Songs I Love Right Now: northern soul, sardinian polyphonic, NoLo brass bands, Balkan brass bands, rare Bossa Nova (January 2026)

Barcelona, Paul Reed, 1969

These are the songs that I loved in January 2026.

Northern Soul, Sardinian Polyphonic choral music, Balkan Brass bands, New Orleans Bass Bands, South African choral, and rare Bossa Nova from Brazil.

The artist cover is by Paul Reed, associated with the Washington Color School (Alma Thomas, Kenneth Noland, Sam Gilliam, Morris Louis, etc).

Anthropic used Madvillain in their latest ad, MF Doom sampled Arthur Verocai, Odessa is still played in dance halls and loved by DJs from Portugal, the reedy female vocals from the Essex, a Japanese pianist plays Blackbird, Ladysmith plays sacred music with the English Chamber Orchestra.

Shame on Netflix • Chicken Fried Steak • Chocolate Controversy • Perceptual Ripening • Contagious Laughter • Melbourne Zeitgeist • Trombones

Chicken Fried Steak is not chicken, nor is it steak, as commonly recognized. If you are visiting an American diner, you are likely to find this distinctive dish. Order it. It’s a lightly breaded beefsteak cutlet fried on a flat-top grill. Similar to schnitzel in many ways. The

A Dignified Lake • Trail Running with Kids • Cheese curds and Whitefish Dip • Freshwater Cliff Jumping • Sheboygan is Extremely Underrated • Cleanest Gas Station Ever • Lucky Strike Cigarettes

The world’s largest body of fresh water (by surface area) flanks the shores of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (affectionately known as the “U.P.” in the local vernacular). Due to the extreme northern latitude, the water shimmers from the sun’s sharply angled raking light. The lake is magnificent,

Questionable Bloodletting • Learning highlife guitar • Ketchup etymology • Designer Dreams • Brazilian Hand Lettering • Epic Knowledge Transfer • Paul McCartney’s Sweater Vest

Dream engineers, you have my attention. This start up (Dust Systems) is hacking your dreams with the intention of improving your life. Here’s a page about their work designing dreams for creative joy. One staff person is listed as a “Anesthesia Dreaming Pioneer.” Notably, you can try this yourself.

James Bond and Chicago • This is Really Bad • World’s Best Runner and God • Radical Bench Activism • Furniture Liquidators • Brazilian Gospel

James Bond and Chicago. In the late 1950s, author Ian Fleming traveled the world and compiled his notes into a book called, Thrilling Cities. As an outsider's take on Chicago, and the States more generally, I found some of his passages to be revealing of the time. The

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Shame on Netflix • Chicken Fried Steak • Chocolate Controversy • Perceptual Ripening • Contagious Laughter • Melbourne Zeitgeist • Trombones

A Dignified Lake • Trail Running with Kids • Cheese curds and Whitefish Dip • Freshwater Cliff Jumping • Sheboygan is Extremely Underrated • Cleanest Gas Station Ever • Lucky Strike Cigarettes

Questionable Bloodletting • Learning highlife guitar • Ketchup etymology • Designer Dreams • Brazilian Hand Lettering • Epic Knowledge Transfer • Paul McCartney’s Sweater Vest

James Bond and Chicago • This is Really Bad • World’s Best Runner and God • Radical Bench Activism • Furniture Liquidators • Brazilian Gospel