BY JOANNA C. VALENTE

Music brings people together. Communities are created and fostered through melodies, which is why it’s important to promote excellent work by musicians both popular and obscure from all over the world. As a music lover myself, I’m always searching for new music (regardless of when it was released).

Here are three of my picks for this week:

Sakura - Bars for Coffee

Sakura, a trip hop musician based in Budapest, released an album this year that contains clever samples, calm beats, and atmospheric landscapes.

Arvo Part & Alea Saxophone Quartet - Anima

Arvo Part is a genius and his music is quietly beautiful and transformative. In 2017, Part and the Alea Saxophone Quartet released a perfect album to work, make art to, and have a wonderful love affair to.

Karen O & Danger Mouse - “Lux Prima”

Karen O and Danger Mouse collaborated on an amazing song that you need to listen to, which will draw you into an ambient escape also full of O’s recognizable voice.

Joanna C. Valente is a human who lives in Brooklyn, New York. They are the author of Sirs & Madams, The Gods Are Dead, Marys of the Sea, Sexting Ghosts, Xenos, No(body) (forthcoming, Madhouse Press, 2019), and is the editor of A Shadow Map: Writing by Survivors of Sexual Assault. They received their MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College. Joanna is the founder of Yes Poetry and the senior managing editor for Luna Luna Magazine. Some of their writing has appeared in The Rumpus, Them, Brooklyn Magazine, BUST, and elsewhere. Joanna also leads workshops at Brooklyn Poets. joannavalente.com / Twitter: @joannasaid / IG: joannacvalente / FB: joannacvalente