Images & Words: Stormzy, "Vossi Bop"
The Round-Up: The Best Songs of 2019 (1st Quarter)
The Round-Up: The Best Albums of 2019 (First Quarter)
Chief Keef, "Ain't Gonna Happen"
SOHN
“Lessons”
Lessons (out 9/23)
It’s always a good day when this mysterious Austrian singer bequeaths another moody, slow-burning new single on the blogosphere. Like its scintillating predecessor, “Bloodflows,” “Lessons” is a carefully crafted, expansive track that unfolds slowly before presenting its true beauty near the end. There’s still no official word of a debut LP, but as long as the singles of this standard, I’ll be listening.
How to Dress Well
“i think life might be elsewhere (hungover mix)”
I was walking home from dinner on Saturday when longtime TP-favorite Tom Krell dropped this mixtape on his Twitter. I didn’t really sit down to listen to it until I got to work this morning, but goddamn, it was well worth the wait. Krell has a ridiculous track record of crafting artful mixtapes, and this one is no different. The Koreless/Keef remix is impossibly dope.
Tracklist:
hard to do these things alone bb hungover macbook mic a capella – tk
honest – future (hemsworth’s post-rock tears bootleg)
last remnants – koreless + hard way – chief keef
bonnie & clyde – tink
nightrail from the sun – lubomyr melnyk + me singing
hold my liquor – kanye + me singing
blue moon – kendall johansson (official transition to winter song)
430 am – kevin gates
blocka la flame – travis scott + me singing wrecking ball – miley cyrus
carmelita – gg allin
at your funeral – saves the day (htdw + ‘everything is’ by crash of rhinos)
caps lock – m.i.a.
Also, check out my favorite mixtape of last year, HTDW’s mix for FACT.
Black Orange Juice
“Started in Paris”
3 Started Alone (out September 23 on True Panther)
While drinking black orange juice isn’t normally recommended, listening to it is fucking delicious. The group consists of rising, UK deep house producer Ossie and the increda-slick twin vocals of Paul Black and Tilz, and it’s a hell of a combo. Ossie’s rock-solid house stylings are the perfect foil for their urbane, sultry, R&B vocals. My only wish is that 3 Started Alone had more than three original tracks, but it’ll definitely be a good look for fans of similarly-minded acts like Kwes, JMSN, and Javeon McCarthy.
Blood Orange
“Chamakay”
Cupid Deluxe (out this fall on Domino)
Devonte Hynes has officially entered CAN’T FEEL MY FACE mode. The 27 year-old Brit has written and produced four or five of the best tracks of this year, and now he’s getting into the act himself. “Chamakay” is the debut single from his follow-up to 2011’s super-underrated, Coastal Grooves, and if God exists, it will be the album that catapults him into the pop music stratosphere. “Chamakay” is everything I love about Dev Tunes; it’s a breezy, alluring throwback cut without a shred of irony or pastiche. Extra points for an affecting video (shot by kindred spirit Adam Bainbridge of Kindness) and the lush vocals of Chairlift’s Caroline Polachek. We don’t have a lick of information about Cupid Deluxe, but if it’s out this year, it should be one of the albums of the year.
Cass McCombs
“There Can Be Only One”
Big Wheel and Others (out Oct 15 on Domino)
Throwback, Americana singer-songwriter, Cass McCombs, is the rambli-est of ramblin’ men — spending most of his adult life leading a nomadic existence. His perpetually itchy feet are a constant of his dusty, freewheeling sound, weaving road tales as ambiguous and complicated as the man himself. As I’d imagine he’d be in person, his music is wildly inconsistent. And like all successful ramblers, when he’s good, goddamn it, he’s good.
After a bit of a slow summer, we’ve got a handful of huge releases coming in the next two months. Let’s check out the best of September.
The Weeknd
Kiss Land
Sept 10 (XO, Republic)
Toronto, ON
Giddy-O-Meter: 8/10
Sure to be one of the most divisive albums of 2013, Sad Abel’s back with 10 more emo/slimeball sex jams for all of us to over-analyze. It’s going to be misogynistic, creepy, juvenile, disorienting, and maybe even a little bit boring, but it’s probably also going to be exhilarating, alluring, engaging, and kinda brilliant. Honestly, I haven’t heard enough of it to have a definitive opinion yet, but I look forward to having one.
AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING ON SPOTIFY.
“Kiss Land”
Holy Ghost!
Dynanics
September 10 (DFA)
New York, NY
Giddy-O-Meter: 9.8
DFA’s favorite sons are back for their second LP. Though their sound remains rooted in the kind of disco that their label is famous for, Dynamics features welcome, fresh new-wave influences, that give their buoyant sound a moody, dark sheen.
AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING ON SPOTIFY.
“It Must Be the Weather”
FKA twigs
EP2
September 10 (XL)
London, UK (via Gloucestershire)
Giddy-O-Meter: 8.5
25 year-old Tahliah Barnett has the rare ability to craft songs that are brutally intimate and simple, while remaining perplexing and esoteric. A sonic chameleon, she stirs up trip-hop, new-wave, R&B, and future garage to create an intoxicating stew, all her own.
“Water Me”
Banks
LONDON
September 10 (Harvest)
Los Angeles, CA
Giddy-O-Meter: 9.6
Next time somebody bitches to you about how the Internet is ruining music, bring up Banks. The excellent, LONDON, is indicative of how the ‘webz allows for new sounds thanks to international, sonic cross-pollination (think: musical mixed-race dating). The record seamlessly combines the breezy, suburban lightness of LA pop (Banks) with the slate grey urban skies of London bass music (the UK-based producers) to devastating effect. The result is a record that doesn’t live in one particular city, rather a space in time. It might just be the most essential EP of the year.
AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING ON SPOTIFY.
Willis Earl Beal
Nobody Does
September 10 (Hot Charity/XL)
Chicago, IL
Giddy-O-Meter: 8.7
Willis Earl Beal’s story reads like that of a classic bluesman, and that story is reflected in his sound. Beal’s debut, Acousmatic Sorcery, was an intriguing, if rough-around-the-edges collection, and he’s taken a step forward — compositionally, production-wise, and vocally — with this album. You’ll have to spend some time with it, but if you give it your time, you will be rewarded.
AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING ON SPOTIFY.
London Grammar
If You Wait
September 10 (Warner)
London, UK
Giddy-O-Meter: 9.5
It’s hard to believe the young band with the big sound released their breakthrough single “Hey Now” nearly a year ago (If You Wait, indeed). They’ve kept their cards pretty close to the vest, letting a string of slowly-trickled out singles do the talking for them. Vocalist Hannah Reid has some of the best pipes in the game right now, and it’ll be great to finally hear these singles in context.
AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING ON SPOTIFY.
“Strong”
Lil’ Durk
Signed to the Streets
September 16 (OTF)
Chicago, IL
Giddy-O-Meter: 10
Lead single “Dis Ain’t What U Want” is still easily one of my favorite three songs of the year, and this is definitely one of my most-anticipated releases of the year. Though many have written him off, Durk actually has a unique, fascinating sound and story, juxtaposing his melodic, auto-tuned vocals with aggressive, hi-hat heavy, Young Chop-style beats. He’s got a chance to be special, if he can duck the myriad pitfalls of his incredibly complicated young life, which he explained so eloquently and affectingly on his break-out single (below).
“Dis Ain’t What U Want”
Bill Callahan
Dream River
September 17 (Drag City)
Austin, TX via Silver Spring, MD
Giddy-O-Meter: 8.5
The legendary alt-country singer-songwriter has kept his fifth solo album (18th, if you count his seminal work as Smog) under wraps, releasing not a single second of Dream River. That said, going by his catalog, it’s pretty safe to assume that we are in for a stellar set of dusty Americana magic.
“One Fine Morning”
Gang Colours
Invisible in Your City
September 17 (Brownswood)
Southampton, UK
Giddy-O-Meter: 8
Smooth, down-tempo producer Will Ozanne sophomore LP has rightfully received heavy buzz, thanks to the enduring quality of his excellent 2012 debut, The Keychain Collection. We haven’t heard too much from Invisible in Your City, but it sounds like the contemplative vocals and delicate piano playing have been dialed up and some of the electro influences have come down. Should be a fascinating listen.
ALBUM STREAM, HERE.
“Led By Example”
Keep Shelly in Athens
At Home
September 17 (Cascine)
Athens, GRE
Giddy-O-Meter: 9.6
Greece may be failing, but their leading Balearic pop group is going from strength to strength. On the back of two excellent EPs, the dreamy duo is finally ready to unleash their debut LP. Their sound is crafted around Sarah P’s ephemeral vocals drowning in a hypnagogic seas of synth. Simply put, it’s music to get lost in.
ALBUM STREAM AT PITCHFORK ADVANCE.
“Oostende”
Frankie Rose
Herein Wild
September 24 (Fat Possum)
Brooklyn, NY
Giddy-O-Meter: 8
Though Frankie Rose’s solo debut — last year’s hooky Interstellar — was a very strong record, it was just a little short of the kind of hearty musical protein that sticks with you. From what Rose has said, she kind of felt the same way. For her second LP, she said she focused more on lyrics and adding more substance to her spacey arraignments. That all sounds good to me, because you simply can’t buy the kind of hooks that she writes.
“Sorrow”
Drake
Nothing Was the Same
September 24 (OVO Sound / YMCMB)
Toronto, ON
Giddy-O-Meter: 10
Look, I’ve consistently undervalued Young Angel since I started writing about him, and I’m not going to do it anymore. Simply put, it should be one of the best albums of the year, just as Take Care was two years ago. Sorry, Drizzy. I’ll never doubt you again.
“Hold On, We’re Going Home” (f/ Majid Jordan)
Chvrches
The Bones of What You Believe
September 24 (Glassnote)
Glasgow, SCO
Giddy-O-Meter: 8.8
Like London Grammar, the Scottish trio has slowly built up a buzz by releasing a steady stream of excellent singles. Now, the electro-pop trio (think, a non-annoying Passion Pit with lady vocals) are finally poised to release their debut. Expect a consistent barrage of synthy hooks and Lauren Mayberry’s saccharine coo.
“Gun”
Kingdom
“Bank Head” (f/ Kelela)
Vertical XL (Fade to Mind)
One of the sexiest tracks of the year gets a fitting video. Kelela, the LA-based vocalist looks incredible over a shadowy, evocative backdrop. If you missed this track (and the excellent, Vertical XL), it’s not too late to hop on the bandwagon.
Jens Lekman
“If You Ever Need A Stranger”
When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog (Secretly Canadian)
I’ve been away for a week or so, mostly because I flew back to California for two of my best friends’ wedding (they married each other). Without going all LiveJournal on everyone, it was a sensational, moving weekend where I saw a lot of my closest, oldest friends. For that, I wanted today’s HJOTD to be my favorite wedding song — this powerful, plaintiff ballad from my spirit animal, Jens Lekman. It sums up a lot of my silly, sappy feelings about weddings, developed while working a lot of them in college. Since I can’t sing, however, my version would be called, “If You Ever Need a Stranger To DJ Your Wedding.”
Congrats again, Cha & Beata.
Aaliyah
“One in a Million” (Visionist Remix)
Digital Single
12 years on from her tragic passing, Aaliyah’s footprint on pop music is as indelible as ever. This creepy, evocative remix from the forward-thinking Londoner is another worthy tribute to the late visionary. Visionist handles one of her most important songs with paramount care, keeping the intoxicating vocal in tact, while twisting the arraignment into a darkly delicious slice of future pop.
Darkside
First 11 Minutes of New Album
Untitled New LP (out ???? on Other Lives)
A couple years removed from their impeccable debut EP, NYC/Chilean production wonderkid Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington are at it again. Their forthcoming LP was announced in a typically cryptic, out-of-the-blue manner, with Jaar tweeting that they would be playing it in its entirety last Tuesday on the Lower East Side.
After that, the duo released the disc’s first 11 minutes online, and while little else is known about the release, we do know now that the first 11 minutes are both very good and very Darkside. Harrington’s palm-muted, single-string guitar lines are back, as are the evocative vocal samples and murky synths . Though it is 11 minutes long, it somehow still ends too soon and leaves the listener crying out for the rest of the story. It is a teaser, and I am well and truly teased. Well played, guys. Well played.
Darkside: “First 11 Minutes of New Album”
