After months-long hiatus, Infinite Shuffle Mode is back! I’ve been away for a while and I’ve decided that I’m going to take my time with this. This newsletter isn’t going to be every week, as I do so many things outside of what I already do for work that I don’t want to feel like I’m “phoning content in”. 

BUT WE GONNA HAVE SOME FUN LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Oop, hold on. Three announcements.

1. I made a buy me a coffee link! If you want to support me and all the free content I make across various platforms here’s the link. If you love me and love my work either here or anywhere, feel free to donate and support me. If you can’t that’s more than fine too. You being here is more than enough!

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 Artist of the Week: Silk Sonic

This is the clear-cut choice for the group/artist of the week because man this is all I can talk about honestly. Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have perfect chemistry and cohesion together. Apparently, they started writing songs together 5 years ago when they were touring together, which makes me want to ask HOW MANY MORE SONGS DO THEY HAVE TOGETHER. THEY ONLY HAVE NINE ON THIS ALBUM. WHAT MORE ARE YOU HIDING FROM US?! 2016 ME WOULD HAVE LOVED THIS SONG. I WAS IN COLLEGE GOING THROUGH SHIT. OH MY GOD.

Where was I? Oh yeah, anyway. Album of the Week!

 Album of the Week: An evening with Silk Sonic.

Absolute perfection. Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak dropped an astounding project that I can’t stop replaying. From “Put On A Smile” to “Smoking out the Window”, this is a great short project that goes in tune with the fact that Bruno Mars doesn’t do long projects. I had to go back and confirm that the rest of his discography was as compact. Silk Sonic, I have two requests for you.

1. A deluxe album. We freaking need it.

2. An NPR Tiny Desk. We already know that and Anderson .Paak Tiny Desk was incredible. Now we need Bruno Mars to join in the next time they come together. Am I asking for much? I don’t think so.

Songs of the week

The Roots, Bilal Oliver, Greg Porn - The Otherside

Hey… Questlove’s in the house.

From the 2011 powerhouse album Undun, The Otherside is the perfect piano beat. This track is backed by incredible, powerful lyrics from Black Thought on top of one of the best hooks from Bilal. Their chemistry and cohesion on this entire project are truly something to behold. I remember my old track coach and English teacher put me on to this type of music and I’m forever thankful to them for it.

Juice WRLD - Already Dead

It’s been almost 2 years since Juice WRLD tragically passed away. Knowing him he has hella music left in the vault, I just can sense it. His freestyle sessions in the booth turned into chart-topping hits. He had a truly innate knack for catchy lyrics and powerful deep lyrics that got me through a hard time.

This reminds us of his self-awareness in terms of his relationship with drugs, which makes how he met his end all the more heartbreaking.

LLJW

Hayden James, Nat Dunn - Favours

This is in my shower vibes playlist. The bounciness of the beat makes this such a fun vibe that I’d expect to hear at a party where I truly lose track of time. I would go to a skating rink where they played new style music like this. Be right back I’m going to Shark Tank.

… they said no. Mark Cuban laughed at me.

Jordan Solomon - Satisfied

Jordan Solomon has been on this newsletter before, but I just wanted to say again that this dude is underrated. The vibes of his music remind me of 88GLAM, NAV, and that Toronto-style chill sound. I’m a sucker for stuff like that honestly.

Sample of the week.

Ambessence Piano & Drones 1 by Bruno Sanfilippo and Mathias Grassow (2008)

On first listen, you’re probably not going to know what song this turns into. Give it a listen. Some serious groundwork was laid to make this sample. (It’s not on Spotify)

Mike Zombie and Noah "40" Shebib are truly some wizards.

Throughout their career, Drake and 40 have collaborated on some of the best songs of all time. Drake doesn’t connect on all of these as that’s not humanly possible, but 40 hasn’t missed. I have yet to see a miss from 40 yet. 

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