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- AMF Music | January '25
AMF Music | January '25
2025 Resolution: Listen to more new music ✅
Khalil Flemming
January 31, 2025
Somehow this year is already shaping up to be one for the ages. I wish that was only in reference to the ridiculous state of the music world, but honestly we all probably have a few things in our lives that require some close monitoring, some updated life planning, and support from our friends and community. Whether your hopes are high for this year or not quite there yet, I want All My Friends to be a source of calm, friendship, and entertainment as we venture into a new year and a new era together.
That being said - the songs in w33kly will still have the occasional random cuts and questionable lyrics in there. Charli XCX will still be v brat, Kendrick will still be performing at the Super Bowl, and Mariah Carey will still earn more in November than I’ll make in my whole entire life. Indie artists will still pump out prolific work that goes under the radar, new genres will be birthed out of nostalgia for old ones, and curators like me will continue to ask our friends for suggestions to help finish our playlists in time. The world keeps spinning, like the vinyl on a turntable…🤔🤷🏾♂️ So stick around if you’ve been enjoying the newsletter - I’m grateful to everyone who has helped to make this project feel like a community already, and I can’t wait to see how it grows in 2025 and beyond.
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w33kly #24
Click image to listen to w33kly on Spotify
New w33kly is in - listen, follow, share! Cover art is from photos taken inside the Invisible Worlds exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History! 🦕🎧
Featured Playlist:
Our first contributor playlist is here! This one comes from James, a long time friend of AMF who has worked with musicians outside of his main career. He and his relationship with AMF embody what the brand is about, and I’m pumped that he wanted to help kick off the next step of curation here. The “theme” of his selections may vary month to month, but you can expect heavy hip hop and R&B from familiar names as well as some I guarantee you don’t know. Yes, I personally enjoy this curation, but James has always had an early ear for tracks that break out months later, or artists who bubble up right before a noteworthy drop. For someone who doesn’t do that as a day job, It’s very impressive and I’m proud to be shining a light on it.
James’s own commentary will be available with each monthly drop, which will feature on the newsletter homepage along with the main blast. I just want to add how strongly his 30 for 30 theme resonates with the spirit of AMF, which sees the music world much like the sports world - friendly competition among peers, an outlet for creative minds, and an opportunity to have fun while achieving greats heights. “30 for 30” will be a great reflection of the AMF ethos while covering even more ground when it comes to music discovery.
Featured Album:
This month’s album review comes from community member Mapate, a clothing and marketing guru who I’ve known since college. He’s also been a source of inspiration for AMF artists over the years, and his picks are always highly-regarded. This month he shared The Singing Winds pt. 3 by Kele, just released January 17. Read Mapate’s commentary below and check out the album for yourself.
What I will miss most about TikTok is not discovering new music, it is discovering old music. 2025 marks the twentieth anniversary of Silent Alarm, the debut album from Bloc Party; an essential record which asks, and answers, what if drums could sound as greedy as guitars. The bands’ lead vocalist and guitarist Kele Okereke just put out his eighth solo album The Singing Winds Pt. 3. If you missed the parts of lockdown where you took a step back, stripped it down and went back to basics, then this is the record for you. What is old is new and what is false feels true.
If you’re curious, here’s Silent Alarm, originally released by Block Party in March 2005. Not many readers would have been born after this release, but I know some of you old heads probably remember this when it came out - there’s no shame in longevity! 😂
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It makes me really happy to start including curation from the community - and more importantly from long time friends. We have more friends at work, and the output this year will continue to reflect the tastes and listening habits of all my friends. If you feel like particular genres, communities, or sounds aren’t being represented, then please let us know what what’s missing! The goal here is to expand our reach while exposing each other to the best music and art we have access to. Chances are that your favorite artist can benefit from your advocacy, even if you’re “not a music person” - so don’t be afraid to sing their praises. Until next time 🎶✌🏾
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