Lana Del Rey"Doin' Time"Sublime OST (out soon on Universal)If you grew up in California in the early 2000's, it was just about impossible to get in someone's car or go to a party that wasn't playing one of those two Sublime albums. Evidently, the same was true in wherever Read more
Stormzy"Vossi Bop"Digital SingleAfter a little while away, the London kingpin looks to be getting back in the game. "Vossi Bop" is a perfect comeback track because it is such a pure distillation of what makes Stormzy a true-one off. Over a tasty, yet simple beat, Big Mike goes in Read more
Even though we're a solid week into the second quarter, better late than never right? Here's a quick round-up of some of my favorite songs of the last three months. To keep numbers manageable, I didn't include anything from any of my favorite albums list and prioritized songs I Read more
Gah, I can't believe we're already 25% through 2019. That said, Spring is in the air, and we've enjoyed an excellent, diverse crop of music during these first three months. Have a look at some of my favorite LPs of the year so far in no particular order.
Dawn Richard
“New Read more
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 Read more
The 8-song debut EP from the self-described “Small town suburbinite” is anything but small. Over the 8 songs, SZA (né Solana Rowe) takes on myriad different genres (R&B, pop, psych, electronic) and crafts a sound all her own. Though she comes off shy in interviews, she bravely tackles topics love, loss, self-doubt and rejection with startling honesty and vulnerability. It’s her first of three EPs set to drop, and if they are half as strong as this one, she’s about to have a hell of a year.
Postiljonen “Supreme” Digital Single (out now on Hybris)
While the Air France comparisons are premature and frankly unfair, you can see where they come from. The dreamy trio effortlessly glides in their legendary countrymen’s Balearic jetstream, with the same celestial melodies, elegiac vocals, and youthful, nostalgic spirit. Many may have missed their brilliant 2012 singles (namely, the sweeping We Raise Our Hearts), but as long as the mercurial Swedes continues to weave these kind of wind-in-your-hair classics, the blogosphere is going to have take notice. Stunning.
In case you missed it, 2013 has had a breathtaking first quarter. In the last ninety or so days, I’ve counted no less than 25 very good albums and 13 potential classics.
In case you missed any of them, I’ll be rounding them up over the next few days.
High Highs Open Season
January 29th, Fine Times
One of the great hidden gems of this quarter came from this pensive Australian duo. While it may come off unassuming and quaint at first, Open Season opens up to a masterful exercise in dynamics, mood, and storytelling. Vocalist Jack Milas’ evocative falsetto wafts effortlessly over Oli Chang’s glorious dollops of warm synths and delicately strummed acoustic guitars.
The duo highlights the growing movement of electronic-leaning artists embracing traces of acoustic and traditional instrumentation to devastating effect (Cloud Boat, James Blake). While some will bemoan a lack of a true standout single, Open Season is an album to be experienced in one sitting, preferably with some good headphones on, something to drink, and a warm blanket to curl up under.
In case you missed it, 2013 has had a breathtaking first quarter. In the last ninety or so days, I’ve counted no less than 25 very good albums and 13 potential classics.
In case you missed any of them, I’ll be rounding them up over the next few days.
Up next, we’ve got Dawn Richard’s devastating second LP.
Dawn Richard Goldenheart January 15th, Our Dawn
Fresh off two brilliant genre-bending EPs last year, the ex-Dannity Kane leader could have been forgiven for putting her 4-inch stilettos up for 2013, but barely two weeks into the new year, the New Orleanian unleashed her herculean, 16-track break-up opus on the unsuspecting public. The result is startling sonic experience, that sees the 29 year-old offer an honest take on loss, while fearlessly bringing the listener into her headspace.
Richard refuses to let Goldenheart‘s heavy subject matter weigh her down and brilliantly interjects lightness and humor in all the right places. Musically, it touches on everything from mystical future R&B to full-on Broadway balladeering (see: the show-stopping title track). The album it reminds me most of is 1977, The-Dream’s headfuck of a break-up album. Though I’ve been listening to it for nearly two months, it continues to open up in new ways to me. It’s a stunning achievement from an artist with a fascinating past and a wide-open future.
Hottest Jams: “Tug of War,” “Ode To You,” “Goldenheart”
In case you missed it, 2013 has had a breathtaking first quarter. In the last ninety or so days, I’ve counted no less than 25 very good albums and 13 potential classics.
In case you missed any of them, I’ll be rounding them up over the next few days.
Up first, we’ve got A$AP Rocky’s triumphant major label debut.
A$AP Rocky Long.Live.A$AP
January 15th, RCA
Proving he’s more than a Pretty Muthafucka, the Harlem MC quashed all notions that he was just a flash in a pan with his brilliant sophomore full-length. He’s always been a fantastic cultural curator with an ear for dope beats, but Rocky shows impressive versatility and lyrical nous, here.
I’d recommend steering clear of the 16-track deluxe album, as it makes the whole thing feel a bit labored. That said, the original is a dizzyingly fun ride that is simultaneously versatile and cohesive. Rocky does a nice job of including but not overdoing it on high-profile guests (Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Schoolboy Q) and superstar producers (Clams Casino, Hit-Boy), which results in an album that feels collaborative, yet exclusively Rocky.
Deborah Cox
“It’s Over Now” (Annie Starlight Edit)
Digital Single
This classic, jilted-lover slow jam gets the gauzy R&B treatment, courtesy of anonymous Polish producer, Annie Starlight. Starlight’s sequined synth droplets deftly frame its protagonist’s wrath, performed by a particularly irate Deborah Cox. The undulating melody brilliantly adds to the tension of the original, resulting in a remix that feels simultaneously fresh and familiar.
Check out the atmospheric new single from Baths — the project of LA-based producer Will Wiesenfeld. He seems to be continuing his shift from glitchy, disjointed dancefloor tracks to spacey avant-pop. Dig it.
BenZel
“Semi-Detached” (f/ Cass Lowe & Chance The Rapper)
Digital Single
It’s starting to really feel like this NYC-via-Japan teenage duo is on to something special. Though members Umi Takahashi and Yoko Watanabe have kept their faces hidden, they are building quite the identity, thanks to their impeccably crafted brand of sensual dance music that is simultaneously timeless and 100% á la mode. Their new single shows that the group is capable of doing more than making infectious party jams. “Semi-Detached” is an emotive, sparse next-wave ballad about being with someone while thinking about someone else.
Over a pitch-shifted vocal sample, British songwriter Cass Lowe delivers a delicately forceful vocal over stabbed piano chords. It is slightly bogged down by a forgettable verse from blogosphere fave, Chance the Rapper, but it is saved by a surprisingly affective hair metal-reminiscent guitar solo. Though we are still getting to know Takahashi and Watanabe, it’s hard not to feel that we will be hearing for them for years to come.
Classixx “Borderline” Holding On Single (out now on Innovative Leisure)
If this wind-in-the-hair/sun-in-the-eyes LA-duo ever decides to employ a full-time lead singer, the velvet-voiced Kisses/Princeton frontman would be the obvious choice. Kivel’s dulcet tones are the perfect match for their gauzy, Balearic-kissed synth bliss. Both artists masterfully insert just the right amount of melancholy and nostalgia into their light, summery styles. Could be just the tonic to chase the last strands of winter away.
Laura Marling
“Where Can I Go?” Once I Was An Eagle (out May 28 on Virgin)
It’s quite mind boggling that British folk-singer Laura Marling has released two totally legitimate freewheeling folk LPs and one capital-B-brilliant one (2010’s I Speak Because I Can) before her 24th birthday. The Hampshire native is set to release her fourth, and its first single, “Where Can I Go?” suggests that it’ll be another quality effort. Marling definitely subscribes to the Mitchell School of Folk, armed with a warm, expressive voice and slack-stringed, fingerpicked guitarwork. Lyrically, she also is reminiscent of the hyper-reflective Canuck, constantly searching for a foothold in an increasingly complicated world. It may be an unfair comparison, but in her short career, the diminutive singer has refused to let anything keep her down.
SZA
