Chief Keef, “Ain’t Gonna Happen”

Posted on March 20, 2019 by TP1.COM in Featured, Hot Jam of the Day | Comments Off

Chief Keef “Ain’t Gonna Happen” GloToven (Glo Gang / RBC) The Chicago stalwart’s new project with the legendary Zaytoven is unsurprisingly full of weird and wacky sounds, moving in innumerable unexpected and exciting ways. Its most powerful moment is its starkest, as a heartbroken Keef floats freely over Zay’s gorgeous piano. “Face dried up, from all of the tears I done cried up,” he laments, namedropping late friends and family members like Fredo Santana, Big Glo, and Capo. In just … →

Channel Tres, “Brilliant N***a”

Posted on March 19, 2019 by TP1.COM in Hot Jam of the Day | Comments Off

Channel Tres “Brilliant N***a” Digital Single The man behind one of my favorite songs of 2018 returns with a silky new slice of the indefinable deep house/jazz/rap sound that he started cooking up on his incredible, self-titled debut EP. Over a meandering flutes, airy toms, and droning synths, the artist born Sheldon Young glides effortlessly across proceedings, dropping adhesive, charismatic couplets by the dozen. Hopefully, a proper debut LP beckons.

Images & Words: Xanman, “Kane”

Posted on March 17, 2019 by TP1.COM in Images & Words | Comments Off

Xanman “Kane” Hey Shootah Vol 2. (self-released) This song has been out for a minute, but I just realized that I still haven’t written about the super talented DMV native yet. Considering that I’ve probably listened to more Xanman than any other rapper so far in 2019, it feels like it’s time to change that. Like most of his tracks, “Kane” feels like it’s over before it even stars, imploring you to run it back (at least) a couple more … →

Images & Words: Roses Gabor, “I Could Be Yours”

Posted on March 6, 2019 by TP1.COM in Images & Words | Comments Off

Roses Gabor “I Could Be Yours” Fantasy & Facts (out now on AllPoints) The low-key London R&B boundary pusher dropped her long-awaited debut LP on Friday, and it’s a unsurprisingly fascinating project. Gabor’s slinky, seductive sound lives in the cracks between R&B and electro, and “I Could Be Yours” is perhaps the best example of just how potent her sound can be. A lot more people should really be talking about this project.

Laura Stevenson, “Value Inn”

Posted on March 6, 2019 by TP1.COM in Columns | Comments Off

Laura Stevenson “Value Inn” The Big Freeze (out 03.29 on Don Giovanni) Though the Long Island singer-songwriter has been at it for nearly 10 years, “Value Inn” is my first taste of the Laura Stevenson experience, and goddamn, it is a delicious one. “Value Inn” is a stark, brooding piece of electric folk that pairs her bewitching voice with reverb-soaked guitars that start as a drizzle before building into a dense storm. Recorded in her childhood bedroom, the track crackles with … →

The National, “You Had Your Soul with You”

Posted on March 5, 2019 by TP1.COM in Hot Jam of the Day | Comments Off

The National “You Had Your Soul With You” I Am Easy to Find (out 05.17 on 4AD) We millennials are fickle bastards, man. After releasing a trio of fantastic albums, it only took me one snoozer (2013’s “Trouble Will Find Me”) to basically write off the Ohio quintet as a spent force. I was shocked by how much I loved the back-half of 2017’s “Trouble Will Find Me,” and this jittery new single builds on the disc’s momentum. Over sporadic … →

Images & Worods: Hand Habits, “What Lovers Do”

Posted on March 1, 2019 by TP1.COM in Images & Words | Comments Off

Hand Habits “What Lovers Do” placeholder (out now on Saddle Creek) Though Solange’s massive new album will dominate the day, don’t miss the ever-understated Meg Duffy’s wonderful second LP. The upstate New York singer-songwriter sits at the intersection of windswept Americana and confessional folk. Early standout, “What Lovers Do,” explores the distance between two lovers, who seem on the edge of either splitting apart or coming back together. There’s no clear resolution to their story, because like in real life, … →

Nivhek, “After Its Own Death: Side A”

Posted on February 25, 2019 by TP1.COM in Hot Jam of the Day | Comments Off

Nivhek “After Its Own Death: Side A” After Its Own Death / Walking In a Spiral Towards The House (out now on YELLOWELECTRIC) Though it feels odd to pull out a single song from Liz Harris’ beguiling new album, its spectral opener is just too good to pass up. For 16 spellbinding minutes, the Oregon-based composer smears layers and layers of her doleful vocals across four different movements that include droning guitars, cinematic wind-chimes, and finally, a murky buzzing that … →

Tierra Whack, “Only Child”

Posted on February 25, 2019 by TP1.COM in Featured, Hot Jam of the Day | Comments Off

Tierra Whack “Only Child” Digital Single Tierra Whack’s 2018 debut “Whack World” was one of the most promising debut albums I’ve heard in a very long time. However, I found it super hard to write about (and ultimately, fall in love with), because of her decision to chop all the tracks off at the 60-second mark. It felt like it could have been so much more. Luckily, “Only Child” makes it all the way to 240 seconds, and my god, … →

LUCKI, “4 – U – City Girl”

Posted on February 22, 2019 by TP1.COM in Hot Jam of the Day | Comments Off

LUCKI “4 – U – City Girl” Freewave 3 (out now, self-released) The rising Chicago native’s new tape is a freewheeling, affecting ride through the psyche of a young man who is on the cusp of success beyond his wildest dreams but continues to be dogged by addiction and sorrow. And those feelings aren’t just expressed in his words. Lucki has this unique way of fully submerging his voice in the music, mirroring the way that those kind of issues … →

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