2. "RE: Nate Smith/Kinfolk - Kinfolk 2: See the Birds" In response to Reply # 1
This was really good overall! I thought it picked up after the first two or three tracks. Really liked the tracks featuring Regina Carter, Vernon Reid (shit was heavy!), and especially the closing track with Brittany Howard, which was just beautiful.
3. "a few releases of interest around here:" In response to Reply # 0
Moor Mother - Black Encyclopedia of the Air Jordan Rakei - What We Call Life
and maybe the really big release of the week... Injury Reserve - By the Time I Get to Phoenix
I've never really paid much attention to them but their single "Knees" sounded so unique and demanded your attention, I listened to it like three times in a row. (Probably out of sync with my mood in its dark/aggressive character, so not sure when I'll get to a full listen but excited for when I do...)
4. "I prefer the "I wanna be Dilla/Dangelo" Jordan" In response to Reply # 3
vs. the "I've finally found my own sound" Jordan.
I know a lot of young artists do this: copying their idols until they develop their own sound. But this self discovery isn't for me anymore. Wallpaper was the last LP I copped, haven't checked for him since.
9. "i don't know him well enough" In response to Reply # 4
to have had that disappointment, lol. I need to dig a bit further back, I think.
He's never blown me away but he works with a lot of favorites so he's always popping up on something for me. First impression of this record didn't do much for me - a lot of it felt very middling - but there were a few cuts that stood out, most notably "The Flood" made me stop and pay attention.
His voice there sounds like something between Jeff Buckley and Anohni (Antony and the Johnsons) and the song itself is a real ride, very hard to pin down and sort of any easy genre description. It's worth the whole 7 minutes and even a repeat listen or two -- there's a lot to dig into.
Having perked up at that one I promised I'd go back and listen to the rest again soon but haven't yet...
Earlier this year I saw a video/song on his IG page that was crazy. I'm assuming this is that album. I never checked his previous solo album, but I may start with this.
This is the third song released from them this year and the work they're putting out is SO SO GOOD: very 70s-soul inspired with big horn and string arrangements, intentionally epic even at its more stripped-down moments, and it all really works. Arthur Verocai might be a good reference in terms of sound but Quantic puts his own spin on it in terms of percussion; it's all pretty unique. This track is a big piece that starts simple but grows and grows with horns and string orchestration that's straight out of a 70s soul tune. I think I liked the other two tracks a bit more but it's all fire and I'm crossing my fingers that a full album is on the way.
I haven't thought about NMA in ages but this was on my release radar and came on this morning without me seeing the artist. Liked it right away, then recognized Valerie June on the track and went to check the credits. I almost wrote that there's nothing revolutionary going on here - that it's just a cool groove - but there's actually something funky going on with the beat/sampling/plucking behind the chorus. That said, it *is* a fun performance -- maybe we'll get more from these folks together.
I've been trying to find anything from JNR WILLIAMS on it because his voice is ridiculous but was unfamiliar with Kay Young. I'm terrible at distinguishing between dance genres but this was really dope, fits in with JUNGLE (who also had a remix this week from Gaspard Auge of "Keep Moving" that is worth checking out for sure). The video version on youtube is shorter than the single (on spotify anyway), with the full version coming in around 5' 15"
Printer-friendly copy 
Email this topic to a friend
The Lesson
