HIGHLY RECOMMENDED W/ SOULPOD COLLECTIVE (TALITHA FERRI, ANIMA & ENNUI)
* Providing the A's to the 5 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED Q's today is Soulpod Collective — a Copenhagen based collaborative/label who just so happen to have 2 lovely singles out, ‘Home’ from Talitha Ferri (a track you can also find on the HI54 Mix CD ‘Mornings’) AND ‘My Sun, My Moon’ from Anime & Ennui (which you can also find on the HI54 Mix CD ‘A Nordic Breeze’). And now onwards to the 2-for-1 life tips…
#1 - WHAT IS THE ONE ALBUM (OR EP OR SONG) THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE THE VERY NEXT MUSICAL THING THAT EVERYONE PRESSES PLAY ON THE NEXT TIME THEY FIND THEMSELVES THINKING “WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NOW”?
Anima & Ennui: If this was any moment in time within the past five years, the answer would be anything by Brad Barr or Adrianne Lenker. At this specific moment in time and space, however, Bonny Light Horseman is what you need to listen to. By pure chance I was pushed into a room at PEOPLE Festival and caught one of their first if not their first show together. They were playing acoustic in a tiny studio packed with sweaty Berliners and had a special kind of magic going on.
Talitha Ferri: I’m obsessed with ‘Solitary Daughter’ by Bedouine. It’s funny because the first time I heard it, I was tempted to skip ahead, but three minutes in and I was completely captured. It’s my favorite song of hers now, but really anything Bedouine is a must.
#2 - WHAT IS THE ONE MOVIE OR TV SHOW THAT YOU THINK SHOULD BE NEXT IN EVERYBODY’S NETFLIX QUEUE (OK, DOESN’T HAVE TO BE NETFLIX, WE’RE ALL INTERNET ADULTS HERE AND KNOW HOW TO FIND ANYTHING ONLINE, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER)?
A&E: Free Solo. It follows Alex Honnold as he prepares for and climbs El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without any ropes. A fall = death is what that means. That’s an extreme and grim introduction, but his challenge is in some way just a distillation of every human’s life story to it’s most universal elements: death, and what you leave the world with.
TF: I’m really into Nature Documentaries. Netflix has some cool ones,‘Our Planet’ and ‘Night on Earth’ to name a few. I’m so in awe of what mother earth has to offer us. There’s so much wonder in the world and I’m a huge advocate of anything that brings us closer to it.
#3. I (AND BY “I” I MEAN “THE PERSON THAT IS READING THIS”) AM GOING TO THE LOCAL BOOK STORE (OK, MAYBE THE LOCAL LIBRARY FIRST) TO FIND THE VERY NEXT BOOK THAT I WILL BE PUTTING SOME EXTREMELY VALUABLE ‘ME-TIME' ASIDE FOR. WHICH BOOK WOULD YOU GET, IF YOU WERE ME (AND, I SUPPOSE, YOU HADN’T ALREADY READ WHAT YOU’RE ABOUT TO SUGGEST)?
A&E: There are so many great books to recommend, but of the highest priority would be a few on climate change. Maybe start with a cocktail of The Sixth Extinction, This Changes Everything, and Eaarth.
TF: I just finished reading ‘Braiding Sweetgrass’ by Robin Wall Kimmerer. This book floored me, I still have goosebumps. Through scientific knowledge and indigenous culture, Kimmerer (a botanist and indigenous woman) wraps the earth in such a tender embrace. I don’t want to say more than that.
#4 - WHAT IS THE ONE WEBSITE (OR JUST ANY OLD INTERNET THING: APP, GIF, SERVICE, WHATEVER) THAT YOU WOULD GET REALLY DOWN IN THE DUMPS ABOUT IF IT WERE TO SUDDENLY GO AWAY?
A&E: KEXP Live Sessions. This one in particular:
TF: Jason Silva has a cool series on youtube called ‘Flow Sessions with Jason Silva’ that I’ve been really into lately. He sits down with different guests and engages in what is much more a conversation than an interview. He’s got a great one with Alain De Botton from ‘The School of Life”.
#5 - AND FINALLY… PLEASE GIVE ONE COMPLETELY UNAIDED RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU THINK EVERYONE SHOULD START DOING / USING / WATCHING / EATING / THINKING / QUITTING / ETC-ING TO MAKE THEIR LIVES A LITTLE BIT MORE BETTER AND/OR BEARABLE.
A&E: Mueller Hut in Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park in New Zealand. If you go please write if there is still a black guitar there. At least one song was written on that guitar before it was carried up there by yours truly.
TF: Pranayama or any kind of breath control exercises. There is so much power in our breath, and we’re often too busy to take the time to engage with it. It’s amazing what 20 minutes of sitting in silence and breath can do. It’s the first thing I do in the morning, and anytime I’m stressed or anxious.
OK folks, there you have it. Things that the Soulpod Collective think you should consider incorporating into your day/life. Before you log off and go concentrate on your breathing, make sure to follow Talitha Ferri on the Facebook / Instagram and then also give ‘Home’ a listen below…
…and if you like what you’re hearing, go do some further talitha-ferri-flavoured audio exploring over on the Soundcloud / Spotify.
AND… before you log off and start planning a trip to Mueller Hut, make sure to follow Anima & Ennui on the Facebook / Instagram and then also give ‘My Sun, My Moon’ a listen below…
