OOPS! 50 of 2024 / #15-11: Portishead All Grown Up, Afro Futurism and 90s Vibes

We keep pushing through to the final five of the OOPS! list of 2024. These are tracks that I missed that you won’t have to. Live it up and listen to some great music. This is an eclectic list with a 90s icon, some new Afro-futurist hip hop and a throwback woman duo. Let’s get into it.

15. Rema: HEIS

Rema is a Nigerian singer/songwriter who is helping change the face of Afro-beat/Afro-futurism with his work. Similar to Burna Boy, Rema takes aspects of trap, southern hip hop / drill and fuses them with classic Afro-beat percussion and arrangements. Much like other African artists like Fela Kuti, Remi’s work is sonically complex and works on a variety of levels. You can easily sit down and dissect what is going on, or just throw your hands in the air and enjoy it in the club. This is an excellent track from a growing African music scene.

14. Beth Gibbons: Reaching Out

In the 90s Beth Gibbons and Portishead, along with Massive Attack, ushered in the Bristol sound which would become trip-hop. The trip-hop movement would influence dance and club music for decades; however, Beth has bent that sound to match dark themes of isolation, longing and mortality. Her track Reaching Out still has those electro drum and horn hits that made Portishead so popular, but they take on greater weight. Backing choral singers and strings underline a dark tone, which Gibbons’ emotionally heartbreaking vocal further accentuates. Much like her work with Portishead, her vocal and vocal loops really carries this track and shows how artists evolve.

13. The Softies: I Said What I Said

The duo of Rose Melberg and Jen Sbragia, a.k.a. The Softies, take a minimalist approach to pop and really embrace the alt pop style of The Sundays from the 90s. Impeccable harmonies against a glittery electric guitar riff is both highly catchy and emotionally resonant. For me, this is music at its core. In a duo like this, there is no where to hide. Everything is on show… lyrics, vocals, instrumentation…it’s all right there. This coming of age track about learning what love is…and isn’t…is both personal and universal. You get the idea The Softies are drawing on a personal experience, but the themes of relationships can relate to anyone. I love this track and will be looking into more of this band’s work.

12. A.G. Cook: Britpop

Much like everything recorded by BLACKPINK, sometimes music’s only role is to have some fun. Electro DJ A.G. Cook distills fun into a track that is liquid cocaine. There is a lot going on under the hood with complex arrangements, loops, time signatures, pitch changes and more computer power than NASA. A true EDM aficionado could break all this down and explain why this track is so great, but I’m just in it for the fun. It’s like ripping open a tube of neon like a Pixie Stick and pouring it down your throat…and I’m here for it.

11. Dummy: Blue Dada

On the other side of electro music from Britpop is Blue Dada. This track by Dummy seems analog in comparison to the electro explosion of Britpop. There is definitely a 90s DIY techno feel to this track that has some classic 4/4 percussion mixed with organ, electro beats, feedback and some actual vocals. The mix with electronic techno dance with people playing instruments and vocals really grounds this track. Dummy’s mix of EDM, 90s punk and modern production techniques creates a unique sound that separates it from the rest.