Max's Music Mondays with TALIA and LORD JAH-MONTE OGBON
Shouting as loud as I can, "THESE SONGS ARE REALLY GOOD"
I’ve been humbled this past week. A little pulled muscle in my leg, my body forcing some time away from running. Which is something I love to do and count on to help turn the pages from one moment of the day to the next. It’s the natural transition from work to not-work and often the focal point of a weekend morning moving myself towards the rest of the day.
It’s been a bummer to be at home for that time instead. To be on the couch, again, icing my leg. Or in bed, again, giving my body the time it needs to recover. Even two days in I was complaining to coworkers and friends about how restless I was getting. Less than 48hrs after my last run…
I think it’s in large part because of how role running plays for me has really transformed. Its purpose moving from one of change to one of care. A reframing that has helped me run more, and love every stride more. And so, to lose something, however temporary the loss, that I count on for care? It was instantly impactful. I turned to music, of course, spending time searching and listening - other things that bring me calm and joy. And I watched movies (if you have a chance to see The Civil Dead, I recommend it), and streamed shows, and watched basketball, and found out about new fruits (have you heard about the Cara Cara Orange??) and so on and so on. But there was still such a void. Not being able to move the ways I wanted to most. I think I’m going for a jog tomorrow, just to see how it feels. But more than anything has made me that much more appreciative of the miles ran and grateful that there’s still miles to come.
Writing these each week can feel similar. It’s a lot of words for me!! Twice a week, it sometimes feels like I’m in a perpetual state of typing. But as I’ve had this extra hour or two injected back into my days, I’ve had the chance to realize how important the other outlets for self-care and joy are. To appreciate those while they happen too - the miles of songs that led us here and the miles of songs to come. Grateful this week, for two beautiful songs, well, maybe three? Each brilliant, and I can’t wait for you to enjoy.
This Week’s Songs
Please please follow along here ^^ for this week’s and every week’s songs. They’re all really good I swear!!! <3 Please like and enjoy and send to someone you like and enjoy!!
TALIA - Running
Unintentionally on theme for the intro, I swear this is one big coincidence!! As guitars roll by, it’s impossible not to feel at ease as this one starts. A little synth blaring out like an airhorn to start the race. TALIA takes the cue and gets moving. More chords join in, a bass making itself known too. Just feels like it’s washing over you, TALIA the perfect guide through it all. As the shaker starts up, the whole thing feels more alive than ever. The synth/airhorn now more punctuation than green light. Kicking into high gear around 0:48 as the bass starts sprinting. The drums arrive in full, this chorus just swirling with a gentle pain. A question TALIA wants to ask but, if you have to ask, the answer is probably one to fear. Yet somehow, here in this melody, with those beautiful background vocals, it all feels ok. The band comforting everyone. I’m thrilled the drums stick around for this next verse. Filling out the song and keeping the energy high. The lyrics here are heartbreaking - this full-of-love optimism “You and me between the walls believing / Everything will always feel this new” giving way to “Are you with someone else / feeling what we felt” without blinking. Those charmed first moments are now just feelings lost to a memory. You feel that loss as the drums and bass pull away, floating in the emotions. But they find their way back all the same, tossing us into the chorus again. This time the question hits even harder, feels like the answer is becoming clear and it’s not what TALIA, or anyone in that position, had hoped for. The bridge pushes on while a new synth buzzes underneath. TALIA coming to terms that the time is slowly passing and this just can’t continue much longer. “The fire is fading” goodness that hurts. I think 2:40 is the most powerful moment of it all - the band all but dropping out entirely for just that one window, TALIA standing clear, composed, in front of it all. And that voice is just amazing… It’s a fleeting moment but her delivery and performance there have really left an impression on me. The guitars start shredding and everyone comes back full force for this last chorus. The waves of background vocals continue to land, carrying us into and through the outro. Just a beautiful song, wading through this tough moment and sharing a gem.
Follow TALIA on IG / Spotify
LORD JAH-MONTE OGBON - The Missing Link/The Sneaky Link
We start today’s tour in a triplet-lovers paradise, this perfect combination of horns, an upright bass maybe(?), some gentle percussion, subtle keys off to the right grabbing your attention the moment you hit play. A gorgeous canvas for LORD JAH-MONTE OGBON to let it rip. And let it rip he does. From the very first line, LJMO takes it head on, finding the most interesting flow possible - joining the beat at the most improbable time and maintaining this unorthodox angle. That alone was enough to win me over. Pulling the groove of the song in an entirely different direction than I expected. It carries through the verse, this urgency bouncing and powering its way through. And the most charming ad-libs filling the space left from his creative approach. Finally taking a breath as we hit the minute mark, another moment more sparse and patient, still so unique in its delivery. Plus I do find the Dan Savage line delightful. Somehow, nearly ninety seconds in, while it hasn’t changed one bit, the beat is still endlessly fascinating to me?? But no time! We have to keep moving. Before we make the jump from part one to part two, I simply have to pause, and disagree with the voice. That song was more than alright. A quick producer tag and a massive orchestra gets unveiled. The contrast is stark, but somehow the two feel right together - two short stories of the same collection. With the slowed pace, you can really savor some of these lyrics in the moment - “I came to learn I have to do it on my own (I did!!)” a perfect combo from the lyric & ad-lib. The song turns surprisingly (if not slyly) into a romantic number, attempting to reconnect with an old lover. That “think about me often and love me rotten” line just rolling off the tongue, putting a smile on my face. Rotten, an underrated word. The way the strings swell up, here with more space, does feel very cinematic, very under-the-moonlight. Creating this potential, real or not, that is exciting. A feeling that the song lets you sit with. As a couple voices seem to carry out their own conversation, revealing maybe less potential than we thought. But the strings still carry that heart, that warmth. And then before you know it, we’re back to the beginning (I had to replay), entranced by this flow and just craving the whole song again. His entire album, Beautifully Black, is absolutely worth a listen, a unique voice delivering song after song with mesmerizing beats.
Follow LORD JAH-MONTE OGBON on IG / Spotify
See you Friday for more hits. Already been a good week of music discovery and re-discovery and I can’t wait to share more in the meantime.
Max