new and that’s how music should be, at least in my opinion – never boring, always intriguing. “Anything less would be uncivilized.” So come. Feel alive with the Gambino and travel inside his mind for a while. It’s worth it.

 

Follow @joelygabs

Follow me here if you tumble.. —> www.bondworks.tumblr.com

Bruno Just Wants to Party.

As much as I dig melancholy and deep lyrics, there are times I just want to listen to fun music – music that keeps my mind preoccupied from the other voices in my head I hear on the daily. Music that stays in my ears like infected earworms that leave me smiling. Congratulations Bruno Mars, you have been selected to uplift my spirits. And you do so magnificently.

The new album, 24K Magic, is a dance extravaganza of entertainment. It’s pretty clear that he was influenced by 80s and 90s music because the whole album is just a throwback to that era. I’m not complaining about it at all. I believe Bruno wants the world to just relax, have fun, dance, and not think about their problems. That’s kind of what he’s been all about anyway, but this third album really drives the idea home. From the title track, to “Chunky” to “Callin’ All My Lovelies” to my particular favorite, “Finesse” he keeps the party moving. My only complaint is that there are only 9 songs. He left me wanting more. My guess? Since the album is a tribute to old school 80s synths, and 90s drumbeats, maybe he also wanted to stay true to how albums were made back in the day 8 or 9 songs, and that was it. Nothing more, nothing less. It’s a short album, but it still packs a punch nonetheless.

What I love about Bruno is that he has tremendously big bravado in such a small stature. And he’s so darn likable. That smile, the way he carries himself, how he pines for the ladies it goes a long way to garner attention. One thing is for sure, he’s like the Tazmanian Devil. Once he leaves, you always know he was around because his voice and spirit stay with you for the rest of the day. He makes it his mission to make sure everyone has a good time because life is just too short not to and I appreciate that in a man. Even his love songs are pretty entertaining and I’m not a fan of love songs. He is a complete charmer and I’m thankful that in a world of music crap we have Bruno to celebrate life. And this is coming from a resident Eeyore. So if you want to have a good time, throw a party, twerk yourself into oblivion, put on 24 K Magic. You won’t be disappointed.

 

Follow @joelygabs

Follow me here if you tumble.. —> www.bondworks.tumblr.com

New Stuff: “Brookzill”

Dearest earbudders, while we wait for Digable Planets to get on the good foot and make a comeback, member Ladybug Mecca has preoccupied herself with DJ/Producer king Prince Paul, collaborating in a group called Brookzill (“Brooklyn and Brazil”). Combining Afro-Brazilian rhythms, hip hop, jazz, and all around good stuffs, this is a band I am seriously looking forward to listening to when their album drops October 7th. While we wait for this already predicted musical masterpiece, check out their first single, “Saudade Songbook” with Count Bass D. My ears are excited.

 

Follow @joelygabs

Follow me here if you tumble.. —> www.bondworks.tumblr.com