DJ Jim Q Playlist: Home

As Dorothy once said, “There’s no place like home”. The theme this month is home, as in home-schooled, work from home, home-cooked, or stay-at-home order. Home isn’t always a physical place or geographic location, sometimes it’s a state of mind or feeling. The playlist this month is filled with songs about home. Themes of belonging, shelter and origin are woven through these tracks. There are some great ones on this list.

I couldn’t resist Harry Belafonte’s “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)”, this 1956 calypso hit is ubiquitous, from the iconic dance scene in Beetlejuice, to practically any pop culture representation of Caribbean music. The song is based on a traditional Jamaican work song. With its quirky production, slow plodding Djembe rhythm and exaggerated vocal performance, it’s strange and uniquely evocative. It’s like a short film in your mind’s eye.

“A beautiful bunch of ripe banana.
Hide the deadly black tarantula”

…yikes.

One of the more touching songs I’ve heard in a while is Neko Case’s sparse and ambient tribute to the late Roky Erickson. Her cover of his song “Be and Bring Me Home” is just beautiful. Her ethereal presentation is a righteous homage to an artist who persisted with debilitating mental illness and continued to create wonderful music throughout his lifetime. This song is from an upcoming tribute album, “May The Circle Remain Unbroken: A Tribute To Roky Erickson”.

For fans of 90’s hip-hop, there are some great tracks from the later golden age of boom bap. With classics from Foxy Brown, Beastie Boys, Terror Squad, and Cam'ron it’s like a setlist from one of my college house parties.

I’ll bring it home with a few contemporary artists that I’m enjoying. I really dig the affected vocal styles of Benjamin Clementine, particularly on his sparse and brooding “Cornerstone”, it’s a dark song of isolation and resignation,

“I am lonely, alone in a box of stone…
and this is the place, I now belong…
It’s my home.”

Perhaps a touch bleak for a summer playlist, but hey, they can’t all be “Butter”.

I’m a fan of Japanese Breakfast and I included the song “Kokomo, IN” on the list. With the spacious production, lush strings, and twang of the slide guitar, it has the upbeat yet longing melancholy of every great country song. The protagonist is pining for a distant love to return home to them.

And one of the more exciting groups in recent years has been the British art collective SAULT. The enigmatic ensemble has produced 5 albums of eclectic genre-fluid music since 2019. Off their most recent record, “Nine”, I included their hometown homage “You from London?”. The track seems to be a sardonic response to a series of ignorant inquiries about their British origin. It’s a great track and if you’re new to the band, there is a deep collection of songs to enjoy from the earlier albums.

Welcome to this month’s playlist, come on in, make yourself at home. Every song is in its place, so settle in, the theme is home. This musical house of hits hosts sonic guests from every genre and era. Cozy up with the likes Nina Simone, Led Zeppelin, King Princess, Gal Costa, Vice Staples, The Clash and beabadoobee.

Thanks for being my guest, I hope you enjoy these selections. If you enjoy these playlists, and you’re so inclined, give me a shout on Twitter and be sure to follow me on *Spotify. You’re welcome back anytime. I hope to see you next month.