Deep Voices #100

Deep voices of the people

Deep Voices #100 on Spotify
Deep Voices #100 on Apple Music

To celebrate the 100th edition of Deep Voices, I invited readers to send in a song they think is under-loved. This week’s playlist is made up of those songs. Listen to the playlist above and read what people had to say about their submissions below.

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Until last week, I’d never heard of Tom Demac. Now, I’m obsessed with him. Specifically, his song, “Serenade.” It’s a quiet house song, the type of slow-churning track that feels engineered to make you wistful. Much of that comes from its spoken word vocals. “The music comes in on the thick heat at dusk,” says a British man. “You can hear it rising out of the grass like a chorus of crickets calling to the approaching night.” It’s the kind of corny stuff I live for. Demac himself knows this. On the song’s Bandcamp page, he says “Despite it being a little generic, adding spoken word talking about music over actual music,” he says, “the poetic nature of the delivery and description of the effects and emotions that music can bring, really worked with the piano I had written for this song.” If this came on in the early evening at a DJ set near a body of water, I guarantee I’d be whimpering. 

When I put out a call to Deep Voices readers asking them to share a song they love that they wish more people loved, someone named Moocat recommended “Serenade.” Although the song was released on the well-known electronic music label Kompakt and it has millions of plays on Spotify, it had completely passed me by. But I’ve spent the last few days listening to “Serenade” on repeat, and then digging into the rest of Demac’s catalog. This is the stuff my musical dreams are made of: a discovery of what was there all along. 

Of course it would be nice to hear every great song the moment it’s released. But that’s a near impossibility. I started Deep Voices not to be a solution to that problem, but as an acknowledgement of the possibility it holds. A vast world of music sits, waiting to be heard. As an obsessively curious nerd, I hoped I could be a benevolent guide. And now, my time is up—at least for this week. For Deep Voices 100, all the music has been selected by readers. More than 50 people heeded the call to recommend something they love. I was really touched by all of the responses. No one was cynical, people were earnest and sweet. I could feel the nervous excitement. Some people worried their song wouldn’t be obscure enough, but I encouraged everyone to go with their heart and send in something important to them. They all did. When I say this I mean it: It is an honor to share these songs with you.  

Their songs are on a playlist above. Each track, along with who recommended it and the reason it was recommended, is below. I recommend putting on the playlist on random. May you, as I have, discover something new. 

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Lim Giong, “A Pure Person” (not on Spotify/Apple Music)
You don't need to understand the lyrics to understand what it's about: what it means to be a pure person, or at least try. —Hua

Kelly Moran, “Helix”
It’s legitimately the most beautiful song I have ever heard. Every time I hear it I think about how it’s one of my favorite songs of all time; I still get teary eyed a bit half the time, like the first time I heard it. —JTK

Sandii, “Zoot Kook”
Absolutely top shelf Haruomi Hosono production, that pedal-point octave-jumping synth line in the verse is so addictive, and then the little tremolo guitar that comes in on the chorus, and then the heavily slathered treatment of the vocals straight out of Kate Bush's castle, it's from Sandii's 1980 album called EATING PLEASURE, the increasingly horrific vocals that come in at the end and, of course, the opening line: “Met you on the escalator/Cool as a refrigerator.” —Jeremy D. Larson

2Pac, "If My Homie Calls"
My appreciation for 2pac is kind of weird in the context of growing up in Connecticut during the infamous East Coast/West Coast feud of the mid-’90s, but the man was a presence—one it’d be fraudulent to deny, regardless of how many pairs of Timbs you owned in high school. I didn't discover 1991's “When My Homie Calls” until long after his death—my introduction to Pac was the MTV-ubiquitous “I Get Around” video in 1993—but outside of “When My Homie Calls”’s appeal as emblematic of a bygone era in rap, I was slow to quantify what it was exactly that I loved about it. Until a homie distilled it for me during a sunny LA car ride a couple of years ago when I played it to shift the vibe away from the more melodic contemporary stuff we were already listening to. "I always loved this joint," I told him, fishing for his approval. "How can you not?" he responded. "It's 2pac rapping over house music." —Felipe

Marshall Crenshaw, “You’re My Favorite Waste of Time”
A me and Sarafina song—beginning and end. —Will

Madeline, “Good Houses”
It's a gentle primal scream. This song’s, "This is not what I had in mind" refrain has meant different things in the 20 years I've loved it, but it's always felt true. —Naomi

Lake Haze, “Lost in Saint Petersburg”
It calms me. —J

Scribble, “Mother of Pearl”
One of those perfectly out of time songs—kind of ’80s, but also space-age enough to be in any future reality. Great combination of moody ambience, sprightliness (that bassline!) and melodic sweetness. Criminally overlooked IMO! —Alex N.

Patti Jo, “Make Me Believe in You”
A slammer jammer that builds & builds & builds before Patti Jo blazes in with "Ain't no men to be found!" Scorcher. —Tim Barber

Rainer Maria, “Rise”
Just a perfect song. So sparse, so minimal, yet so much going on between the lines. First heard this on WPRB, the Princeton college radio station, while driving my mom's car around Philly in high school. It seemed to open up a world of endless possibility. —Amy Phillips

Baby Oliver, “Primetime (Uptown Express)”
A song about the subway that’s a song about cocaine. Classic New York myopia: We all thought this one was going to be massive. I can’t imagine it sold more than 200 copies. Why does Morgan Geist deny his Baby? Like all Geist outings, there’s not an ounce of fat on this one. Every sound is perfect. Every mistake is honored. Effortlessly minimal. Textbook smartdumb. —Nick Sylvester

Enuff Z'Nuff, “New Thing”
It's a perfect 4 minute psychedelic pop song, and a reminder that hair metal is an infinitely complex & rewarding genre ;-) —Cory Arcangel

Amerie, “1 Thing”
The Meters sample. The D.C. go-go homage. The superstar-level performance from someone who didn't quite break through to become one, and whose major label never really knew what to do with her—an exhilarating reminder that the best of music history belongs to the also-rans and almost-weres (and definitely not the doofuses in suits!). Plus, it has a certain... I-don't-know-what. —Marc Hogan

The Cyrkle, “Red Rubber Ball”
It’s a song from the 60s that should be played after a breakup. —Your dad stuck in the ’60s [ed. note: This is indeed my actual father]

Michel Mours, “La Route”
Any song that uses "real sounds" in its rhythm is something I'm already predisposed to like. This one uses them really well! —Anonymous 

Keyshia Cole, “Love”
You're probably going to get mad because this has like a half billion streams on Spotify, so like, DUH, people HAVE heard it. It's more that I hope people REALLY HEAR IT, because, to me, it's not just your average radio hit. It's one of the most beautiful love songs ever recorded, sitting right there in front of us under the glaze of chintzy mid-2000s production. I'm not sure if it's the song as much as it is Keyshia—I really believe Keyshia on this song. Like believe every word she sings, deep in my heart. I believe her like I believe Whitney. When you hear a shellacked and finished song, sometimes it's easy to forget that underneath it is a moment in time — someone stood there and belted those notes, it actually happened. But on "Love" you're reminded. Every note is from the gut, and if you told me she was crying in the booth while recording I would not be surprised. —Alex Frank

Lucinda Williams, “Essence”
Because it feels like your best worst decision—Lu’s growl was tailor made for singing about simmering, seamy lust. —Owen Myers

Arvo Pårt, “Summa” (as sung by Hilliard Ensemble)
Ok so obviously he gets a lot of love but this one is pretty short and ssssuper beautiful and really simple. I got really into it during the pandemic (as well as other choral music) because it made me feel connected to lineages of music across centuries and honestly sounds divine. —Daniel Martin-McCormick

Dre’es, “Heatwave”
I think the song has a cool retro, but evolved sound. It sounds like every song A$AP Rocky has been trying to make since Long Live ASAP (and I think Rocky has a great vision but is missing the right team), and early Drake, and like Frank Ocean, and Brent Faiyaz. The artist is young, but is influenced by so many artists and that’s cool because it’s not a rip off, or a karaoke. It's distilled. Elsewhere on the album there's moments of Chance, of Uzi, etc. I love it because, to me, it’s kind of the most recent example I can think of an artist that has all the tools to be a star, is serious about their craft, and will probably never make it big. I found it during the pandemic leaving YouTube playing too long and I've been following him ever since. —Mike

Peter Gabriel, “A Wonderful Day In A One-Way World”
It's Peter Gabriel going Kafka against a fake reggae, full prog backdrop, and packaging it all as a poppy, sing-a-long song and anthem for dads and disaffected alike. —Matt W, RVNG Intl.

Bruce Springsteen, “Missing”
This song sounds like what Springsteen would play at the Twin Peaks Roadhouse. It's eerie, melancholy, and has a good dose of that Badalamenti keyboard/synth sound. It's so good! A fairly big Bruce fan, I hadn't ever heard of or heard this song until I recently watched Sean Penn's directorial debut, The Crossing Guard (apparently, Sean came by Bruce's studio one day and heard this song, and liked it so much he asked to use it as the theme for his movie). A true gem. —Andrew Zebulon

Haunted Houses, “Evil Practice in Ritual” (not on Spotify/Apple Music)
“Evil Practice in Ritual” is a song that is about as raw and crusted over as it gets. It sounds like it's about to fall apart at the seams, and like it was recorded in the middle of an empty football field in the middle of a sandstorm. Music like this sounds like it was made for no one at all. You can feel it. —Sam Hockley-Smith

Daryl Johns, “Gabriel”
Earworm of an instrumental pop-fusion tune (by a fellow whose main side gig seems to be playing bass in The Lemon Twigs) which kinda sounds like Mac Demarco gone Pat Metheny (naturally, Mac himself has released said earworm as a standalone digital single on his own Mac's Record Label, but a full-length, while in the can according to Johns while livestreaming on IG, has yet to materialize) #bitesizedlife —Craig D. (formerly of G70, currently of Dun-Dun Band)

Clark, “Dismissive”
Brilliant track from an underrated artist. The rhythm and the melody are just delightful. After so many active years, Clark still manages to surprise with his productions. Not quite sure if it is the first time he used his voice on his recordings, though definitely the first album where it is at the forefront of several tracks, notably this song. —Grok

Ellen Allien, “Your Body Is My Body”
In an electronic era where "minimal" reigned, the truncated sound palette often left romantic sex at the door. Here stands the rare track that is at once interior and mutual, as sweaty as a squalid Berlin flat on an August morning. —Sam Valenti, Herb Sundays

Meg Baird & Mary Lattimore, “Fair Annie”
Based on a poem from the 1200s by Mary of France, later collected in a book of ballads by Harvard's first English teacher, performed by my favorites of today. Very deep voices IMO. —Duncan Cooper 

Jack Name, “Cherie’s Eyes”
It sounds like Robert Palmer on anesthesia. Jack Name is one of the great underrated musicians of our time. —Cyrus Gengras

Tom Demac, “Seranade”
I played it nearly every day when I visited Berlin. I was staying out on a farm with a friend in East Berlin so the sun would be setting and I’d be walking to the train to go home or taking the train back and I’d see all the different people of Berlin and my body would fill up with a particular warmth. —Moocat

June Tabor, “Bonny May”
Overall, it's a really lovely Anglicized version of a Scottish ballad (also known as "The Broom of Cowdenknowes") by the great underrated English folk singer June Tabor, accompanied by a quietly godly guitar line from the legend Nic Jones, all of which is a good enough reason to like a song--but for me the part that really makes me love it comes around 3:55, when, on the words "you lie--you lie!" Tabor multi-tracks herself singing a gorgeous close harmony that suddenly opens up what until then has been a pleasantly repetitive song. It's the closest I've ever heard a folk song come to dropping the beat; I adore it, despite this track not really being one of the classics from the album or Tabor's career. —Max Read

James Taylor, “Sun On the Moon”
It reminds me of childhood. —John A. 

Lucinda Williams, “Reason to Cry”
It’s a perfect sad song. Simple, devastating lyrics, crooned plainly in Lucinda’s signature drawl. She’s my all time favorite and this is my favorite song of hers. —Ellen Van Dusen

Lida Husik, “AZT No”
The third song from Husik’s underrated LP, The Return of Red Emma, it is a quirky, sinuous protest song. AZT was the first FDA-approved drug to treat HIV but it had terrible side-effects and was criticized by groups like ACT UP, who were frustrated with the government's and pharmaceutical companies’ response to the AIDS epidemic. Anyway, that’s an explainer about the title but not why I like the song! “AZT No” is a sinuous, rhythmic, and quirky protest song that manages somehow to scream without screaming. It showcases Husik’s lovely and distinctive alto voice and lower register. Although politically it’s dated and perhaps obsolete, it still sounds fresh to me. —Anonymous 

The Colour Of Love, “England's Dreaming”
I discovered it few months ago on POiSON GiRL FriEND's show on NTS. I immediately felt in love with it. It has a melancholic yet nostalgic optimistic nonchalance and innocence that warms the heart (especially in the times we're living in). —Bergsonist

Paddy Tunney, “The Old Man Rocking the Cradle” 
For a tune sung from the perspective of a cuckold, this one—an unaccompanied rendition of a traditional Irish folk song—always blows me away with its tenderness. Some of the other versions I’ve heard are more spiteful of the unfaithful wife who leaves her husband with someone else’s “babby” while she’s out on the town, but Paddy here just sounds weary and kind. Maybe it’s the frail optimism of his ascending refrain, or the tweedle dee-tweedle dum of his unadorned voice as it mimics an Uilleann pipes lullaby. But I can hear that this child will be loved and cared for, whoever its daddy might be. —Jack Denton

Smokey Haangala, “Flowers on My Grave”
Dripping with ennui, yet still, somehow, hopeful. —Olmsted 

Enfant Libya, “Friday”
It sounds like heaven, more specifically nothing sounds like it—it’s a one-minute Arab techno song sung by a child..no other songs by this musician. —Sami Reiss, Snake

Flip Top Head, “Alfred Street”
I love spoken word segments in songs, I also love when 2 singers lead the vocals, I also enjoy this newish wave of proggy post-punk coming out of the UK. —Nicola

Black Heart Procession, “Square Heart”
Of all the great indie bands that came out of San Diego during the late ’90s and early 2000s, Black Heart Procession was the one most consistently described as something of a bummer. But while it was true that the perpetually black-clad group reveled in its tales of woe and heartbreak, their music wasn't really all that mopey. Maybe it was the prominent use of piano in their songwriting, but Black Heart Procession always had something of a saloon vibe, only the bar was stuffed with moody, aging hardcore kids instead of cowboys. "Square Heart," which is from their first album, is one their many tunes about loneliness and longing, and though it may not be a pop song (at least not in the traditional sense), it's definitely ripe for a sing-a-long—most likely a drunken one. In the right context, feeling bad can feel awfully good. —Shawn Reynaldo, First Floor

J. Macfarlane's Reality Guest, “Precious Boy”
So soft, so tender. One of those tunes that has an inexhaustible sweetness to it.The entire album is still very much flying under the radar still. —Anonymous, Berlin

Jonathan Richman, “Because Her Beauty Is Raw and Wild”
Art can be simple and profound, and beautiful, at the same time, and in under three minutes. —Andy W. 

Geeshie Wiley & LV Thomas, “Last Kind Word Blues”
This is a very famous song in certain circles (primarily collectors/appreciators of wildly rare pre-war blues 78s), but I think it should be famous in every circle — sinister, gorgeous, mysterious, heavy, a prayer, a hymn, a warning, a blues. Matthew, this is my favorite song! —Amanda Petrusich

Yuck, “Southern Skies”
Really nice vibe. —KH

Fridge, “Cut Up Piano and Xylophone”
This is one of my five year old daughter's favorite songs. We listen to it endlessly during car rides around the bay. I love her for being entranced by this. —Mark P. 

The Party, “That’s Why”
Setting aside its imperial DNA—written by Stephen Bray (one-time Madonna BF and writer of many Madge hits), and performed by a criminally neglected group of former Mickey Mouse Club members—“That’s Why” roots me in a state of perpetual anticipation. Something about the delay on the vocals + the spiky Nile strat + a genius vocal arrangement. Also never resolving to the 1. An ecstatic piece of music. —Matthew Lurie

Tapes,  “Somebodies Baby”
Beautiful, simple little tune.  Almost impossibly catchy.  Love the cassette warped vibe. Both tragic and haunted AND positive and uplifting. —Larry Termite

Caroline Rose, “Miami”
It's one of those songs that just found me at the right time. I love that her lyrics read like a diary or a stream of consciousness <3 —Jackie

Massive Attack, “Paradise Circus”
Love of my life’s favorite song. —MI

The Victoriana, “Mint”
—Sergey S.

Jimmy Giuffre Trio, “The Green Country (New England Mood)” 
The closeness. It feels so close, and yet I want to be even closer. So much Deep Voices music makes me feel this way, too. —Chris Richards

Gianna Nannini, “Ragazzo dell'Europa”
—Michael

Riff Raff, “Burberry Blender”
I legitimately think RiFF RaFF is talented and while it’s beyond obvious why the gimmick faded, I think some of his newer stuff is awesome, especially when he drops his typical voice trick and goes into this lower gravelly register. I UNDERSTAND why other people aren’t listening but he will always have a piece of my heart ! —Katie Way, Hell Gate

Floating Points, “Sweet Time Suite, Part 1”
This is a stunning keyboard arrangement by the generational talent (in production, in crate-digging) Sam Shepherd of a composition by the inimitable (avant-jazz composer, trumpeter) Kenny Wheeler. There are few songs that conjure such a precise balance of awe and peace. This song is the view at the top of the ascent, this song is catching my breath. —Gauri