Slipping into a genre of its own that could perhaps be dubbed digital jazz, Toronto-based Jonah Yano and Vancouver-based producer Nono’s “Perfume” (from Yano’s debut EP Nervous) is delightfully of-the-internet, yet undeniably jazzy. “I know you’re not around / you fled to solid ground / but you’re in my head, safe and sound / like perfume,” Yano sings. There’s longing in his voice and, as …
Created for Record Store Day, The Roots’ James Poyser and Erykah Badu’s cover of Squeeze’s 1981 classic “Tempted” is a soulful, jazzy and breezy rendition. The arrangement—which includes sparkling percussion and backing musicians including Derrick Hodge, Ali Jackson and Mike Feingold—is layered and lush. Badu’s seemingly effortless vocals are also backed by Thundercat. The record is available in a limited release of 3,500 and is …
Jonah Yano + BADBADNOTGOOD: Nervous Japan-born, Toronto-based Jonah Yano connects with BADBADNOTGOOD on a track that’s a delightful and seamless combination of their styles. Yano’s raw and relatable lyrics float comfortably atop BBNG’s rainy instrumental—one that employs acid jazz and blues. “Cigarettes make me nervous,” Yano proclaims. And it all burns smoothly until the track slips into a psychedelic spiral around the two-minute mark. Afterward, …
