Best Ever Albums

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Skinny — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 03:40:52 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 01/17/2022 08:40

Repo wrote:

Haha! My girlfriend got me into them last August so I know the feeling. They were the last band I ever thought I would be drinking beers to!

Mate, tell me about it. Thought they were the lamest thing on the planet. Turns out that they’re just massive, open-hearted, stadium-ready roots rock in the lineage of The Band and Van Morrison and R.E.M. and The Waterboys. It’s all a bit silly and overly earnest, but when it catches the moonlight at the right angle then they’re pretty difficult to deny. Really great band.

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Repo — Sat, 15 Jan 2022 17:26:37 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 01/15/2022 22:26

Skinny wrote:

Basically, I think I love the Counting Crows. Help me.

Haha! My girlfriend got me into them last August so I know the feeling. They were the last band I ever thought I would be drinking beers to!

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Skinny — Fri, 14 Jan 2022 17:56:27 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 01/14/2022 22:56

Basically, I think I love the Counting Crows. Help me.

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Skinny — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 12:01:15 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 02/22/2019 17:01

Whatcha Gonna Do When You Get Out of Jail?
The definitive ranking of the best (and worst) hip-hop/R'n'B 'Genius of Love' refits and refixes (Pt. III)

10. Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five - It's Nasty (Genius of Love)

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Very similar to Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde's effort, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five's 'It's Nasty' is a very early interpolation of 'Genius of Love', and as such favours the now long dated party-rockin', call-and-response vocal style that really defines that particular era. The advantages this cut has over its close cousin are in its instrumental, which simply pops in a way that 'Genius Rap' doesn't: a more pronounced, practically shimmering synth line; a much fatter bassline; creative horn- and cowbell-propelled breakdowns; a fucking kazoo solo. It's also the first example of the vocalists mimicking the bassline for their flow, a trick later used to great effect later in this list by the likes of Menajahtwa and, most notably, Ol' Dirty Bastard. On top of all of this, it contains one of the all-time great hip-hop boasts in "I've got waterbed seats in my limosine", which - when you actually think about it - is not so much as sign of wealth as it is poor and impractical design nous, and a dubious (in more ways than one) bit of French rapping from arguably the first truly great rapper: "Je m'appelle Melle Mel, donne-moi la petite mademoiselle, donne-moi cinq, donne-moi six, donne-moi huit, neuf, dix." The whole thing is just a riot, and proves why Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five are rightly remembered as the first great hip-hop group.

9. Mark Morrison - Return of the Mack

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Potentially the most subtle sampling job on this list, I was somewhat cautious about included the widely beloved 'Return of the Mack', but the drums are so unmistakably those from 'Genius of Love' (to say nothing of the synth line which deliberately takes its cue from 'Genius of Love''s shuffling rhythm guitar), and it seemed a shame to leave it out. A perfect midpoint between the rugged muscularity of New Jack swing and the luscious romanticism of quiet storm-inspired neo-soul, the song was a huge worldwide hit for a man of Barbadian descent, born in Germany, and raised in the UK (and later, briefly, Miami). Quite simply, the song feels like money, straight from that initial "ooooaaahhooooooaaaahhoooooaaooh, I'm on!" His strange, breathy, Horace Andy-esque vocals are what really sell it, though, and are most likely what made the song such a global smash - a voice that sounded like it could've come from anywhere. Previously, Morrison had managed a couple of minor UK hits, so his claims of being "back to run the show" seemed like heavy posturing at best, but despite never really capitalising on the song's success, it remains a beautifully rendered ode to feeling on top of the world, and continues to slay dancefloors over two decades later.

8. 2nd II None - Niggaz Trippin' (feat. AMG, DJ Quik & Hi-C)

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The most uptempo entry on this list - for reasons that should be obvious, given that 'Genius of Love' is already the perfect tempo for rapping over - 'Niggaz Trippin'' is a fairly low-stakes, earlyish DJ Quik production that acts as posse cut ode to partying and pussy, the type of early '90s West Coast banger of which there are hundreds, but one which has aged particularly well. All Quik appears to have done is speed up the drums, synth and bassline, whilst stripping away everything else, but it's the team nature of this song that really appeals, and all of its strange idiosyncrasies. Pitch-shifting is used so that it sounds like a cute cartoon alien is rapping, repeatedly, "there's pussy on my dick, shall I kill it?", which is just hilarious. Hi-C raps not only of "fuckin' doggystyle", but also "fuckin' froggystyle", which is also just hilarious. Gangsta D finishes his opening verse with a slightly extended metaphor, rapping, "I slang this dick like a fishing pole, see, what I catch I don't eat, 'cause they're ain't nothing fly about coochie meat", which obviously outlines his own insecurities about oral sex, but is also, y'know, just hilarious. And then, at the end of the song, they steal the chorus melody from Parliament's 'Give Up the Funk' to sing about how each of them, in turn, has "gotta bust that nut", which, again, hilarious. Look, it's probably not for the faint-hearted, or anybody who doesn't want to listen to a group of grown men tell dick jokes and talk about their sexual conquests for six minutes over a Tom Tom Club sample, but I am not - and hopefully never will be - that person.

7. 2Pac - High Speed (feat. Yaki Kadafi & E.D.I. Mean)

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I have a friend who is a huge 2Pac fan. He believes that Pac is the greatest rapper of all-time, and will hear no word to the contrary on the matter. I can understand his position on this, even if I beg to differ. He also believes that the Outlawz are a highly underrated group of actually very competent rappers who only struggled to become more popular because they were saddled with the weight of expectation that came with being associated with 2Pac. I cannot understand his position on this. They are little more than glorified weed carriers, and Pac's insistence on including them on so many of his songs really drags down large parts of his output. One exception to this rule, however, and perhaps the most notable one, is the posthumous 'High Speed', a paranoid, 'Genius of Love'-interpolating anthem about destroying your enemies on which Outlawz Yaki Kadafi and E.D.I. Mean bring their absolute A-games. The theme of this song is a common one for 2Pac, but this is surely one of the best examples of his own particular micro-genre. Over menacing, ringing synths that subtly recall those from 'Genius...', the three of them rap about getting too high on weed, questioning god, chasing paper, shooting enemies and, per Kadafi, "leavin' [their] family in mourning". And then, of course, there is the pièce de résistance, the whole reason 'High Speed' is on this list in the first place: "Whatcha gonna do when you get out of jail? I'm gonna buy me a gun." It's the focal point of this song, the hook's repeated mantra, and the point at which 'Genius of Love' proves its undying worth in a gangsta rap world. With that hook, Pac turned an ode to fun (natural fun) into an ode to violence and paranoia, and provided the world with one of the most memorable twists on this song ever made.

6. Busta Rhymes - One (feat. Erykah Badu)

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Much like the aforementioned 'High Speed', Busta Rhymes and Erykah Badu's Rockwilder-produced collaboration 'One' recasts 'Genius of Love' in ways that are subtle and downbeat, although that's about where the similarities end. Whilst the former is a weed-addled ode to gunslinging, the latter is a Common-style ballad about oneness and an encouraging, universal idea of love, bathed in soothing neo-soul sounds and a bed of glorious "oooh"s borrowed from Stevie Wonder. If this sounds like an unusual direction for hardcore motormouth and occasionally gangsta-adjacent Busta Rhymes, that's because it is, though it's not completely out of the blue, especially given Busta's previous association with Native Tongues alumni A Tribe Called Quest and the fact that these sorts of male-female, rap-meets-R'n'B experiments were commonplace on albums like 1997's When Disaster Strikes..., which had unashamedly mainstream intentions at a time when Badu's star was probably at its brightest. It's a song about equality, and its lyrics are so vague as to escape real criticism, but it definitely feels much more in Badu's wheelhouse than in Busta's, which is most likely for the best, frankly. It lacks the punch or specificity of something like the aforementioned Common's 'The Light', and it's evident that Busta didn't necessarily feel completely comfortable writing in this style, but as a piece of laidback, works-best-when-stoned, soulful hip-hop, it's perfectly lovely, and its opening, 'Genius of Love'-quoting salvo adds a much-needed element of fun to proceedings. Also, y'know, it has Erykah Badu on it, which immediately makes makes it better than almost everything else.

The top five coming next time, featuring ODB and Mariah, going back like babies and pacifiers...

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Sandinistar — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 10:45:45 GMT

Author: Sandinistar

Posted: 02/22/2019 15:45

Don't you dare insult the Dream Warriors when I'm around >:( Absolute masters of having raps with no rhymes whatsoever, and one of the more fun bands I've heard

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Skinny — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 07:48:52 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 02/22/2019 12:48

Whatcha Gonna Do When You Get Out of Jail?
The definitive ranking of the best (and worst) hip-hop/R'n'B 'Genius of Love' refits and refixes (Pt. II)

15. Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde - Genius Rap

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'Genius of Love' is one of the all-time great meta examples of pop imitating pop; a song by a bunch of white indie kids, influenced by and about hip-hop, going on to become the basis for so many other actual hip-hop songs. The first of these, and one of the best examples of early hip-hop in general, is Dr. Jeckyll & Mr Hyde's 'Genius Rap', which came out mere weeks after the original, predating Lil Wayne's legendary ability to take contemporary hip-hop beats and craft entire mixtapes of himself rapping over the top of them by around a quarter of a decade. This whole thing is just great fun, and really makes you wonder why Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde never became bigger names. They try to spell out that this new music - which, at the time, was considered a fad - was its own separate entity ("it's not the hip-hop of the discos, it's not Don Juan or Romeo"), and presage rap's love of materialism ("we walk these streets without a care, spending cash money like millionaires"), all the while having just about the best time possible. Whilst it certainly sounds dated to modern ears, there was something quietly revolutionary about 'Genius Rap', and it deserves a place among hip-hop's most important records.

14. Redman - Brick City Mashin'!

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The second Erick Sermon beat on this list, 'Brick City Mashin'!' comes from Redman's 1998 collection Doc's Da Name 2000, an album that is both far too long and yet remarkably consistent, from a time when Redman could quite justifiably claim to be one of the best rappers in the world - a wordy weirdo whose slang-heavy, punchline-laden, endlessly energetic verses made him an entertaining presence, even when going through the motions, as on tracks like this. His gruff growl later made him exactly the type of rapper people would use to add a street texture to their songs (see: Christina Aguilera's 'Dirrty'), but over the course of a 70-minute album (of which this song comes towards the end) he could become quite tiresome. This is standard fare, block-rockin', hardcore Redman shit, which makes it better than the vast majority of rap music, but by his own high standards it's also kinda nondescript, hence its relatively low placement here.

13. X Clan - In the Ways of the Scales

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X Clan were a post-Public Enemy, black militant hip-hop group who, for obvious reasons, only very occasionally (and very gently) flirted with the mainstream. As such, it may seem strange to find out that they rapped over the sugary, carefree, very much white-artist-appropriating-black-genre 'Genius of Love', but they use throwaway line "there's no beginning and there is no end" as a hook for a song about Kemetic spirituality and the Scales of Ma'at - which, well, if it sounds insane, that's because it is. A relatively sparse beat is based around our heroes' bassline, but this self-produced song cleverly pits it against minor piano keys, weird bell noises, and occasional horn blasts, for an urgent, slightly sinister effect found nowhere else on this list. This song is made even more insane by the vaguely apocalyptic ramblings of Professor X the Overseer, who pops up between verses and makes less and less sense as the song goes on. Then, of course, lines like Brother J's "I'll grab you by your crackhead neck, take you back to Egypt where you'll learn respect" really hammer the theme home. Whilst this entire escapade is obviously very self-serious, it's also extremely enjoyable, and certainly the weirdest interpolation of 'Genius of Love' you'll find here.

12. Cam'ron - Me, My Moms & Jimmy (feat. Kenny Greene, Fredericka & Jim Jones)

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There's something lovably soap opera about this song, which is future Dipset member Jim Jones' first appearance on record, playing himself on a song in which he and Cam'ron argue with Cam'ron's actual mom about selling drugs, but instead of arguing about whether they should or should not be selling drugs, instead argue about the way they go about it (I think, though the whole thing is somewhat incomprehensible, not helped by Fredericka's below-incompetent rapping ability). As if the song weren't convoluted enough, this also pulls the old Frankenstein's monster trick of pitting two '80s post-disco songs together, as Kenny Greene (RIP) sings the hook from Junior Giscombe's timeless 'Mama Used to Say', though that gets a pass here due it being thematically relevant at least. It's very notable that Cam'ron and Jones, at this stage, hadn't even developed their voices yet, let alone reached the levels of strange, chaotic genius that they would in the early 2000s, but this is still an ambitious endeavour that features some great lines sprinkled throughout, and gets a lot of mileage out of the novelty of hearing Cam'ron's actual mom rapping.

11. De La Soul - Shoomp (feat. Sean Paul)

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And in at number eleven is another ambitious number that doesn't quite come off as it should, though not for the want of trying. After Dilla got tired of making luscious neo-soul beats, he tried his hand at numerous other sounds, including this clanking, electro-dancehall take on 'Genius of Love', which may have been a better fit for somebody like M.I.A. than old-school New York rappers, but which is charming nonetheless. This was part of a double A-side with 'Much More', and only one of those two songs was deemed fit for a place on their return-to-form 2004 album The Grind Date - it wasn't this one. Professional poor man's Shaggy, Sean Paul, doesn't necessarily help proceedings here, but realistically we are still talking about De La Soul rapping over a J Dilla beat, which is never going to be less than competent, and in this case produces a shuffling track that is goofy in the best way possible. De La always employed nimble flows, and the percussion here is gorgeously off-kilter. Dilla also makes great use of the Tom Tom Club's doo wop-esque backing vocals, a severely underappreciated and underused element of 'Genius of Love' which get some much-deserved focus here. Overall, this track gets points for creativity, and would be somewhat higher on this list if the end product felt like more than the sum of its parts; unfortunately, it doesn't.

10-6 coming next time, featuring Mark Morrison, Busta Rhymes, 2Pac, and more...

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Skinny — Fri, 22 Feb 2019 06:14:10 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 02/22/2019 11:14

Whatcha Gonna Do When You Get Out of Jail?
The definitive ranking of the best (and worst) hip-hop/R'n'B 'Genius of Love' refits and refixes (Pt. I)

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'Genius of Love' has long proven fertile ground for beatmakers and rappers. Its playful lyrical tributes to the then-burgeoning hip-hop scene (and the mention of plenty of disco and soul names, most famously producer Hamilton Bohannon and legendary singer James Brown) make clear that these white guys had a shared kinship from the beginning, whilst the song's opening salvo of, "Whatcha gonna do when you get out of jail? I'm gonna have some fun," has continued to chime with rappers to this day due to the continued proliferation of the prison-industrial complex and the sheer amount of incarcerated young African-American men. With its effortlessly funky, post-disco guitar, its meaty bassline, and fragile yet freaky synth riff, it's has always seemed an obvious choice for producers who want something recognisable and funky to play with, and it's no surprise whatsoever that it has become one of the most sampled rhythm tracks at all-time.

However, it would take years to comb through every song to have ever slyly incorporated a single hit from the drum machine or a particular bass note - the twenty songs listed below all feature overt elements of the song, be they vocal interpolations used as hooks, nods to that synth line, or - in a surprisingly large number of cases - simply the entire backing-track taken wholesale. (All of that said, I've decided to leave any chopped'n'screwed versions of either the original or songs that sample the original off this list, for consistency's sake, but please know that most screwed versions I found would've fared very well.) When ranking these songs, the only metric I've actually used is how much I enjoy them, so whilst there are times when 'Genius of Love' has been incorporated in a way that's more fresh or interesting than others, that doesn't necessarily mean a higher ranking. Anyway, I hope it goes without saying that you can feel free to disagree with me, and to tell me which obvious numbers I may have missed out. Otherwise, have a read, have a listen, and have some fun (natural fun!).

20. Dream Warriors - And Now The Legacy Begins

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First up - and worst up - on this list are long-forgotten Canadian hip-hop duo Dream Warriors, whose legacy is pretty much non-existent, and certainly didn't begin with this Frankenstein's monster of early '80s disco, taking the bassline from The Graingers' 'Shine A Light' and tacking on our heroes' synth riff during the hook, all the while dropping charisma-starved pearls of early-'90s faux-enlightened bullshit such as, "drink to victory in my victory cup", and "realise my eyes hypnotise, what are you, surprised?", none of which means anything whatsoever (though their debut album, of which this is the title track, was somehow well-received at the time). The beat itself isn't terrible by any means, but the pair are borderline incompetent on the mic, aside from having mastered the art of saying nothing whilst steadfastly refusing to have a personality. Next!

19. X-Ecutioners - Genius of Love 2002 (feat. Biz Markie)

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I could be wrong here, but it sure sounds like Tina may have recorded new vocals for this faithful, 2002, Biz Markie-assisted cover version, though why remains a mystery to me, as does the popularity of turntablism as a genre (though that argument is for another day). This sort of "four elements", retro-fetishism just annoys me, and getting Biz Markie to do vocals on anything post-1991 is generally a mistake ('Girls, Girls, Girls' excepted, obviously). There's nothing wrong with this particularly, but it all just feels so unnecessary. It does what it says on the tin, in that sense: it's a 2002 remake of the original with added scratches and Biz Markie shouting about sex over the top. Why?

18. Lucky Luciano - Chop Dat Hoe (feat. Baby Bash, Jay Tee, Mac Dre & Don Cisco)

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An unimaginative sampling job isn't necessarily gonna mean a low ranking on this particular list, but when matched with such personality-starved, cookie-cutter misogyny as this, it's difficult to defend. Even a reliably entertaining - if entirely off-topic - Mac Dre verse ("I can't ride with them, they got crumbs on their table, can't sign with them, they got bums on their label") comes in far too late to save this shower of mediocrity, which does absolutely nothing to stand out from other songs of its type. The message of the story here is a simple one: give Mac Dre all the verses.

17. Erick Sermon - Genius E Dub (feat. Olivia)

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Best-known for being one half of EPMD, this is the first of two Erick Sermon beats on this list, and the lower of the pair for perhaps being somewhat tamer, though the difference is, quite frankly, negligible. Both take those fabled synth- and bass-lines and add some slightly harder-hitting drums, whilst also slowing the whole thing down slightly to give it that party-starting, funky, East Coast hardcore sound that Onyx or the Boot Camp Clik would've sounded great over. Neither are bad, exactly, although the other version features Redman rapping instead of Erick, and is therefore better, featuring nothing quite as cringeworthy as Olivia and E Dub's post-hook question and answer session: "Whatcha gon do when you get in the jam? I'm gonna have some fun. What do you consider fun? Doin' it for Pac, Big L, Tah, and Pun."

16. 50 Cent - When I Get Out

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I honestly can't in good faith put this any higher on the list as it features about one minute of rapping over a version of the original that virtually nothing has been done to, coming as it did from a 2008, DJ Whoo Kid-hosted mixtape. It barely qualifies as a song, frankly. But I was tempted to put it Top 5, because that flip of the classic "Jaaaames Broooooooown" bit into "my dope be beeeiiige brooooooooown" is fucking genius, and because for that one minute at the beginning of this before he just lets the original play out, Fiddy proves himself to be one of the most natural rappers on this whole list. However, ultimately, whilst this shines so brightly, it just burns out far too soon.

15-11 coming next time, featuring J Dilla, De La Soul, Cam'ron, and more...

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Skinny — Mon, 4 Feb 2019 16:44:47 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 02/04/2019 21:44

Thought I'd recommend some dope 2019 rap shit for the fam, so here's my top five that feature in less than three charts:

Free Sauce by Ketchy the Great

First up is my favourite rap record of 2019 thus far, a selection of recordings made by the Stinc Team's resident livewire prior to his recent incarceration. Over a series of lo-fi hyphy instrumentals with blown-out bass shudders, Ketchy and his snowplough flow bark their way above and across beats with scant regard for finding or staying in the pocket, alongside a series of L.A.'s other major rising stars, including Shoreline Mafia, Desto Dubb, Bambino, and inimitable songbird 03 Greedo, offering unapologetic, slang-laden shit-talk, largely about selling and/or consuming various drugs, but no less entertaining for it. Whilst not quite as dense nor as beautifully surreal with the pen, respectively, as fellow Stinc members Ralfy the Plug (who also shows up here) and de facto group leader Drakeo the Ruler, Ketchy is a unique presence whose mix of charming Keak Da Sneak energy and growling DMX intensity make him one to watch closely the minute he's released.

January 30th by Payroll Giovanni

Payroll Giovanni, of Detroit street rap legends Doughboyz Cashout (RIP Roc), has carved out a lane in recent years as one of hip-hop's finest purveyors of nimble, technical, decidedly unglamorous gangsta rap, a post-Gibbs type who takes his craft as seriously as his code. Whilst my particular preference is for the luxurious g-funk he puts out in collaboration with Cardo (last year's Big Bossin Vol. 2 was amongst 2018's very best, of any genre), he sounds equally at home over that monstrous, bass-heavy, Detroit sound (which is also present on Sada Baby's critically acclaimed latest), itself a close cousin of the Bay Area hyphy found elsewhere on this list, namely Free Sauce and No Pressure. Over eight catchy, focused tracks, Giovanni's contempt for the music industry shines through, with some of his most vivid lines ever, forming a mission statement of sorts that wouldn't outstay its welcome were it double the length.

Nothing Is Something by Tree & Vic Spencer

Tree, Chicago's gravel-voiced street preacher whose signature 'soultrap' innovation - which consists of, you guessed it, dusty soul samples over trap percussion - and pair of Sunday School mixtapes should have made him a much bigger star than he is, has been all but missing in action for the past few years, so it was a very pleasant surprise to see him return with this low-stakes collection of wizened, knowing street rap in collaboration with grimy smart aleck and fellow Chicagoan Vic Spencer. The pair complement each other extremely well, with Vic's sharp, nasal punchlines cutting through Tree's bluesy impressionism, and a scene-stealing guest verse from one of rap's in-form stars, longtime Spencer collaborator Chris Crack, is simply the cherry atop a highly satisfying cake.

No Pressure by Offset Jim

Oakland's Offset Jim is best-known as good friend of and cold-blooded counterpoint to the rapidly rising and hugely likeable motormouth ALLBLACK, who turns up with a guest-spot on this polished, memorable debut. Built on a bed of skeletal Bay Area slappers with earthquake-inducing bass thuds, Jim's quiet, plainspoken, emotionless flow renders his constant threats of physical violence slightly terrifying, like the psychopath pimp whose punchlines you're cautious to laugh at for fear of Pesci in Goodfellas style, "funny how?" retribution. Needless to say, this particular mix of throwback Bay Area minimalist synthetic funk and hushed, dead-eyed intensity is a winning combination.

Hey Manny 2 by YungManny

15-year-old DMV native YungManny is an ADHD rapper, a highly entertaining goon who switches effortlessly and without warning between sugary, post-Thug warbling and aggressively offbeat (and just plain aggressive) snarling, filling his stream-of-consciousness threats with cartoon characters and bad-taste pop culture references in a way that only a hood kid in the information overload age could. At times, his pure, unfiltered energy and relentless sense of fun call to mind those halcyon days of early grime, even if his sound is rooted in ever-so-2019 melodic trap. With a knack for both earworm hooks and "what did he just say?!?" quotables, Manny has all the tools to establish himself as one of the truly standout voices in a crowded field, and it's fair to say that - given his almost unbelievably young age - he's got time firmly on his side.

Let me know if y'all hear anything you think I might like. Peace.

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-194

AfterHours — Fri, 25 Jan 2019 23:26:18 GMT

Author: AfterHours

Posted: 01/26/2019 04:26

meccalecca wrote:

Skinny wrote:

An introduction would be redundant. You already know what it is. Been completely obsessed with this in the last ten days or so, falling more in love with every listen:

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Zamknęły Się Oczy Ziemi by Stara Rzeka

Just gave this a first listen. Damn. Just as incredible as you say.

I know the above is from a while back but Im going to have to check this one out. Until I looked at your thread and chart I didnt realize you were into several albums I like quite a bit. Id only ever seen you talk about Hip Hop albums and just assumed you were first, foremost and last a Hip Hop buff ... which has a lot of value anyway, for multiple reasons, semi selfishly because I have been itching for years to find a Hip Hop album that I would legitimately call an all time masterpiece on my way-too-strict ratings scale.

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Skinny — Tue, 8 Jan 2019 15:05:41 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 01/08/2019 20:05

Been a while, but here's something extra special for your pleasure: a 19-year-old Dizzee Rascal on Felli Fel's Power 106 show in 2004, his first ever appearance on American radio, promoting his first US tour and debut album, shouting out likeminded regional rap progressives E-40 and (future collaborators) UGK, as well as long-forgotten novelty grime spitter Marga Man, talking about the influence of drum'n'bass on his music, audibly confusing Felli with his untamed London accent and MLE slang, to the point that he is eventually asked to literally spell out his album title for listeners, apologising for swearing freely on daytime radio, recommending himself to fans of Outkast and N.E.R.D., and sounding surprisingly at home spitting rapid-fire street knowledge over contemporary American hip-hop beats. Whilst it possibly sounds somewhat tame now, especially in the wake of Danny Brown's Dizzee-inspired cadences, Atlanta's seemingly endless procession of near-wordless rap experimentalists, and the wider grime takeover, led by Skepta and co-signed by Drake (among others), unsuspecting L.A. listeners must've treated this young alien upstart with either strange excitement or total confusion. It's a perfectly preserved example of a mildly uncomfortable culture clash in rap from a time before the internet encouraged this post-regional morass that much of mainstream rap currently resides in, for better or worse, and yet it still feels way fresher than its 15-year age would suggest. It confirms my long-held viewpoint that pre-21 Dizzee was one of the best to ever touch mic, and it's essential listening for those with any interest in this sort of thing, obviously.

Link

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Skinny — Thu, 2 Mar 2017 13:03:45 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 03/02/2017 18:03

Top 5 for February:

Five.

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Gang Signs & Prayer by Stormzy

Big Michael comes out of the traps with a huge, cinematic, unashamedly religious offering that balances - albeit a little clumsily - badman grime hitters, post-Pablo gospel-hop, and laidback love songs. Massively ambitious, and mostly executed with aplomb. Sure to be talked up as an instant classic in certain circles. It felt a little like grime's mainstream ascent depended on Stormzy, and he doesn't dissapoint.

Four.

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Drunk by Thundercat

A concept album about the highs and lows of being inebriated, told through a series of unerringly funky and loveably goofy vignettes. Not as enotionally affecting as Apocalypse, but more coherent and confident. Thundercat deploys a clean sound throughout, bending otherwise cheesy genre tropes to his will and crafting a sound that is unmistakably his own, managing the rare feat of being both showily virtuosic and also writing incisive, memorable, capital-S Songs.

Three.

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Hndrxx by Future

This is the best Future, the almost unbearably honest, petty, joyous, walking contradiction with the sad robot voice and 1001 mini-melodies ready to go. He effortlessly melds trap, R'n'B, straight up pop, and that diet dancehall that's been everywhere recently, but does so in a way that feels infinitely more human than Aubrey or Abel. He's mean as fuck, but it comes from a place of genuine hurt. With every listen it becomes more and more apparent that this is his magnum opus, and could quite conceivably end up being in my top five at year's end.

Two.

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Being You Is Great, I Wish I Could Be You More Often by Quelle Chris

Quelle Chris deals in off-kilter, sample-heavy, dryly funny, conversational hip-hop. He fits into the Detroit Weirdo Rap Continuum somewhere between Dilla and Danny Brown. He sounds like Quasimoto, sans helium. He has the same worries as Open Mike Eagle, but his jokes don't land the same; he has no punchlines, only receding hairlines. He hates himself, yet he is his own favourite rapper. He has all my heroes on speed-dial, and is unafraid to ask for favours. Does that make him a rapper's rapper? Or a rapper's producer? Most likely, he's just a lovely dude. He comes across as one. His new album is about self-acceptance. You should check it out.

One.

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Rosebudd's Revenge by Roc Marciano

Skinny wrote:

"My nuts hang like ribs in a meat truck"
"Pockets lumpy like puffer fish"
"My trail of broken hearts is like ocean sharks"
"The weed loud but the money quiet"
"I'm too pretty, don't pity me, just a ghetto boy like Willie D"
"Read the bulletin, you just some shit to put some bullets in"
"My smile's porcelain, my hood's a gauntlet"
"My shoes worth an MF Doom verse"
"Crack tore my fam apart, but it bought my first apartment"

He spits these rhymes over dusty, cocaine-encrusted soul samples, which sound more like they've been exhumed than stumbled upon in A1. If that isn't perfection, I don't know what is.

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Skinny — Tue, 31 May 2016 11:57:46 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 05/31/2016 15:57

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Ghold - PYR

Ghold were responsible for what was probably my favourite metal album of 2015, the sludgy, angular, claustrophobia-inducing, Melvins-indebted Of Ruin, and they're back again already, with more of the same, only better. They've added a guitarist, making this their first as a trio, and everything here feels like an improvement - simultaneously more experimental and more focused, and twice as heavy. Occasionally the jilted riffery, of which there is plenty, will give way to screaming feedback, but it always feels purposeful, adding to the record's polyfilla texture, whilst these four songs (which range from 5 to 21+ minutes long) display a much greater variation of tempo than was present on that aforementioned predecessor. If you're looking for some bleak - and oblique - doom metal that is happy to play with the genre's form without ever straying into portentous prog territory, you really need to check out PYR.

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Anonymous — Wed, 25 May 2016 15:38:29 GMT

Author: Anonymous

Posted: 05/25/2016 19:38

pretty much echoing my thoughts on this one, particularly re: Terrapin Station's unprecedented excellence and Friend of the Devil's predictable mediocrity. I think you'll really dig Vijay Iyer's jazz take on King Solomon's Marbles on the third disc, as well as Bonnie Prince Billy's work on the second (though that should come as no surprise). And Tim Hecker's joint is at the very least interesting. Overall I enjoyed the thing despite some people seeming to totally miss the point of what they're attempting, but yeah there are more than a few highs to counteract that

quite interested to see what you'll think of the second half which probably has the artists taking the most liberty with their own personal interpretations

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Skinny — Wed, 25 May 2016 14:58:20 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 05/25/2016 18:58

Gonna eventually edit this to include thoughts about all three discs, but gonna take it one at a time for now:

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Day of the Dead by Various Artists

Disc One:

The first disc actually starts surprisingly strong, considering it's The (none-more-overrated) War On Drugs kicking off proceedings. It's amazing how their ambient heartland rock shtick is made all the more palatable by having an actual song to play (in this case, the wonderful 'Touch of Grey'), as opposed to some dullard advertising exec's idea of what a song might sound like. It's actually a minor outlier on a disc that is pretty coherent, full of warm, chunky production (likely due to a shared backing band for many of the tracks), and largely sticking to mid-tempo country rockers from the Dead's catalogue. My only real complaint would be that many of these takes are actually too reverent, with Jim James and Kurt Vile in particular trying their best to sound like Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir, respectively. There's nothing inherently wrong with sticking close to the source material, though, and the vast majority of stuff here is thoroughly enjoyable. The only complete duds come courtesy of Mumford & Sons, who strip 'Friend of the Devil' of all of its power, and Lucius, who completely misjudge the tone of 'Uncle John's Band' and end up creating some horrible post-Haim pop hybrid that sounds like it has a very good shot at being on the next FIFA video game soundtrack. Will Oldham and Lee Ranaldo disappoint slightly by not really doing enough with their songs, though said disappointment probably comes about because I actually have fairly high expectations of them in the first place, whilst I could live without Courtney Barnett's dry take on 'New Speedway Boogie', Anohni's regrettably subdued attempt at 'Black Peter', and at least the last third of some weird guitar piece where the dude from The National basically apes Garcia's tone and licks for seven minutes without it really ever going anywhere. Pretty much everything else ranges from very good to absolutely fantastic, with some highlights including Moses Sumney's take on Weir's 'Cassidy', some lovely vocal harmonies between Ed Droste and Binki Shapiro on 'Loser' (a longtime personal favourite), a wonderfully ornate 'Terrapin Station' suite that lasts for sixteen glorious minutes and even has time to take in a gorgeous, repetitive percussive section that could pass for a poppier Steve Reich, a predictably brooding 'Peggy-O' courtesy of The National, a gospel-tinged, shuffling, skeletal version of 'Attics of My Life' from Angel Olsen, and the pièce de résistance, Perfume Genius (ably assisted by Sharon van Etten) taking on 'To Lay Me Down' and winning, singing it with a real sense of clarity, gliding over some haunting pedal steel, and recalling The Band at their best in the process. Overall, the first disc is definitely a success, even if it might be nice to hear a bit more of the performers' personalities, though one can't be too mad at them for wanting to uphold the originals. It's certainly far better than I expected, and this was the disc which, on paper, had the least interesting lineup. I'm looking forward to the next two installments.

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Skinny — Mon, 23 May 2016 15:41:00 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 05/23/2016 19:41

Norman Bates wrote:

Thanks for the tip on Capleton, will listen. Agree on both James Blake and Radiohead (very far AOTY for me, still a nice surprise). Not as enthusiastic as you are about Beyoncé, I only find half the tracks good - but these are very good.

Turns out the Capleton is a compilation of remastered tracks that mostly seem to date from about 12-15 years ago, primarily as standalone 7" singles. Would explain the quality at least - that was probably when Capleton was at his strongest. Regardless, it's excellent.

Anyway...

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DJ Quik & Problem - Rosecrans

It's strange that such a lovely release would constitute a disappointment, but such is the quality and consistency of DJ Quik's output over the past 25 years. This mini-album is a love letter to Compton, the first half of which is filled with luscious g-funk, the second half of which bizarrely abandons its established sonic identity in favour of something altogether less fun. It doesn't help that most of the album's rhymes are handled by rappers with far less personality than Quik - there isn't anything wrong with Problem per se, and Quik has repeatedly proven over the course of his career that he favours rappers who can stay in the pocket, but nothing here leaps out as particularly memorable in terms of rhymes, even if the entire thing is competent and sunny. The ten minute 'A New Nite / Rosecrans Groove' is the undoubted album highlight, with its ever-evolving, mischievous, bleep-propelled funk beat and catchy, Nate Dogg-indebted hook, but nothing else quite matches up, and 'Take It Off One Time' in particular is so pedestrian that Big Sean would be hesitant to use it as a B-side. Anyway, as a cross-generational experiment this is a mostly interesting and enjoyable West Coast curio that will no doubt soundtrack plenty of summer drives with the windows down, but it feels far too front-heavy and ultimately kinda flimsy.

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Norman Bates — Mon, 23 May 2016 14:03:41 GMT

Author: Norman Bates

Posted: 05/23/2016 18:03

Thanks for the tip on Capleton, will listen. Agree on both James Blake and Radiohead (very far AOTY for me, still a nice surprise). Not as enthusiastic as you are about Beyoncé, I only find half the tracks good - but these are very good.

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Skinny — Mon, 23 May 2016 12:09:26 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 05/23/2016 16:09

In defence of...

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Drake - VIEWS

I totally understand everybody's reservations about this album, and it's difficult to disagree with the assertion that large portions of the album are, at best, underwhelming and, at worst, utterly forgettable. That said, I don't consider these to be crippling flaws when it comes to the overall listenability of the record. Sonically, VIEWS is pristine, a utopian, crystalline vision of the widescreen, monochrome, glacial synth sound that 40 has been slowly perfecting over the past few years, ever since he first set out the blueprint (across a whole album, at least) on Take Care. These beats often feel maudlin and melancholy, but they're also muscular, beats that might not necessarily be the most melodically gripping but ones whose gravitas is always apparent, beats that are capable of defining the entire mood of whatever space they inhabit. They might recall Aaliyah's intangible, ghostly R'n'B ('Redemption'), Jay-Z's triumphant, soulful, King of the World late-'90s majesty ('Weston Road Flows'), or even something as relatively obscure, at least on an international scale, as New Orleans bounce or UK funky ('Child's PLAY' and 'One Dance', respectively), but they each come with a distinct sheen and a heft that means that - taken as a whole - they can feel like a comforting morass of pumped up mood music, albeit splattered with necessary moments of colourful inspiration, songs that punctuate the gloom and give the album its standout moments.

While this may be a hard sell for some, I'm a sucker for albums I can put on in the background and let slowly unfurl, without obnoxious changes in vibe or tempo, and VIEWS is one such record. Whilst some of its songs may lack the immediacy (or, more bluntly, the quality) of their counterparts from Nothing Was the Same, there is also a welcome lack of the jarring moments that made that LP such a lopsided, frustrating listen. In an instant access world, it probably isn't artistically sensible to fill an album with so many songs that fail to grab the listener, but it's difficult to deny that the record, when taken as a whole, cultivates and sustains a vibe that means it can glide by unobtrusively in the background, and I think there's something to be said for that particular attribute. Does it make for the most satisfying album? No, in all honesty - but it does make for an album whose presence isn't really ever unwelcome, at least as far as I'm concerned.

Another (very valid) criticism I've been seeing is that this album features some of Drake's worst rapping (or, rather bizarrely, his least rapping, as if people are desperate to hear more cringeworthy punchlines and cookie-cutter tales about faceless women he despises), but I'm not sure that's too much of an issue for me. I generally FIND(and always have found) Drake's on-mic character - if indeed it is even a character - to be downright odious; he's bitter, petty, and self-absorbed in all the worst ways possible, and his constant denigrating of women who refuse to put up with his obvious and multiple flaws is tiring and astonishingly lacking in self-awareness. Then again, I don't think anybody would argue that Drake's main strengths have ever been as a lyricist, and so to attempt to critique his work based on that particular rubric seems pretty reductive to me. He has an effortlessly melodic flow, and is exceptionally capable when it comes to blending into a beat, becoming part of a sound sculpture as opposed to trying to be heard over the top of everything else (which is why I could never get into IYRTITL, no matter how hard I tried). On this album, perhaps due to the fact that so much of it is taken up with his singing, he achieves that with more aplomb than ever before, becoming essentially just another instrument in a much wider orchestra. In fact - and this relates to my previous point about the record gliding by unobtrusively - it's only when I find myself paying attention too closely to the lyrics here that I actually realise how stupid and inane a lot of them are, even largely lacking the (admittedly corny) quotables of Drake albums past. I don't need to know what Drake is saying in order to enjoy an album - his sing-song flow, and his chameleonic ability to adapt to these beats, is what makes him a fantastic rapper at the end of the day.

Overall, I don't love this album. It's impossible to love any album with so much music that simply refuses to stick in my brain or resonate in any lasting emotional way. But it is an album I thoroughly enjoy, and one that I find endlessly listenable, and I think that's a very valuable quality in its own right. So yeah, I get why a lot of people are shitting on this record, and I don't even disagree with many of their criticisms, but given the right mood and the right setting there aren't too many other albums released this year, if any, that I'd rather listen to. It almost certainly won't end up in my hip-hop top ten of the year, but I can definitely see myself returning to it time and time again, as I already have been, especially when I'm under the influence and surrounded by friends and want to listen to something that everybody can enjoy without it taking attention away from the conversation. And, for those purposes, at least to me, VIEWS is the perfect album.

Some other random scribblings:

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The Hotelier - Goodness

It's not a genre I typically have a lot of time for, but there's something about The Hotelier's effortlessly anthemic emo - with its mature, world-weary lyrics, bright, clean production, and undeniable pop sensibilities - that I find extremely appealing. Their music feels earnest and vital, as though totally unencumbered by cliche or cloying self-awareness, recalling the heart-on-sleeves rock of The Replacements or The Hold Steady as much as any of their more obvious generic forebears. It's smart without feeling superior, ambitious without feeling self-important, nostalgic without feeling like an exercise in retrofetishism. Goodness fits alongside Mitski's Puberty 2 as an intelligent, emotionally transparent indie rock record in 2016 that doesn't need to rely on quirky, artsy flourishes to provide its thrills (not that there's anything inherently wrong with that), and the payoff is massive; this is their best yet.

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Whitney - Light Upon the Lake

Despite containing absolutely nothing that remotely resembles even the most subtle or tenuous of original ideas, there's something extremely comforting about this record. Nods to The Band, Neil Young, and that sort of chunky, warm, soulful, educated working class, long drives on sunny days, effortless and ever-so-slightly drunken country-tinged rock music that seemingly every bearded male in America used to specialise in just prior to punk, music that could soundtrack the cliched freewheeling early scenes of a fake rock band biopic, before all the drugs take over and the whole thing takes a decidedly darker turn. Been listening to this quite a lot in the last couple of days, especially in social situations, because it's very much a summer record, and because it seemingly pleases everybody, probably due to that wonderful familiarity that appears to put people immediately at ease. I'm not usually a fan of these sorts of earnest retro romps, but there's something completely loveable about this. Highly recommended.

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The Dwarfs of East Agouza - Bes

Been vibing to this over the past week. It's a supergroup of sorts, with the most well-known member here being bassist Alan Bishop of mischievous, globe-hopping psych-rockers Sun City Girls, and this album certainly recalls some of that band's best moments (and even harks back to their best album, Torch of the Mystics, in its similar artwork). Basically this album is made up of scratchy, hypnotic, enjoyably ramshackle jams that take various motifs from North African music but instill them with a Kosmische pulse. The album manages to feel very free and yet very disciplined at the same time, concentrating on upbeat, accessible rhythms, but underscoring them with muscular basslines that anchor everything. The real joy here is in the guitar-playing, which is agile and occasionally fraught, calling to mind early Wire if they were tripping on acid. This is breezy, fun music that sounds perfect on a sunny day (until, y'know, it turns into a slightly nightmarish acid jam for the last half an hour).

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James Blake - The Colour in Anything

I dunno about the new James Blake. There are moments that are really beautiful, and some more idiosyncratic moments that help to break the monotony, but his impressionistic, mantra-esque songwriting gets really tiring for me. It might also have to do with the fact that I associate his voice with a particular sort of middle class English dude I just can't relate to. But I definitely prefer his earlier, vocal-less stuff (or, more accurately, the stuff where the vocals were culled entirely from samples) - the CMYK EP and 'Air and Lack Thereof', releases that are far more colourful than his recent greyscale output. Since he started using his voice and a piano more prominently, he's definitely an artist I find works best in small doses (I love 'The Wilhelm Scream', but find that most of the tracks on the entire s/t album are far too indistinguishable from one another), and so a 76-minute album was always going to be difficult for me. Don't get me wrong, I like the record quite a bit, and it definitely makes for a cool, meditative listen, but - perhaps due to that aforementioned sparse, shallow lyrical style - it isn't really growing on me with each new listen; in fact, it's having the opposite effect, whereby the first listen was really interesting but there's nothing new or exciting that seems to be emerging from further immersing myself in it. It sounds like a more self-absorbed, less interesting mid-era Massive Attack album, which isn't a bad thing, but certainly doesn't make for album of the year material for me. That said, it's cool that he seems to be getting props for the album from around the world - I've watched his career with interest since he broke out into that post-dubstep scene and, whilst I'm not overly enamoured with the musical choices he's made since, I am happy that he seems to be achieving some significant success (which, let's be honest, simply wouldn't have happened if he'd continued making music in the vein of CMYK).

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Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

I'm no Radiohead stan (I loved OK Computer when I was 13, but it's largely lost its lustre over the years; I think Kid A is really cool but still vastly overrated; I found their last album to be a total chore; all that said, I have lots and lots of love for Amnesiac, The Bends, and particularly In Rainbows), but A Moon Shaped Pool is my favourite album of the year. It's dense, perfect for twilight listening, and utterly heartbreaking. Love the synthesis of their now-trademark subtle, gloomy electronics, spidery guitar work, and Greenwood's newly honed vibrant orchestral arrangements, not to mention the welcome addition of a distinct British folk rock vibe on a few of the tracks. Yorke's lyrics still feature his trademark paranoia and anxiety, but this time they feel more direct and personal than ever, often referring very specifically to tragically doomed romance. It might be their most laidback album musically, but it's still a heavy album, full of sonic nooks and crannies to hibernate in - it might even be their most accessible album, at least in terms of traditionally pretty melodies, since OK Computer, but cleverly eschews that album's sometimes cringeworthy youthful angst in favour of something far more mature and nuanced. In a year that has already been responsible for a healthy smattering of records I love (not least those from Beyoncé, Jameszoo, Kim Myhr/Jenny Hval/Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, Jamal Moss/Mark Sanders/Orphy Robinson, Skepta, Sophia Loizou, and a couple from Boosie), this record still stands out as something truly special. Highly recommended, especially late at night through a good pair of headphones.

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Westside Gunn - FLYGOD

No less of a stylist than Future or Young Thug, this is nonetheless excellent East Coast hardcore hip-hop, albeit with a decidedly retro feel. While Gunn may not have the writerly chops of Roc Marciano, the technical precision of Ka, or the multicoloured universe-sculpting bravado of Action Bronson, he still has an endlessly listenable voice and manages to fill his rhymes with a vibrant mixture of violent threats, clued-up fashion references, and street knowledge slogans. The beats here fit nicely into that NY lineage of RZA-influenced claustrophobic soul, and if nothing else it's refreshing to hear an album that's so deliberately and distinctively regional in a landscape that feels less so every day.

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Gallant - Ology

I've seen no mention of this on the board, but I think it would appeal to lots of people here. He fits pretty neatly into that post-Frank Ocean collection of introspective, subtly forward-thinking R'n'B singers. Don't get me wrong, it's still essentially a pop album, but these songs are decorated with some really cool, unusual moments, ranging from a creaking, reverbed-up sax, to guitars that could have been robbed from The Church or The Cure in the mid-'80s, to drum'n'bass breakbeats that seemingly come from nowhere. It's these production embellishments, as well as some rather vivid, idiosyncratic lyrical imagery, that prevent the album from turning into a relatively bland mess of vague balladry, but Gallant does probably flirt with Sam Smith territory a little too closely at times. It doesn't have the same focus or likeable modesty of dvsn's album, the sunny demeanour or topical variety of Anderson .Paak's, or the all-encompassing mood of KING's, and he probably hasn't distanced himself from Frank Ocean quite enough to carve out his own lane completely just yet (I've put it on in the car a couple of times recently, and my girlfriend has twice mistaken it for new Ocean music), but Ology is a very decent R'n'B record, if a little overwrought.

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Jameszoo - Fool

The latest artist to join Flying Lotus' crusade to drag jazz-fusion into the 21st century, Dutch producer Jameszoo is the mischievous tagalong of the gang. Eschewing the maximalism of Kamasi Washington's The Epic, the curved-edge beauty of Thundercat's recent offerings, and the self-seriousness of Flying Lotus' latest futile attempt to win a Grammy, Jameszoo makes crude, skeletal, playful jazz that recalls Robert Wyatt in all of its twee, whimsical glory. Tinny percussive tics randomly punctuate moments of silence, mobile phone synths attempt to play catchy, Herbie Hancock-aping riffs, and songs jut off at abrupt angles with such regularity that the only predictable thing about them is that they're liable to fold in on themselves at any moment. Despite (or perhaps because of) its lighthearted, naive nature, there's something really satisfying going on here, like listening to somebody try to recreate the Weather Report based only on a stoner's vague description and armed with nothing but the most basic of tools. Brilliant stuff.

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Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, Kim Myhr & Jenny Hval - In the End His Voice Will Be the Sound of Paper

So my current favourite artist from Norway (or possibly the world) finally lands on my current favourite label from Norway (or possibly the world), and the album still manages to surpass my expectations. In fairness, this album belongs not to Jenny Hval so much as it does to Kim Myhr, whose quietly direct 12-string acoustic guitar playing and slyly dynamic compositions are the real star here, with Hval's hypnotic falsetto and series of vivid non-sequiturs becoming simply another ingredient in a much bigger stew. Entirely acoustic, this record captures the sleepily sinister vibe of her previous collaboration with Susanna, Meshes of Voice, but features a far more varied sonic palette, with a plethora of stringed instruments working together in a controlled chaos to craft something akin to violent fairy tale soundtracks, evoking threatening woodland creatures jumping out at you from all angles as you try attempt to navigate a labyrinthine forest blanketed in a deep purple sky. This is the folk music of a faraway land where the willow trees whisper warnings and nothing is quite as it seems.

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Beyoncé - Lemonade

It's not a perfect analogy by any means - one is a curator of talent, bringing together teams of writers and musicians to help achieve exactly what she wants to do, whereas the other was famously single-minded and self-sufficient when it came to his music - but the last two (arguably three) Beyoncé albums suggest that she might be the best artist since Prince when it comes to balancing her artistic vision with commercial ambitions, especially within the LP format. Here, she is turning her hand to a number of genres, without ever allowing those whims to subtract from the cohesion of the album, and always staying rooted in contemporary R'n'B, recalling Purple Rain or Sign 'O' the Times. I'm not saying her last two albums are as good as those, but nobody working in the pop sphere is putting out music of such quality at this moment. This is probably my album of the year so far.

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Mitski - Puberty 2

This is the album I wanted the last Torres album to be. If Greta Gerwig had co-writing duties.

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Capleton - Masterpiece

Capleton is probably second only to Sizzla in terms of great artists who broke out of that post-Garnett Silk reggae scene that effortlessly mixed modern dancehall with more traditional roots and lovers rock, and he remains one of the genre's most distinctive voices. This isn't anything that hasn't been done plenty of times before, including by the man himself, but he sounds full of energy and the riddims are largely killer, a thick, vibrant selection that recalls the colourful landscape of Sizzla's mid-career highlight Waterhouse Redemption. The themes here are standard fare, but this is high quality throughout and quite possibly the best dancehall album I've heard since that aforementioned Sizzla record.

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Skinny — Tue, 3 May 2016 15:10:41 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 05/03/2016 19:10

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Jamal Moss, Mark Sanders & Orphy Robinson - 01.01.2016 (2016)

Gurgling vibraphone, propulsive, jungle-referencing drums, choppy, simmering synths and tape loops - suggestive of a coming apocalypse of sorts - and third-eye revolutionist spoken word all come together here to create one of the most interesting and vital hours of music I've heard this year. Recorded at London's amazing Cafe OTO on New Year's Day, this thing is constantly evolving, starting off pretty heady and trance-like and just edging further towards the cliff from there. It sounds a little bit like Roy Ayers had a really bad acid trip that ended with him and Sun Ra jamming at a darkside drum'n'bass rave as the sky threatened to collapse, and is therefore something you absolutely need to hear (obviously). It's the only digital release I've actually spent money on - something I'm loath to do - since fuck knows when, and I don't even remotely regret it. I think that dividesbyzero, Tap, Norman Bates, Grzywa, Muslim-Bigfoot in particular would enjoy this, but it's worth a go whoever you are.

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Skinny — Mon, 2 May 2016 05:21:03 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 05/02/2016 09:21

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Lemonade by Beyoncé

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Views by Drake

[insert thinkpiece here]

Re: History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

Skinny — Sat, 26 Mar 2016 05:21:12 GMT

Author: Skinny

Posted: 03/26/2016 09:21

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Hella Personal Film Festival by Open Mike Eagle & Paul White

I was a huge fan of Dark Comedy, and I've generally enjoyed Paul White's production when I've heard it (largely via Danny Brown and Homeboy Sandman). Only listened to this a couple of times through so far, but it expands on Dark Comedy's mix of societal anxiety and whimsy, albeit with a somewhat more idiosyncratic, varied (and, in a weird way, soulful) beat selection. Not everything works (on first listen, anyway), and the whole thing has a subdued, almost sleepy vibe that I'm not sure about, but as a series of vignettes on a range of issues - be it the concerns of trying to build relationships in the digital age, the subtle but most certainly rife racism that people encounter every day, or society's addiction to its collective phone screen - it's largely excellent. Much like Busdriver, Mike Eagle doesn't so much offer answers as he does questions, often worded absurdly but usually hinting at something far deeper; human vulnerability. This isn't necessarily a popular theme in hip-hop, so it's good that guys like Mike Eagle are out there working that angle, especially when done as cleverly as it is here. Be interested to hear other people's thoughts on this album.