Music Round-Up Q2: Super Spring
As I write this it’s exactly 2 weeks until I get married and I’ve been jotting this down in stolen moments between preparations. But the great thing about music is that you can take it with you wherever you go. Through all the planning, all the crafting, all the sorting; we’ve had music to soundtrack it all. This last quarter has seriously heated up for us, and with it — new releases have turned it up a gear too. At the end of 2018 there’ll be a lot to look back on, that’s for sure.
Before I get started — here are a couple of records I missed (read: was late to) from Q1 that I really want to recommend and that I’ll be listening to all year. Oh and at the very end is a bit about this year’s XXL Freshman Class.
JPEGMAFIA — Veteran: Before this year I’d never heard of the strange Baltimore rapper but as soon as I dipped a foot in his weird world I was all in. The album is a patchwork glimpse into his singular mind. Damn Peggy.
MGMT — Little Dark Age: Oracular Spectacular was meant go down as one of the great debut albums of a generation from a band that would never repeat its success. But 11 years and 3 albums later they finally recapture the magic.
SHIRT — Pure Beauty: The first rapper on Third Man Records; I got into this very Queens, NYC album through a great profile piece which instantly excited me. Anyone describing themselves as Duchampian automatically makes a fan.
Ocean Wisdom — Wizville: If you asked me a couple years ago what I thought about UK hip hop I’d have been unenthused. But it just keeps getting better and better and Brighton’s own Wiz gives us our very own Joey Bada$$.
Right, back to it.
April
Littlebabyangel — GABA: For 2 months this was only acquirable through the LuckyMe mailing list which made this strange, industrial album feel like a thrilling secret. Think The Weeknd singing over Yeezus instrumentals.
Saba — Care For Me: Chicago’s Saba released his first project 2 years ago which felt like a strong addition to the young Savemoney movement. But the follow up carves him out as a unique talent. Devastatingly personal and true.
Flatbush Zombies — Vacation In Hell: FBZ are my favourite rap trio and on their second official album they really prove why. Bursting with twisted creativity and outsider attitude they show that hip hop means more.
Eels — The Deconstruction: I’ll listen to anything Mark Everett puts out but I felt his latest was really under-appreciated. Does he reinvent the wheel here? No, but I love his goddamn wheel. The world needs his damaged solace.
Cardi B — Invasion of Privacy: The ascension of Cardi has been thrilling and I’m so glad for her success. The album holds lots of delights and serious fun but I can’t see myself coming back to it after the turn of the year.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra — Sex & Food: The perfect groove album and one that I really enjoyed now that Currents has fully been played to death. So many cool ideas on it, so perfectly executed. The back catalogue beckons.
Kali Uchis — Isolation: The singer’s debut is full of character and acts as the perfect introduction to her slick tones. Features from The Internet’s Steve Lacy and Tyler the Creator are great, but Jorja Smith’s appearance steals the show.
Dermot Kennedy — Mike Dean Presents: Dermot Kennedy: If there was any justice in the world then this Dubliner would be number 1 in 50 countries. His guttural howl tugs at your core, especially covering Frank Ocean’s Swim Good.
Tinashe — Joyride: Back in 2013 ex-child actress Tinashe really felt like she was doing something different. After delays and other interim albums the long awaited Joyride arrived but it’s nothing more than a reliable pop record.
Smokepurpp & Murda Beatz — Bless Yo Trap: For me the jury is still out on Smokepurpp but Murda Beatz is clearly an ascending star whose production can be found on some huge hits. Here the 2 meet in the middle to meh effect.
Novelist — Novelist Guy: One of the UK’s most vital rap talents, it’s mad that it feels like he’s been around for a while and is still only 21. He produced much of the music on his debut proper and it demands repeat listens closer.
Carnage — Battered, Bruised, and Bloody: After last year’s flawless EP with Young Thug and the brilliant lead single with Mac Miller, expectations were high for this release…biggest let down of the year. Some terrible EDM here.
Young Thug — Hear No Evil: At only 3 songs this EP made me realise how I now need a whole Thugga album every year. Each song features a star but it’s alongside Nicki Minaj he shines the brightest. Is there anything he can’t do?
J. Cole — KOD: My favourite Cole album is Born Sinner and it was on KOD that I finally let go of waiting for more of the same. This is a parsed-back rumination on the state of the youth but he does it with effortless cool.
Janelle Monáe — Dirty Computer: I’ve long been a fan of Monáe and this was the breakthrough album I’d been hoping she’d get. It’s bold, triumphant and undeniable; taking the mantle of Prince but making it every bit her own.
Post Malone — beerbongs & bentleys: At 18 songs long there is way too much Post Malone here. This is Justin Bieber over sleepy trap beats and that’s it. He doesn’t care about hip hop, why do we care about him? Stop making him #1.
May
Rae Sremmurd — SremmLife3: I didn’t think they could pull it off, but a triple album from RS is actually pretty good. I loved how they had a disc each (a la Outkast) but then came together on the third disc. Somehow never overstays.
Jon Hopkins — Singularity: For any electronic music fan, a new Jon Hopkins album is an event. But even with the weight of expectation the producer still stunned. He plots out a psychotropic experience here but it feels like life itself.
Iceage — Beyondless: On which the Copenhagen band level up (again); this time adding strings, swagger and Sky Ferreira to their wheelhouse. It’s an immediately more accessible listen but gets better with each play too.
Royce 5’9″ — Book Of Ryan: Hot off the heels of March’s second album from his collaboration with legendary DJ Premier, Royce comes back alone here to even more punch. Props for making Eminem good again too, wow.
Desiigner — L.O.D: Before Kanye’s 7-song album campaign, this GOOD Music rapper released his own without his help. Sadly, it’s still under-realised but the opening song featured by Ronny J is a masterstroke collaboration.
Sharda — Sharda: Released on Murlo’s Coil Records imprint, one suspects that Sharda may be an alias for him. But the key thing here is that the 4 songs here are pure supercharged garage with modern twists. So much fun.
Arctic Monkeys — Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino: My fandom for the Sheffield foursome has sometimes waned over the years but I really enjoyed this new direction. Certainly a mood piece, it’s cool to hear them experiment.
Ski Mask the Slump God — Beware the Book of Eli: Proving he’s more than just the fastest-tongue of the Soundcloud pack, here Ski Mask plots himself out as part Busta Rhymes, part ODB, but entirely his own character.
Beach House — 7: I didn’t realise how much I missed Beach House until this came. To be fair, I think I largely skipped the 2 albums they released in 2015 so the time was ripe to dive back in. Like arriving home after a long trip away.
Tee Grizzley — Activated: For me, the most glaring omission on this year XXL Freshman list was this Detroit rapper (more on this later.) Here on his debut he carves out his own lane and proves why he’s a vital up and comer.
Playboi Carti — Die Lit: Carti holds a special place for me as The Most Overrated New Rapper™ and while the features on here (Skepta, Travis, Young Thug) made it more interesting than his debut, it’s still forgettable.
DJDS — Big Wave More Fire: I’ve been a fan of the duo since their respective previous projects but felt they really came into their own on 2016’s ‘Stand Up And Speak’ but here they soar even higher, and with more friends. Amazing.
Hit-boy — Tony Montana: I have long moaned about Hit-boy turning his back on production to focus on rapping. I mean, he gave us N****s In Paris, Backseat Freestyle, Trophies and so many more. But here he makes it count.
Pusha T — Daytona: What can I be said about 2018’s biggest beef that hasn’t already been said? The album that sparked it all (and the first in Kanye’s Wyoming series) finally showed the world that Push is Top 5, no challenge.
A$AP Rocky — Testing: I was hedging a lot of bets on this album being amazing, and finally elevating Rocky to legend status. But despite the interesting experimentation, it’s a bit disappointing. Great live though.
June
Kanye West — ye: If anything, Kanye’s series of 7-track albums this summer proved that 25 minutes is too short. Ye showed frustrating glimpses of genius amongst infuriating displays of ignorance. Easy to enjoy, hard to defend.
Oneohtrix Point Never — Age Of: The phrase ‘world-building’ is thrown about a lot in discussion of OPN but this was the album where it all clicked for me. An irresistible journey the bridge where humanity and technology face off.
Father John Misty — God’s Favorite Customer: After obsessing over Honeybear I found Tillman’s last album of doomsday disdain a bitter pill to swallow. This one bared his soul once more and reminded me why I fell in the first place.
Future — SUPERFLY (Original Soundtrack): After the unprecedented success of Kendrick’s Black Panther soundtrack, no one expected Future to pull it out the bag for this film. But it’s his best music in a while and his guests wow.
Kanye West & Kid Cudi — Kids See Ghosts: Week 3 of Mr. West’s Wild Ride saw him redeem himself somewhat with a freewheeling psych-out which showcases some of the pairs best raps for years and mind-blowing beats.
Lykke Li — so sad so sexy: I absolutely fell head over heels for Lykke Li’s last album, the heartbroken I Never Learn. This one is more generic but triumphant, introducing trap beats to her smooth Scandinavian groove.
serpentwithfeet — soil: Josiah Wise is one of my favourite rising stars and his Haxan Cloak-produced debut EP last year blew my mind. He goes even further with his first full-length creating a singular gem from the dark.
Jorja Smith — Lost & Found: I nearly didn’t listen to this purely based on the hyperbole surrounding her threatening to crush the talent. Her song on the Black Panther OST changed my mind and I’m glad I gave this a proper go.
Nas — NASIR: Already widely perceived as the weakest of the 5 Kanye-produced albums, I actually enjoyed this a lot. Even though his lyrical pen is obviously waning (not to mention the Anti-Vax stuff) the beats were fire.
Beyoncé & JAY-Z — Everything Is Love: After Lemonade and 4:44 it made perfect sense for the power couple to come back together and make a sumptuous collab album which celebrates love in luxury. A happy ending.
Rico Nasty — Nasty: I just discovered Rico Nasty while I was writing this and I’m so happy I did. Marred by tragedy, her violent flows remain exciting throughout the whole record, stamping her out as a young talent to watch.
Jay Rock — Redemption: TDE’s resident strong-man returns after a near-fatal motorbike accident to step out of Kendrick & Q’s shadows and show that he isn’t afraid to try new things. More melodic than before but still hard as nails.
SOPHIE — Oil Of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides: SOPHIE emerged with the PC Music wave and her first single wound me up. But after “…OK To Cry” everything changed, and this album is stunning. Like an bull elephant in the club.
Leon Vynehall — Nothing Is Still: This is the album I’d been waiting for Vynehall to make. 2016’s Rojus was great but too techno for my tastes, but this concept record about his grandparents’ emigration from UK to NYC is great.
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie — International Artist: A Boogie always gets a listen from me purely based on what an instant classic single ‘Drowning’ was. This exploration of world sounds is interesting but essentially pretty average.
Teyana Taylor — Keep That Same Energy: The final in Kanye’s Wyoming run ends on a real high. I came to this with no expectations but it turns out Ye NEEDS to make more R’n’B records. Taylor’s voice is absolutely flawless.
Freddie Gibbs — Freddie: After rising again from the false accusations of 2016, Hip Hop’s last true gangster comes back swinging again with 10 perfectly formed bullets of hard-nosed bars. Long may he reign.
Kamasi Washington — Heaven And Earth: I know next to nothing about modern jazz music but I know I love Kamasi Washington. Sure, the album’s nearly 2 and a half hours long but it’s a tour de force of true musicality.
Blawan — Wet Will Always Dry: I first got into Blawan back in 2011 on his singles for Hessle Audio and R&S Records. He went all industrial-techno for a while but his first full length album brings some melody back into the fray.
Gorillaz — The Now Now: A fairly feature-light, comparably shorter album from Gorillaz seemed like a weird project. But the more I listen the more I enjoy the strange, sweetly positive album from Albarn’s animated bunch.
Drake — Scorpion: On which Drizzy faces the music. 1 side Rap, 1 side R’n’B there’s something for every fan here. The singles (particularly ‘I’m Upset’) are the least interesting parts. A welcome return after major misstep Views.
One final word on XXL Freshman 2018
I just wanted to quickly mark this year’s XXL Freshman class by saying I think it’s already much better than last year. I was over the moon to see one of my absolute favourites J.I.D not only make the list but absolutely show up the other rappers in the freestyles. I had him on my own list last year so it’s great to see him get his shine. I’m also a big fan of Hackney’s own Stefflon Don — the first non-American act in the class’ history and only woman on 2018’s. I’m quite into Trippie Redd’s singing but he rapped really well in the freestyles too. And I was excited to see Ski Mask the Slump God in the list too as he’s an interesting talent. The rest aren’t great, with YBN Nahmir being pretty forgettable, BlocBoy JB bringing nothing new to the table and Wifisfuneral thinking he’s a lot better than he is. Then there’s Lil Pump and sidekick Smokepurpp who are presumably there just to take the piss. More’s the pity. In my opinion, 5 rappers who really deserve their spots instead are Tee Grizzley, Octavian, 070 Shake Juice WRLD and of course, IDK who courageously stole the limelight by declaring himself the 10th Freshman. That’s what real rap is about.
