Rod Alence
ralence.bsky.social
Rod Alence
@ralence.bsky.social
Politics and political economy of Africa, based at Wits University in Johannesburg. Sometimes also posts about music and tennis.
#IsmuasMonthOfMusic
#MusicChallenge
#MusicSky

Day 31: A song that feels like a long journey.
Depeche Mode - Route 66 (Beatmasters Mix)
YouTube video by TheLightningMan
youtu.be
January 30, 2026 at 9:00 PM
#IsmuasMonthOfMusic
#MusicChallenge
#MusicSky

Day 30: A song with a memorable bridge.

A "boss" bridge.
Lou Reed - Street Hassle (Official Audio)
YouTube video by LouReedVEVO
youtu.be
January 29, 2026 at 9:10 PM
#IsmuasMonthOfMusic
#MusicChallenge
#MusicSky

Day 29: A song that sounds best loud.
NEW YORK DOLLS - THERE'S GONNA BE A SHOWDOWN ( VIDEOCLIP )
YouTube video by Laserdisc70
youtu.be
January 28, 2026 at 9:20 PM
#IsmuasMonthOfMusic
#MusicChallenge
#MusicSky

Day 28: A song driven by rhythm.

The original Bo Diddley beat.
Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley (1955)
YouTube video by BoDiddleyOfficial
youtu.be
January 27, 2026 at 9:09 PM
#IsmuasMonthOfMusic
#MusicChallenge
#MusicSky

Day 27: A song you understood only later in life.

1/2
January 26, 2026 at 9:17 PM
#IsmuasMonthOfMusic
#MusicChallenge
#MusicSky

Day 26: A song that led you to an artist’s entire catalog.
Lucinda Williams - "Car Wheels On A Gravel Road" [Live from Austin, TX]
YouTube video by Live From Austin TX
youtu.be
January 25, 2026 at 9:41 PM
I'd love to see the minutes of the national meeting where Australians chose their accent.
#AO2026
January 25, 2026 at 9:56 AM
#IsmuasMonthOfMusic
#MusicChallenge
#MusicSky

Day 25: A song that changed your opinon of an artist.

"Toto, I don't think its a party-party weekend anymore." Even Che seems to have raised an eyebrow.
Hey gringo « no pasaran »
YouTube video by Joe King Carasco - Topic
youtu.be
January 24, 2026 at 9:15 PM
#IsmuasMonthOfMusic
#MusicChallenge
#MusicSky

Day 24: A song that feels like a warning.

Know your rights, all three of them.
The Clash - Know Your Rights (Remastered)
YouTube video by theclashVEVO
youtu.be
January 23, 2026 at 9:05 PM
#IsmuasMonthOfMusic
#MusicChallenge
#MusicSky

Day 23: A song that feels hypnotic
David Byrne's American Utopia - I Zimbra (Live on Colbert, 2021)
YouTube video by Oh No Compassion
youtu.be
January 22, 2026 at 9:16 PM
#IsmuasMonthOfMusic
#MusicChallenge
#MusicSky

Day 22: A song that builds slowly

Still timely 45 years later, with the best slow-stick-solo intro ever.
Gang of Four - "He'd Send In The Army" (LIVE) - Old Grey Whistle Test (1981)
YouTube video by Gang Of Four 77-81
youtu.be
January 21, 2026 at 9:13 PM
#IsmuasMonthOfMusic
#MusicChallenge
#MusicSky

Day 21: A song with a powerful live version

One song, two versions.
Jimi Hendrix - The Star Spangled Banner [ National Anthem ] ( Live at Woodstock 1969 )
YouTube video by Looky Lambert
youtu.be
January 20, 2026 at 9:21 PM
#MusicSky
#MusicChallenge
#IsmuasMonthOfMusic

Day 20 - Song that introduced you to a new genre

West African highlife (the song is still a Mother's Day staple on Nigerian radio, I'm told)
Prince Nico Mbarga Sweet Mother
YouTube video by visualito
youtu.be
January 19, 2026 at 9:48 PM
#IsmuasMonthOfMusic
#MusicChallenge
#MusicSky

Day 19: A song that feels happy but has sad lyrics

"🎶Everybody dies frustrated and sad, and that is beau-ti-ful.🎶"
They Might Be Giants - Don't Let's Start (official version)
YouTube video by ParticleMen
youtu.be
January 18, 2026 at 9:07 PM
#IsmuasMonthOfMusic
#MusicChallenge
#MusicSky

Day 18: a song for when you feel lonely
Wilco - How To Fight Loneliness
YouTube video by muertootravez
youtu.be
January 17, 2026 at 9:42 PM
Nice linguistic caveat in the preface to a 1960 academic book about Ghana published in the US: "Some English words used by Ghanaians but not by Americans have been retained."
November 28, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Xi goes up to eleven.
October 10, 2025 at 6:48 PM
If there's one thing markets hate more than policy uncertainty, it's terrible policies with certainty. #EconSky
August 30, 2025 at 8:08 PM
CNN International ticker now reporting that a tremor off the Alaskan coast has "triggered a local tsunami about 5cm high." Slow news day?
July 17, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Proof that everything is more fun in pidgin -- a welfare analysis of tariffs, which asks the crucial question, "Why tariff still dey?" 1/3
July 15, 2025 at 8:04 AM
50 years later, Ekeh's "two publics" reconsidered?
youtu.be/DkI3j4lGlII?...
Real Nigerian #theme #song. How #nigerian are you?
YouTube video by NATIONAL ORIENTATION AGENCY
youtu.be
July 14, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Good work by the Ghanaian diaspora:
edition.cnn.com/2025/07/11/p...
July 12, 2025 at 7:48 AM
Ackman-Sock drop first set in ATP Newport Challenger in 21 minutes.
July 9, 2025 at 6:17 PM