If It's Too Loud...

I've been absolutely crushed with real world stuff, so here are some of my favorite listens of the last few weeks. A playlist on the bottom made for the shuffle for other highlights. Artist : Aesop Rock Album : Black Hole Superette Quick Thoughts : There were a ton of great rap albums out the last few weeks, but this one in particular stuck with me and not only because I'm an Aesop Rock fanboy who grades everything he does on a curve. The album's cohesive structure feels a little more the lostwave extension of Integrated Tech Solutions which is absolutely something I'm here for. No skips found. Songs of Note : "Secret Knock," "Checkers," "Movie Night," "1010WINS," "Send Help," "John Something," "Ice Sold Here," "Bird School," "Steel Wool," "Charlie Horse," "The Red Phone" Artist : The Minus 5 Album : Oar On, Penelope! Quick Thoughts : The proli...

Artist : SZA Album : SOS Quick Thoughts : SZA's anticipated late-year effort is pretty solid. She sits in a bit of a niche in the R&B space in that I feel like she has crossover appeal where others haven't always succeeded, but this latest album is more of the high-quality music we've come to expect. In a heavy release period, I'd recommend, but it's a great end-of-year palate cleanser. Songs of Note : "Kill Bill," "F2F" Artist : Marina Herlop Album : Pripyat Quick Thoughts : Highlighting this EP as one of my favorite electronic/ambient listens of the year even though it's only an EP. Fall in love with this one, you won't regret it. Songs of Note : "abans abans" Artist : Little Simz Album : No Thank You Quick Thoughts : Speaking of late-year efforts, Little Simz casually dropping a surprise album two weeks before the end of the year and having it be one of her best efforts yet is something. It's too late to...

Another slow week means another catch-up week. Artist : Kirty Album : We Are All On Fire Quick Thoughts : Kirty is one we missed, and I honestly don't know how. I don't know her band, Fast Romantics, but this album was a pandemic creation that's a little bit synthy and a little bit folky and gives some familiar vibes even though it feels new and different. If you like the sort of folky stuff that's a little off the beaten path, check this one out. Songs of Note : "Turn You On," "You Ripped My Heart Out," "I Want Your Love." Artist : Liz Cooper Album : Hot Sass Quick Thoughts : I admit that the name of this album made me roll my eyes a bit, but wow does this deliver. I don't know her work as Liz Cooper and the Stampede off-hand, but this is more rock than folk and it doesn't waste any time. I was singing the title track through much of the weekend, "Motorcycle" is also impressive, and, really, the whole packag...

I am personally particular about my rap music these days. Not really a fan of most of the really popular stuff these days, and, really, we're more of a Run the Jewels and STL GLD (the latter of which is likely my #11 this year) crew here for newer rap music. Enter Little Simz. This album kind of blew my mind when it came out in the spring, I revisited it in the summer and fell in love all over again, and then realized that not only is it a solid album, but it's really one of my favorites this year. The title gets the mood of this perfectly: Simz's delivery matches perfectly with the sort of monotone, understated instrumentation, and the full result is something that just continually grabs my attention every time I hear it. It's a complete package that I don't want to miss a moment of instead of a series of moments, and I feel like this in particular has been criminally overlooked in a year with some decent rap releases on a whole. Songs of Note: "Selfis...

Album of the Week : Artist : The Honey Dewdrops Album : Anyone Can See Quick Description : Porch-style roots music. Why You Should Listen : It's a gorgeous album reminiscent of so much of your favorite roots music. Overall Thoughts : One of the few highlights of a mostly-lackluster Oscars last weekend was Dave Rawlings and Gillian Welch performing their song from The Ballad of Buster Scruggs . It reminded me how much I love what those two do when they collaborate, and this album is directly reminiscent of that. Great harmonies, solid folk music – it’s the whole package, and it’s exactly what I was looking for. Recommendation : Easily the best of the week. Artist : Matthew Mayfield Album : Gun Shy Quick Description : Mainstream-friendly alt-rock. Why You Should Listen : It's indie enough for your sensibilities, but mainstream enough where your friends won't hate you for it. Overall Thoughts : Matthew Mayfield clearly came from the Bob Schneider school of alt-r...