UKNY for September 12
Little Simz (photo by Nwaka Okparaeke, PR)
Listening to Sometimes I Might Be Introvert for the first time, the fourth album from London's Little Simz, you can't help thinking back to the seismic breakthrough brilliance of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill — yes, Simbi Ajikawo has released that kind of assured masterpiece, deftly sidling between raw autobiography and her own public image. Her adroit, descriptive, twitchy lyricism — she wrote the bulk of the songs on piano — can be a painfully intimate, a dialogue with an absent father ("I Love You, I Hate You") or sweepingly universal ("Woman," with Cleo Sol).
On "UKNY" tonight at 11pm, not just one but two songs from this 19-track triumph from one of Britain's most thrilling voices. (You can find my 2019 FUV Live session with Little Simz here too.)
The Ninja Tune label has been on a roll with new releases from exciting, up-and-coming producers like London-born, Manchester-based Anz and Seoul-born, Los Angeles-based 박혜진 Park Hye Jin. Mancunian guitar rockers Pastel, have an arresting newsingle, produced by Afflecks Palace's J. Fender.
Also in the mix, a batch of Londoners: the ever-prolific Jim Bob with a non-cynical song for pandemic times; Damon Albarn continues his reflective journey through dark times; Public Service Broadcasting find"light play" via Berlin; and Arlo Parks is the 2021 Mercury Prize winner.
That's "UKNY," Sundays from 11p.m.-midnight, on 90.7, streaming online, and found in the Weekend Archives after broadcast.
Songs Played:
1. Liz Lawrence, “Babies,” The Avalanche
2. Anz feat. George Riley, “You Could Be,” All Hours EP
3. (Seoul, KR-Los Angeles, US) 박혜진 Park Hye Jin, “Let’s Sing Let’s Dance,” Before I Die
4. Little Simz, feat. Obongjayar, “Point and Kill,” Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
5. Little Simz, “Fear No Man,” Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
6. Jorja Smith x GuiltyBeatz, “All of This,” single
7. (Johannesburg, SA) Lungi Naidoo, “Feel Good,” Courage EP
8. Jim Bob, “Song for the Unsung (You’re So Modest, You’ll Never Think This Song Is About You)” Who Do We Hate Today
9. Chubby and the Gang, “I Hate the Radio,” The Mutt’s Nuts
10. Pastel, “Run Rabbit Run,” single
11. (New York, NY) Caroline Polachek, “Bunny is a Rider,” single
12. Arlo Parks, “Too Good,” Collapsed in Sunbeams
13. Damon Albarn, “Particles,” The Nearer the Fountain, More Pure the Stream Flows
14. Public Service Broadcasting, “Lichtspiel III: Symphonie Diagonale,” Bright Magic
