16 April 2026 - Zara Larsson - Lush Life

You know, when Midnight Sun, Zara Larsson's fine album from 2025, was released, I listened to it soon after its initial release - early October.  I liked the album quite a bit.  I stopped short of calling it "great" but I enjoyed it, and said I'd come back to it. 

And then I moved on.  And I got a bit sick of hearing "Midnight Sun". 

But "Stateside" gave me a good reason to give Zara Larsson a second chance. And it's a good thing.  Her second biggest hit was a single from 2015 that peaked very high in Europe, including spending time at #1 in her native Sweden, and in the 70s... uh, stateside.  And, she released this video in her native Sweden and Europe.

She made a total of three videos for this song in 2015, including this one for the United States.

And because it was a big hit song, she kept performing it live, like she did here for Swedish television.

And she kept performing it..... like this performance at Lollapalooza in Chicago in 2017.

Important to note that she really won the crowd over with her performance

And she kept performing it.... like this performance at Lollapalooza in Brazil in 2018.

It had been a huge selling single in Brazil already, so no surprise that the crowd loved it. 

And she kept performing it.... like this performance in the UK in 2023.

It had already been a #3 single back in the 2015-2016 timeframe, and among her biggest hits there, by the way.

And she kept performing it on the Midnight Sun tour in 2025.... and then she played a show in Amsterdam.

On this tour, it had become tradition to bring a fan onstage to dance the somewhat TikTok popular dance at her shows.  On this night, she chose a 16-year-old girl named Julia Coster. 

Let's just say that Julia knew the dance.

Julia understood the assignment.

That viral moment got a LOT of attention, including US television coverage, and it gave the song a second win worldwide, including a rise to #36  #35 on the US charts - and still rising!!!!

And now, these fan interactions have become Zara's signature.

And now I'm adding So Good to my list. 

15 April 2026 - PinkPantheress + Zara Larsson - Stateside (and a whole lot of other versions of the song, too!)

I usually work forward on these posts.  

Today, I'm working mostly backwards, and we're starting with the Winter Olympics - specifically the skating exhibition done by two-time gold medalist Alysa Liu.

This sparked interest in a song that was already rising - and that is the version of "Stateside" from PinkPantheress's reimagine set Fancy Some More, the followup to her fantastic Fancy That. On Fancy Some More, many of these songs from the original mixtape were reimagined as duets - and all of them more than once (most of them more than twice). 

Partly due to Ms. Liu, and partly because it's an absolute banger, the duet version of this song with Zara Larsson (one of four by my count) has floated to the top. It is currently a top 10 hit in the United States and worldwide. It's almost as if two up and coming pop stars in their own rights are elevating each other. 

Also, remember that both of these artists are European.  Being stateside to them means something different than it would, say, to an American. It's very much more tourism. 

But it DID start off as a PinkPantheress song originally....  it's a lot less pop and a lot more harshly electronic, but it works and works well. 

Compare that to this demo version, which is slightly more Charli XCX-inspired. The Autotune is way way turned off in this version.... and she ended up dialing it back for the released versions.

By the way, Zara Larsson wasn't the only one our friendly neighborhood PinkPantheress decided to team up with on this song.  This version, for example, features Kylie Minogue.  It's got a very different feel, for sure.... but it's still poppy. 

Her collaboration on the song with Swedish hip-hop artist Bladee is a bit more... industrial.  Same song, but also, a different song.

I'm including the version she did with Groove Armada, but this very overtuned and electronic version is probably my least favorite of all of them. 

But now bringing it back to Zara Larsson - who happens to also be touring at the same time as PinkPantheress.... it's become a live staple for her just as much, though, and she finds a way to do it while still being respectful to the songwriter and original solo performer. 

But, really, little ever beats the original, as we see from this PinkPantheress live performance in Tokyo earlier this year (and yes, we saw her Coachella set and it was spectacular)... but you can see that Zara Larsson's shared success with her has changed the performance of this song forever.

Compare it to an earlier performance of the song, which is remixed differently and more like the original.

Also, stick around for the whole performance because it's incredible. 

14 April 2026 - Oklou - blade bird

We open this post with a live video.

On ice.

You don't find that strange?

Because I did.

There is no official video for the 5th single off Choke Enough, but this is the first YouTube result.

But let's add a layer here.  Oklou is clearly still playing the sweet acoustic guitar and still singing the sweet and heartbreaking lyrics that I suspect about the pains of parenthood and having to eventually let your child out of the nest - but it's a much more upbeat sounding song when additional layers of music are added.

It sounds more rich with a full band is what I am saying.  

13 April 2026 - Angine de Poitrine - Sarniezz

What happens when the gag goes so far that it's no longer a gag?

You get two very technical musicians who now have to wear elaborate costumes every time they perform.

So let's talk about Angine de Poitrine. 

They're a duo who are aliens from another planet, 333 years old - Khn and Klek Poitrine - who have known each other since they were 13. But really, it was a band - La Poëysce - who were booked for the same venue two nights in Saguenay, Quebec two nights in a row and created an alter ego so people would show up the second night. 

But forget about the costume schtick for a second.  This is math rock - and take a good look at Khn's instrument. First of all, it's a double-necked instrument, with a guitar and a bass (based on a Fender Stratocaster, for those so inclined) with separate outputs and.... well, about four times as many frets as standard instruments.  He's playing notes between the standard twelve notes.

The sound is made possible by looping pedals at the bareish feet of Khn and Klek - this is how they can have multiple instruments playing at once. It's a complex sound and very technically interesting.... but also, it's a solid sound.

This performance was recorded by KEXP in France a couple of months ago, and has quickly become one of the channel's most viewed... and with good reason.  This was their opening song, and it is from their new and EXCELLENT album Vol. II, so go check that out. 

12 April 2026 (Special Edition) - Asha Bhosle - Dum Maro Dum

Several years ago - November 12, 2012, to be precise - I set up a Google alert for an artist that is considered to be the most prolific in history.  Asha Bhosle performed more than 12,000 songs behind the scenes for many Bollywood movies.  If you have seen a Bollywood movie, you'd recognize her voice. She's also one of the few Indian artists to receive a Grammy nomination - and she received two of them. 

Her legacy is absolutely monstrous. To this day there is no greater influence to the playback genre. 

I was more hopeful with each passing day that she had discovered immortality.

The immortal Asha Bhosle

Asha Bhosle passed away today, aged 92.   

From the Bollywood movie Hare Rama Hare Krishna, this is Asha's immortal voice in playback, and probably her most well known song. 

On the occasion of her 80th birthday in 2013, Asha came out front and center, with her granddaughter, and performing this song with the Metropole Orchestra in The Hague.  

Even 40 years after the original, she sounded magnificent. 

Asha leaves behind a large family, and she will be sorely missed. 

10 April 2026 - Slayyyter - BEAT UP CHANEL$

You knew we'd get here at some point, right?

Slayyyter's new album WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA was released in late March, and it's a grimy electronic masterpiece.  This album is a clear contender for our #Wicked25 this year.   

Today's song - co-written by Slayyyter and her producers - is called by her "the best song I've ever written."  It makes sense.  It's dark and inventive.... and also, she's literally shooting a Chanel handbag in this video. 

9 April 2026 (Special Edition) - Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force - Planet Rock

Afrika Bambaataa was a complicated man with a complicated history - and not always a good one. Several CREDIBLE child sexual abuse allegations were definitely part of his history, and that's horrendous.  Because of that, I almost didn't post this one.

What is undeniable is that he was one of the people who started hip-hop house parties in the 1970s.  So, with his passing, a pioneering and very dark portion of hip-hop history closes. This 1982 single was his only appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, and the song is seen as one of the most influential hip hop songs of all time.

Normally, I would say that the artist who passed would be missed, but in this case, I won't be saying that. I will say that he leaves behind some influential music.  That's all I am going to say.