Hello hello, it’s me, I’m back — that’s right, I didn’t forgot about this blog just yet! Nah but for real, I know this is extremely freaking late, but I’m not about to go without talking about the abundance of albums I listened to this summer now that it has come to a close. I must concede that that since school has started up again, I don’t think I’m gonna be able to post on this blog very often within the next few months. 😦 Truthfully, school just sucks so much time out of life for any possible creative side projects that you want to pursue in addition to it… as heartbreaking as it is, I thought I’d end the summer on a thorough and all-encompassing note while I’ve still got the time. Hopefully I’ll be able to squeeze out a few posts here and there throughout the Fall semester, but we’ll just have to see. Until then, here are some thoughts on a couple of summer-defining albums of this year, along with some lukewarm ones that made their way to my listening ear as well:
Leak 04-13 (Bait Ones) – Jai Paul
There’s no denying that the story behind the leak of this album sucks; if you didn’t know already, this collection of songs was anonymously uploaded to Bandcamp back in 2013, obviously without Jai’s consent, being that they were all still unfinished. I can only imagine how devastating it feels to have that rug pulled out from under you, and watch the world hear a product you didn’t intend to put out. Yet, even knowing this, I’m genuinely glad that he decided to re-release this project after all these years. I’d never listened to Jai Paul before, but I’m blown away by his take on electronic and pop music that he was making over six years ago that still sounds so fresh and innovative to this day.
Some of the tracks are so intricately crafted, with layers upon layers of dynamic and explosive sounds. The finished product would’ve been nothing short of amazing — in this case though, you can definitely tell certain songs are unfinished, due to their brevity, choppiness, abrupt transitions etc., but the ideas that it contains are still incredibly solid. There are some fairly insubstantial songs, being that they’re so short-lived and just fragments of an ideally longer work, but the deeper cuts are indeed exceptional and mind-blowing. The song “100,000,” for one, floored me with its armory of crazy and electrifying synths, laser-gun sound effects and crashing drums, creating something altogether dysfunctional in the best way possible. Although inconsistent as a track list (understandably), it’s still a thrilling listen as a whole. Hopefully, this means that Jai as an artist is ready to get back on his feet with a new and revitalized outlook for making music again.
Titanic Rising – Weyes Blood
This. Album. Is. Magical. Upon first listen, I was immediately enraptured by Natalie Mering’s breathtaking vocal performances, the luxurious and ethereal instrumentals, and wistful subject matters. Moreover, shit really hit hard when I was going through a particularly rough time within the past month, give or take. Certain lines always just get me, even if it’s as simple as the following from the opening song: “If I still believe that hearts don’t lie, you’re gonna be just fine”; just the way that she builds up to these words, with her particular vocal inflections and extremely soothing voice, always lends me to believe whatever she has to say. The album in its entirety is a plunge into a dream state, wherein you’re floating in a vast expanse of feelings/emotions and perpetually latching onto all the ones that resonate, whether they’re full of grief and despair, or acceptance and comfort. The fantastical nature of it all truly makes you feel like you’re inside the album artwork.
The musical production and composition themselves are artistic, extravagant, heavenly, and oftentimes tear-inducing. She has most definitely become one of my favorite female artists to arise from this year. I only wish that certain songs could be more distinct or have some more variety, because many songs have very similar melodies and instrumentals, causing things to very easily blend into each other; however, that could be totally intentional and what the experience is meant to feel like. I wouldn’t be too surprised if that were the case.
1000 gecs – 100 gecs
This one’s got me pretty conflicted, not gonna lie. I think I got what I expected going into this album, having been told it has an overtly experimental and abrasive hyperpop sound; yet, I’m not exactly sure if I’m happy about that… My conclusion as of now is that I really dig the music and production, as jarring and off-the-wall as it may be, but the vocals what I’m not a fan of. The most popular song, “money machine,” has this gratingly high-pitched singing combined with excessively angsty teen lyrics, and while they may be purposeful in their forced edginess, I still can’t quite get on board. I can’t deny though that they’re really pushing the limits of electronic pop music, being that their palette is so explosive and initially kind of hard to digest. From these jumbles of outrageous noise though, I’m definitely able to pull out enjoyable bits and pieces, overall broadening my appreciation for the creativity and innovation within the genre as a whole.
ANIMA – Thom Yorke
Perhaps I don’t have enough foundation of Thom Yorke’s previous solo albums to form an opinion on this, but for right now it’s gonna be that it’s not exactly my cup of tea. Some songs, for sure, hook me in with their atmospheric allure and captivating beats, but other songs that come off as an incessant ear-piercing lull layered with Thom’s tortured vocals aren’t for me. It does however seem to paint a vivid and immersive setting to a larger cinematic work, which was indeed released as well, although I haven’t watched it yet. It is most definitely a reeling and intense experience, but one that also requires a good amount of patience. If you get a chance to really sit down with it, it certainly does lay the groundwork for an unfolding internal expedition.
Bandana – Freddie Gibbs / Madlib
It took me a while to really get into this, but I eventually got there. For some reason, I wasn’t as immediately hooked in as I was for Piñata; I guess I just liked Madlib’s beats on that album more, but Bandana definitely has a personality of its own. Freddie, with his unmistakably deep and aggressive voice, kills it on basically every song. His rapping comes off as full-force and inexhaustible, incorporating a balance of snarky commentary and immersive storytelling. Can’t say I’d agree with all of it though, especially on “Palmolive” where he makes it known that he’d like us to “keep our vaccines off him”… Ignoring that comment, his rapping still remains effortless, and his top notch delivery can be attributed to his verbosity, consistency, and conviction.
Again, wasn’t as crazy about Madlib’s general production here; the sounds and samples used just didn’t intrigue me like they did on Piñata, making the songs a bit less memorable. I thought he had some eccentric sounds on there, but the instrumentals on Bandana are still nonetheless a diverse mix of hard-hitting beats one after another, further layered with soulful vocal samples and other unconventional, often cartoon-ish elements throughout. I think it comes down to a personal preference, honestly, because it seems to be on a pretty level playing field to Piñata, which in itself is impressive as hell.
Nothing Great About Britain – slowthai
I admit that I think slowthai is really cool, like his personality and aesthetic, but for some reason I just can’t get into this album very much. The man’s aggressively bizarre vocals are engaging at first, but at points is slightly off-putting and distracting from the musical content of each song. The production doesn’t quite align with typical hip hop albums that have come out this year, which is definitely not a bad thing — it’s a lot more raw, untamed, and vicious in sound. I respect the aspects of political commentary that he incorporates throughout his lyrics, divulging the gripes and criticisms he has about his own home country. Even with my minimal knowledge of grime and UK hip hop, I would still go out on a limb to say that his style and provocative demeanor stands out a lot. The album as a whole is just a bit too long for me, and not very much up my alley in terms of replayability. Artistically, though, there’s a lot to commend about it, and he’s definitely carving out his own lane when it comes to the current hip hop scene.
Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery – The Comet Is Coming
This is my first time listening to a strictly instrumental jazz album, and I actually enjoyed it a lot. It definitely transports you into a different world: some sort of psychedelic space realm, a fluctuating, funk-filled cosmos. Some parts do tend to lose me here and there, being that I often have a problem where I allow instrumental music to just fade into the background, but for the most part, this keeps me on my toes the whole way through, and I can surely see it putting me onto more jazz albums to come, although this has set the bar pretty high for me so far.
Revenge of the Dreamers III – Dreamville
There are a lot of bangers on this, 100%. This was slightly out of place for me to listen to, being that the only artists I already know to out of Dreamville are J.I.D., Earthgang, and Ari Lennox; I must confess that I’ve still never gotten into J. Cole, I’m sorry… that’ll be an endeavor for another time. But this record is dope, and has a shit ton of features that most definitely do it justice, from Vince Staples, to Smino, to Saba, and plenty more. It’s an incredibly well produced album, and it somehow manages to make the most out of every artist included on it even if it looks a bit overwhelming at first glance. Majority of songs are filled with so much energy and soul, consistently well-crafted bars from a variety of different artists, and dynamic songs that switch up a bunch throughout, making it an admirable take on a collective rap project that I believe will have a lot of lasting-power (at least for me).
Infest the Rat’s Nest – King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
I’ll be honest, I feel unqualified to review this new Gizz record because, if you can guess, I am in fact not a metalhead. However, I’ve gotta say that as uncultured as I am on the genre, King Gizzard would definitely be the band that I’d be most wiling to listen to to help me get into it. So, having had to push myself to give this album a bunch of tries, I found myself gradually taking a liking to certain songs like “Planet B,” “Organ Farmer,” and “Perihelion”. They’re pounding and abrasive, but got the band’s quirks and idiosyncrasies that ultimately reel me in. It might also help that it was incredibly fun to mosh to these songs at Central Park a few weeks ago, so that may have influenced my opinion a bit as well. 😛
Image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Dark_sunset.jpg
SOME THOUGHTS ON SOUNDS 
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