Found in the Shuffle, part 4
another eclectic mix of new finds, not necessarily jazz
March unfortunately was not a very productive month for me music discovery wise, as life in general has been a bit busy. However, this doesn’t mean I have nothing to share! Even a ‘slow’ month for me is still filled with wonderful music, new and old.
In fact, I’ve been spending a bit more time with streaming the past couple of weeks as a piece of my audio gear has been out getting an upgrade. It will be back at home in a few days, so now’s my chance to get this out!
Here are some selections that stood out to me over the past month.
Sun-El Musician - Ubomi Abumanga
While not a ‘new’ release, this track from South African producer Sun-El Musician (Sanele Tresure Sithole) is new to me. Roughly translating to ‘life hasn’t stopped / life goes on,’ the song encourages the listener to embrace who they are in the face of life’s challenges because, well, life goes on.
This track went double platinum in South Africa, so it’s by no means an unknown song, but the energy felt right for this time of year, at least to me.
Men I Trust - The Landkeeper
Canadian group Men I Trust released their newest album ‘Equus Asinus’ (donkey/ass) on March 19. The album maintains the underpinnings of the sound the band is known for while going in a bit of a more relaxed, folksy direction overall.
The track ‘The Landkeeper’ is a standout for me on this album, along with the re-release of ‘Girl’ — which is either a re-recording or re-mixing of the old recording.
FM Forest - First Light
From the album ‘Solitude in Six Movements,’ the track ‘First Light’ is an incredibly relaxing ambient dreamwave track that has been on very frequent rotation during this hectic month.
FM Forest records a lot of sounds ‘in the field’ and mixes them in with ambient electronic sounds to create dreamy soundscapes with an organic touch that I find pretty grounding. Great productivity music, if you’re into that, but I tend to just put on my good headphones and lay in bed with this. Even if I do not fall asleep this music can help relax me to a meditative state, which can be just as restful and restorative.
Common Saints - Firebird
On the heels of a successful debut full length album last year, Common Saints released the new single ‘Firebird’ recently and it’s quite poignant given the state of the world right now. It’s a glossy, yacht-rock-esque protest song in the face of corrupt power that wonders aloud, ‘how are we gonna turn it around?’
The symbolism of the firebird (phoenix) is a nice cherry on top, though the GenAI single artwork is deeply unfortunate…
Dublon - CPH
Norwegian producer/DJ Dublon has quickly become my one of my favorites in the recent new wave of jazz-house music, with a fairly prolific output. He released his recent single, CPH, on March 28, with a clear strategy to slowly roll out a full length album (there are already 4 released singles).
The track is rather short, but stick the whole 4-track EP on while cooking and I guarantee it’ll change the whole mood.
Yusef Lateef - Don’t Blame Me (Remastered 2025)
While I’m not typically one to enjoy jazz compilation albums, Jazz Dispensary released ‘Night Lights,’ featuring a selection of ‘late night’ picks from the Moodsville imprint of Prestige Records, which have been freshly remastered for this release.
There are some really nice deeper cuts in this selection, and they all sound pretty great. For those interested in vinyl, there will be a limited release of this on the upcoming Record Store Day on April 12 (I think this is the correct date?).
What songs caught your ears this past month? I’d love to hear recommendations in the comments!
So many great picks this week! Think my fave is probably the Dublon track, but I also really appreciate the more chill vibes of FM Forest. Might have to try taking a nap or something to it very soon 😴