Five Obsessions (March 2025)
Five Obsessions covers five of my favorite songs each month. Some new, some old. Some new to me, some revisited. Published in the middle of every month (typically on the second Saturday).
You can listen to the running list of Applied Science favorites in the Spotify playlist below and read about this week’s specific picks below that.
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This Orlando Brown clip that has gone viral and points to the infinite remixability of every single piece of content that is, was, and will be.
JIREH - “TURNITUP”
Baton Rouge, Louisiana rapper JIREH’s “TURNITUP” lopes along with the soupy steadiness of a hot southern day, the sound of conserving your energy when the humidity seems to be closing in on you from every angle. That mellowness belies the desperation JIREH paints with his able rapping. A stand out from his excellent 2024 album PERFECT CIRCLE.
Niall Ashley - “Ghost of your Life”
One of the most inventive audiovisual experiences I’ve had in some time. Impossible to pin to a single genre. And why even try? Artists like Niall Ashley devour so many references in their work as to concoct something that feels entirely fresh in its reconstitution of familiar parts. A real whirlwind.
Johnny “Hammond” Smith - “Can’t We Smile?”
Everything old is new if you’ve never heard it before.
Clothesline From Hell - “Open Up!”
Continuing this week’s theme, one man band Clothesline From Hell’s “Open Up!” sounds like a song I know well from a past I didn’t live. There’s an unplaceable recognition baked into CFH’s union of classic drum breaks, multi-layered guitars, and pleasantly strained, evocative singing. A potent blend imbuing the bittersweetness of nostalgia in sound.
Bonus: Talking Heads - “Road to Nowhere”
My 2 1/2 year old’s current favorite song (though “Fly Me To the Moon” and “This Is Halloween” are never far from his tiny, teeming mind).
Even though so much of Los Angeles has returned to a sense of eerie normalcy, the loss from January’s fires remains immeasurable and many people still need help. As usual, please see a list of resources for fire recovery below.
LA Country has launched an exhaustive website with resources for preparedness and recovery (including links for debris removal and right of entry forms). The site is updated regularly (most recently on 3/10/25).
Mutual Aid Network of Los Angeles’s provides an expansive number of funds, organizations, and aid types across the expanse of the city. Additionally, it provides a powerful tool for finding specific aid types. A great place to start for anyone looking to do some good or in need of assistance.
A book/PDF written for parents to help explain the enormity of wildfire to their children.
PBS SoCal’s resources for how to talk to children about wildfires.
A U.S. government fact sheet on protecting children from wildfire smoke and ash.
A spreadsheet of GoFundme’s for Black families from Altadena who have been displaced or lost their homes. Altadena is one of Los Angeles’ historically Black centers, a place where generations of hard-earned wealth and equity in the land were decimated in a matter of days. (first seen via Saul Williams)