Shows are starting back up, which means our DJs and music directors are working hard to carefully curate playlists of their own to share with you all on their weekly shows. Nevertheless, there are some tracks that have stood out to us here at KZUU this week that we wanted to share with you all.

Jake: Aesop Rock – “Pizza Alley”

Second single! Second single! Man, it’s so good. The second single from the upcoming “Spirit World Field Guide” album takes a drastically different approach than the first one, “The Gates.” The production is spacier, the vocals are more abstract and evocative (according to AR) of a trip he took to Peru pre-COVID. About 2 minutes in, there’s this drastic beat switch to a significantly heavier, bass-heavy backing beat, and the flow changes up to a faster, almost frantic tempo. It’s reminiscent of some of the work he did on “Bazooka Tooth,” to an extent, and the whole song fades away into a Ruth White sample. The music video is no less cool, continuing on the story of the first video from the album, detailing what appears to be an ayahuasca trip on an archaeological expedition in South America.

Mari: Behemoth – “A Forest”

Earlier this year Polish extreme metal band released a cover of the Cure’s song “A Forest.” It was a much darker version of the Cure song that we have all come to know and love. It’s very mysterious and haunting…might even give you a nightmare or two…so it’s perfect for the spooky season. If you’re into extreme metal you probably already know ALL about Behemoth and this cover. I definitely recommend it for new ears who have been quite tainted by metal like I have.

Flint: ford. – “Fruit&Sun”

When the colder months start to rear their ugly head and I find myself gravitating towards staying cozy inside rather than frolicking with my cats in the backyard, my summer playlists eventually get rotated out for something much more weather-oriented. For me, my musical pumpkin spice latte playlist usually comes in the form of down-tempo electronica and folky singer-songwriter jams. Gone are the days of driving with the windows down blasting Tigers Jaw and The Story So Far – I need a sip of something more like ford., who just released a new full-length album just a few days ago. The track I’ve chosen from this release is “Fruit&Sun”, which may be a nod to the warmer days that seem to have passed us up here in the cooler Pacific Northwest. I hope this track provides you with the same warmth it did for me.

Jake: Taut – “Pyrite”

I actually found this one through the Instagram page of a NY jazz-fusion band I follow called Moon Hooch – they plugged this guy’s new single, which looked cool. It’s heavily reminiscent of the more spacey, dreampop-influenced techno guys like Oneohtrix Point Never and some of the later Aphex Twin albums. The main section almost sounds like that classic Nokia ringtone brought to life and laid over a hi-hat, which seems like it’d be kinda lame but I think it really works. There’s some shimmery synth arpeggios towards the end that fade the song off into this amorphous ending, almost like a Botany song I’m partial to. Anyhow, I’m a fan – it works on this weird combinatory level that taps into my lizard brain.

Ryan Tattershall: The Weather Station – “Robber”

Honestly, I don’t know much about this band but I heard this song this week and I have not stopped listening to it. Combined with the rest of the gorgeous instrumentals throughout this track, there are some beautiful saxophone parts towards the end that really make this something special. I strongly encourage you to check this out, I will do some more research on this band, and who knows; maybe you’ll see a review about them from me in the near future. 

Ryan Tattershall: Deep Sea Diver – “People Come, People Go”

I’ll keep this one short, but the Seattle band Deep Sea Diver just released Impossible Weight (an album review that you will see from me in the near future), and it is phenomenal. People Come, People Go might just be my favorite track off this record. The overall message of the track is something most can resonate with. It’s about a transitional period during one’s life, and being okay with the challenges that transitional period brings. People come and people go, and unfortunately that’s life. Just gotta move on. Definitely give this track and the rest of the album a listen!