Welcome to our first Curator Spotlight on Harmonic Radio! We’re kicking things off with our own Jeff Giles. Jeff has a long history of writing for music and culture publications, and his tastes range from 80s power pop to obscure niche corners of the music genre mapping. That range is represented well in Jeff’s tracklist for his first show.
Top Jimmy and the Rhythm Pigs - “Hole in My Pocket”
Chris Whitley - “Ball Peen Hammer”
Nilza Costa - “Oxum”
David Mead - “Irrelevant”
Aquakultre - “Holy”
Dave Hause - “Look Alive”
Music City - “The Conversation”
Annahstasia - “Waiting”
Hesse Kassel - “Sancho Plagio”
Bruce Hornsby - “Take a Light Strain”
Andrew Sa - “Your Whisper”
Orquesta Akokán - “Cha Cha Cha Ooh La La”
Tune in to Harmonic Radio at 2pm EDT / 11am PDT everyday until October 2 to hear the show. Go to app.harmonic.fm and hit the player at the bottom of the screen to listen.
Some of Jeff’s thoughts from the show below:
Top Jimmy and the Rhythm Pigs - “Hole in My Pocket”
Sounds kind of weird, but if you ever listened to Van Halen's 1984 record, there's a song on there called Top Jimmy. It was inspired by the front man of this group, Top Jimmy and the Rhythm Pigs. They were stars of the LA punk scene in the early 80s. I had never heard of them until this record was reissued at the beginning of the year. Apparently it was recorded in 1981. It was not released until 1987, which was kind of the way things went in general. Top Jimmy and the Rhythm Pigs, they were kind of a star-crossed group, but boy did they have a ton of talent in the ranks. Steve Berlin was in their circle. He played sax for them.
A guy named Carlos Guitarlos was the lead guitarist. He was a great player for them and also did some vocals. And then, of course, there was Top Jimmy, a bartender at a place called, if I'm remembering right, Top Taco. That's how he got the name Top Jimmy. Anyway, none of that is as important as the fact that the songs on this record kick ass. This one, Hole in My Pocket, is an original from Carlos Guitarlos. The rest of the record is primarily blues covers. Seek it out. Buy it. Enjoy it.
Nilza Costa - “Oxum”
I found this next record courtesy of a review by The Quietus. And the thing that hooked me was a little passage toward the end that recommended it to fans of Milton Nascimento. If you're familiar with his work and you are a fan, I would say that the comparison is apt, even if it isn't necessarily overbearing or maybe even apparent in every single song. This is an album of sacred songs from the African tradition. They're meant to invoke deities, but they're not going to feel religious to you. Particularly not this one. It's probably my favorite song from the record. A lot of percussion that feels almost circular, almost Steve Reichian in a way. And it's spiced up with a really cool brass arrangement.
And it's all led by Nils Acosta's wonderful voice. Check this out and dive into the rest of the album at your earliest available opportunity. You will not be sorry.
David Mead - “Irrelevant”
Here's a favorite track from the latest album by a guy whose work I have really really admired for quarter of a century plus now. The first time I heard David Mead's first single Robert Bradley's Postcard I was blown away. I remain outraged that it was not some kind of hit. He has put together a really impressive discography since then including the latest. This is an album called from an album called January San Fernando that was released in 2025. David Mead despite his tremendous talent, his lyrical wit, he's got the voice of an angel, has never really found much commercial purchase for whatever reason and this track Irrelevant I think is kind of his good humored way of looking at you know one's place in the world when the place that you imagined you'd find is the one you're looking for.
Hesse Kassel - “Sancho Plagio”
Unless you are a big fan of Chilean post-rock, and I am not laying any claim to that title, you may have never heard of this band. They're called Hesse Kassel, and they, within their admittedly somewhat limited commercial sphere, have really made a name for themselves over the past couple of years. They are part of the same scene that includes a band called Cantalabro, and is sort of musically indebted to the band Black Country New Road, which might be a little more familiar to you. This song, Sancho Plagio, is proof to me, a reminder to me, that once again, you don't really need to be able to understand what the hell they're saying to understand a song. I think this is a blast. I have so much fun with this record, and this song in particular.
And yeah, Chilean post-rock. I think once you hear this... you're going to want to hear more.
Read more from Jeff Giles at https://www.jefitoblog.com/
