History of the Communist Party of Great Britain 1927-1941

[Lowkey]

Have you listened to Islah yet?

[Skinny]

[RoundTheBend]

[Skinny]

Really been struggling to find the energy, motivation, inspiration or time to write anything at all about the albums I've been listening, but I've got a week off work and I'm going to try to do some very small writeups on some 2016 releases I've been enjoying (no promises I'll actually keep this up).

First up...

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James West - DJ Midi Mayne Busy Night Time 1997 (2016)

This is basically an ADHD finger buffet of classic house tropes, but all linked by a sleazy, scratch-the-surface-and-who-knows-what-you'll-find, knowing wink. There's a certain crudeness here that feels quite refreshing, even if it's difficult to shake the sense that most of the stuff here has been done umpteen times before. The scatterbrained approach to the album's sequencing means that it never really settles into one groove long enough to explore the possibilities to a satisfactory level, but it also prevents the album from getting stuck in a rut, constantly moving forward with gleeful abandon, which winds up being pretty satisfying in itself. This isn't a million miles away from the feelgood, DIY, casually retro releases coming out of a label like 1080p (and similar types to be found all over Bandcamp), but it maintains its own identity despite trying on many different coats, and it's one of the most fun straightforward dance records I've heard this year.
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2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.

[Skinny]

Fuck it, been writing brief paragraphs for the albums in my 2016 chart. Go check out my thoughts on stuff over there. Will be adding more here as I listen to stuff, which is what this was intended for anyway. Link to chart in sig.

Recommend me stuff pretty please all the time.
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2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.

[undefined]

[Skinny]

[Skinny]

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Blessed To Raise Hell by Killa Kyleon

Unapologetic Houston gangsta rap, from arguably the town's most natural lyricist. Much like featured guest Kevin Gates, Kyleon brings a welcome sense of humanity to his otherwise ice-cold tales of life in unforgiving streets. Beats here vary between sturdy, melancholy (if slightly pedestrian) trap, and more traditional Houston soul fare, a juxtaposition undeniably passed down by former mentor Slim Thug. Whilst his voice may not carry the same gravitas as Thug's, he has a confident mid-range drawl, and is able to spit rapid-fire, multisyllabic rhymes that are dripping with pathos. This album forgoes the sense of fun that punctuated his last mixtape proper, 2013's Lean On Me, and it could be argued that it suffers somewhat for that, but he still soars when paired with a decent hook-man over polished, cinematic, Southern soul beats. Any Kyleon full-length featuring all original production is a blessing, and this one is no different.
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2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.

[Skinny]

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Trembling Air by 12z

This is gloomy, organic, borderline ambient electronic ish that kind of sounds like Nils Frahm reimagined by Actress. Lots of oscillating drones buzz underneath, sounding not unlike treated cello, whilst the percussion here is earthy and drenched in reverb, giving the whole album a tribal feel. This album is at its best when its compositions are given a bit of oomph, though the slower passages help to cultivate a vaguely ominous feeling that something bad is going to happen. Not much space is left as various distorted whirs and thuds are stacked atop each other, but it never feels as though things are getting out of control. In spite of everything going on they are always able to construct something tangible out of the rubble, and it makes for a beautifully warped collection of trip-hop-leaning tunes.
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2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.

[Skinny]

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No One Deserves Happiness by The Body

On which our heroes GO POP!, eschewing their previously oblique compositions in favour of something genuinely catchy, adding synthetic 808 beats, clear female vocals, and cello to their unholy mix. They are still The Body, and this is still pretty antisocial stuff (as a brief foray into overwhelming power electronics proves), largely defined by all-encompassing, soaring doom metal chords and thundering drums, as well as by their now-trademark rooster-esque shrieking, but gone are the forays into dark, structureless, drone passages and angular, almost rhythm-less improvisations, replaced by more recognisable structures. It would be easy to miss the more outwardly experimental nature of earlier works if this wasn't so fucking good. It is harsh and lonely and extremely dynamic, and it stands as my favourite album by the group so far - an entirely unexpected success.
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2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.