Last Updated on 05/12/2020
Another month, another set of music recommendations. These five releases are not to miss.
5. Self Titled, Lianne La Havas.
Lianne La Havas has provided us with a simply lovely, neo-soul record. It’s not the most sonically adventurous or in-your-face project, but time really does slide by effortlessly as she diverts you gently through her world. Soothing is an understatement.
It’s far from flavourless though, seasoned with the sharp tang of romantic dejection, the luscious instrumentals and La Havas’ astute song writing are tastefully poignant.
4. Dinner Party, Terrance Martin, Robert Glasper and 9th Wonder.
Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper and 9th Wonder have come together as Dinner Party, dropping a self-titled debut album that’s seven tracks of neojazz joy. Their press release described the album as being a result of “years of friendship”; “Dinner Party is a metaphor – a group, a project, a spirit, an imprint of time — Dinner Party is invite only, but it’s for everyone.” This intimacy really does accompany you as you listen.
It features a mix of instrumental tracks and dreamy lyricism from Phoelix, the Chicago vocalist – a frequent collaborator or Saba, Smino and Noname. And although the project flows seamlessly as a holistic piece (not one to be shuffled), there are definitely some stand out tracks. “Love You Bad” almost sounds like it could be a dance remix. The offbeat, glitchy percussion mixes with soulful vocals and latin sounding sax; a simple track, but so effective. “Freeze Tag” is another particularly impactful song. The softness of Phoelix’s vocals poignantly juxtaposes with the brutality of his lyrics:
“They told me put my hands up behind my head, I think they got the wrong one, I’m sick and tired of runnin… Then they told me if I move, they gon’ shoot me dead”.
“LUV U” is an especially immersive sonic experience; 9th Wonder outdoes himself with the production, as the drums, vocal harmonies and sax bounce from ear to ear – this one really evoked To Pimp A Butterfly for me, an album Martin was incidentally heavily involved in producing.
A beautiful 23 minutes, I couldn’t recommend this more. Hopefully there’ll be slightly more to get our ears around next time!
3. Barnacles, Sahbabbi.
If you’ve ever enjoyed the luxuriant psychedelia of Playboy Carti or the vocal eccentricity of Young Thug, this is a must listen. Full of treacly trap beats á la Pierre Bourne, sonically, this is one of the most pleasing trap projects released in the past couple of years. And the hooks are just as strong, with a plethora of sticky, hit ready refrains.
Sahbabbi has an exceptionally unique selling point too. Setting him apart from other rappers in his lane are his amusing (and often completely baffling) lyrical choices.
He obviously has an interest in sex – not something too left field in trap. But his obsession with members of the animal kingdom is. Never seeming to waste the opportunity to use an odd (and often animal themed) metaphor, his lyrical playbook is pretty surreal. In the same way in fact that Carti’s baby voice is weirdly charming, Sahbabbi’s lyrics do not fail to bemuse an attentive listener:
“She got a donut booty, I’m finna glaze”
“My diamonds racist/ All of my diamonds Caucasian”
He’s not just an oddity though, he truly knows how to craft quality musical experience.
2. Bedroom, bdrmm.
Bedroom is very much an exercise in nostalgia, but it’s a pretty tasty variety of it.
The band’s music falls, if anywhere, within the realm of dream-pop – their ability to build euphoric walls of hazy emotion is suggestive of Beach House’s best moments. Yet, it’s doused in a cool melancholy uncharacteristic of this scene, far more reminiscent of 80s, UK, post-punk. Manifesting itself in the longing riffs across the project, this influence intertwines with their obvious appreciation for 90s shoegaze. The overall product is a pretty enveloping experience of noise, eerie melody and some very compelling personal lyricism.
Drawing from a slightly different well to their contemporaries they’ve created a quality dream-pop record.
1. A Hero’s Death, Fontaines D.C.
A quiet triumph of a sophomore release, A Hero’s Death builds elegantly on the robust foundation drilled by Dogrel, the Dublin post-punk band’s 2019 debut.
Fontaine’s D.C. use familiar materials here. Grian Chatten’s authoritative vocal delivery constructs a framework of poetic verse – both alluring and amusing. A chorus of clattering drum-work and distant harmonies diffuses into its cavity. And, crying with reverb, blissfully melodious guitar lines cement everything together.
The result is distinct though. The music tells not a boisterous tale of Irish Lads (like their debut), but an arduous one of young men lost in the world. More sombre are the rhythms, more longing the instrumental melodies and more nihilistic, but simultaneously hopeful, are the lyrics. The mantra-like choruses of “I don’t belong to anyone” and “Life ain’t always empty”, on the songs “I Don’t Belong” and the title track respectively, embody this thematic dichotomy. It provides intriguing insight into a state of mind.
To risk sounding cliched, Fontaines D.C. have really squeezed life’s zest into music, now for the second album in a row.
Listen to some taster tracks from our Top 5 in the playlist below or read about last month’s highlights.
