ayy ty Hayden. That B. Cool-Aid album's been on my radar for awhile so I'll probably move that up the listening queue first, and the others have completely passed me by so am excited to hear those as well
Yeah— hope you like some of those. Think your tops picks would probably be Isaac, Cornelia, Yungmorpheus & B. Cool-Aid, but I threw in the other two for good measure (and, well— they're very good).
Not sure why people were so lukewarm to the B. Cool-Aid record— maybe because it's a little long? I dunno— but the album's an absolute vibe. Really something to float into. Production's masterful, really smooth west-coast funky soul-drenched palette— more relaxing than anything tbh, has a summer warmth.
Unrelated, I'm going to post some other recent recs, hopefully tomorrow (I mean, most are on my chart already, but whatever).
Unrelated, I'm going to post some other recent recs, hopefully tomorrow (I mean, most are on my chart already, but whatever).
Little later than promised, but here are my recent favs—
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African Rhapsodies by Seckou Keita / BB... Orchestra
Slightly reminiscent of 2021's Toumani Diabaté / LSO collab— kora-led with a British orchestral arrangements. Gorgeous work. First time listening to Keita— hadn't even heard of him beforehand— easily ranks among the year's best.
I mentioned this album already (in anticipation), but what absolute bangers. Compositions here are colossal. — the embaire (pictured in the cover/above is an instrument I don't think I've ever heard elsewhere/before, etc, — lovely tones out of it. Like a giant wooden xylophone— and by giant, I mean giant— blurb says eight people can play the singular instrument at the same time. Also, surprisingly slaps— legit some tracks I think talented MCs could go over. Exciting work.
Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? by McKinley Dixon
Dixon's a name to watch. Really tight bars over beats I wish Kendrick would pick. Jazzy/poetic/heartfelt/smooth, love when hip-hop dives into this territory.
Lucky Teeth by Liam Noble & Geoff Simkins
Very interesting jazz duo. So smooth and light and minimalist yet raw. It's a very easy listen despite being (in theory) inaccessible-ish. Nice surprise on this one. Just liked the cover and gave it a spin.
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When We Were That What Wept For The Sea...in Stetson
And why nobody's talking about this, I have no clue. Stetsons best since Vol 3— surprised this isn't called Vol 4. Gorgeous record, and the theme suits his sound perfectly. Glad to hear Stetson put out another epic like this. The entire thing is still absolutely implausible, but that's just him doing his thing.
New records from Sufjan Stevens, Mickey Diamond, Speakers Corner Quartet, Juan Wauters, Namian Sidibé, Tinariwen, Ben Vida, Water Damage, etc— all solid too.
I'll... add better descriptors later... maybe—
either way, those are the recent recs.
Please listen to some.
When We Were That What Wept For The Sea...in Stetson
And why nobody's talking about this, I have no clue. Stetsons best since Vol 3— surprised this isn't called Vol 4. Gorgeous record, and the theme suits his sound perfectly. Glad to hear Stetson put out another epic like this. The entire thing is still absolutely implausible, but that's just him doing his thing.
One very embarrassing track though. Otherwise, yes. And while you're mentioning Stetson, I saw you added this
to the site, and I highly recommend it. For fans of Stetson assuredly (avant-garde solo sax, instrument clicks and body noises included). And it doesn't have The Lighthouse III.
Oh, also, that new Dylan is very good. Now this is one nobody's talking about either (3 charts?)
Yep, a new Blur album is good news for super fans. I also checked out the new single and I'd also go with Okay as my response. Sounded quite a bit like Grandaddy circa The Software Slump. Not a terrible thing but not super exciting either. I'll certainly check out the album when it comes along though.
Heard The Narcissist again on the radio this morning. I’m warming to it. Darren could be a winner.
Slowdive's Neil Halstead, on this podcast episode just over a week ago, says the band has "finished" a new album. No other details, but that was enough to get a few music writers to mention it, here for example. This alone could make 2023 a banner year for the genre.......
The new album is going to be called "Everything is Alive," and the release date is Sept. 1.
So far only one track, "Kisses," is available preview-wise:
So that's pretty exciting, at least for the shoegazer 'n' dreampopper contingent. (I don't think the cover art is going to make anyone want to change their forum avatar, though.)
This is actually 1987 music that's been remixed and remastered for 2023, but there is now a release date for The Chills' new version of their tragically-misproduced 1987 Brave Words album — specifically, Oct. 13, which of course is a Friday. Nice choice there, guys!
Anyway, there's already a Bandcamp pre-order page for it, but there's only one track there that was also on the original album — "Party in My Heart." I listened to it and it's definitely different-sounding, but my copy of the original is actually my own vinyl rip that I EQ'd rather heavily, so I'm not sure I can describe the difference very accurately. The bass is definitely tighter and more distinct on the new version, and there's less reverb in general (these were the two biggest problems with the original) but beyond that you should probably check it out for yourself if you're a Chills fan. If you're not a Chills fan, then maybe don't bother.
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I will say, just as a snippy personal side-note, that here on BEA Kaleidoscope World is listed as the #1 Chills album over what is hands-down obviously the best Chills album by several miles, Submarine Bells. I can only assume this has something to do with the 1986 release date (Submarine Bells was released in 1990), given that BEA weighs chart rankings equally from different years/decades, yada yada yada. So I don't mean to diss anyone's chart rankings. I'm just sayin', if you're curious about this-here band and you want to hear the best album first, please skip the #1 and go straight to the #2 in this case.
I will say, just as a snippy personal side-note, that here on BEA Kaleidoscope World is listed as the #1 Chills album over what is hands-down obviously the best Chills album by several miles, Submarine Bells. I can only assume this has something to do with the 1986 release date (Submarine Bells was released in 1990), given that BEA weighs chart rankings equally from different years/decades, yada yada yada. So I don't mean to diss anyone's chart rankings. I'm just sayin', if you're curious about this-here band and you want to hear the best album first, please skip the #1 and go straight to the #2 in this case.
I have to disagree completely. As much as I love Submarine Bells,
1. Soft Bomb is actually better (i.e. if hardcorely first degree defend-the-earth-it's-dying type of lyrics don't make you cringe),
2. I would personally advise Kaleidoscope World as anybody's entry point into the Chills' discography. This immaculate compilation documents early singles and stuff, which may not make up for as tight a listen as an actual thoughtfully sequenced LP, but it's brilliant in every way, and it's got, among other marvels, Pink Frost.
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