Week 1: Listening to An Album a Day and Reviewing it. (JAN. 1–7)
Sunday: York — Blu — Rap
I listened to Blu a lot back in 2015. Seeing glowing reviews of his 2007 debut album, Below the Heavens, piqued my interest. I remember my surprise at seeing Miguel, a household name in R&B featured on the album multiple times. It made me ask myself why isn’t this Blu guy more well-known. If Blu truly wanted to reach commercial success with a commercial sound, I honestly think he would have succeeded.
York finds the west coast emcee wanting to go outside the box. He finds himself wanting to break away from rapping over slick boom-bap beats that mainly were produced by frequent collaborator Exile, to a more electronic sound. Blu doesn’t rap about things he would not on other albums, however. Instead, he lets his producers and collaborators create a distinct character for the LP.
For the electronic feel, he enlisted Flying Lotus, Samiyam, and then-budding talent Knxwledge. Aside from the Wu-Tang Klan’s U-God and the presently defunct Pac-Div, most of the features here are respected names that, unfortunately, won’t jump out at you today. That’s not to say they don’t bring anything to the table.
He makes it clear to all listeners that this will not be a regular Blu album. Most of these instrumentals are weirdly video game-like. A few of the synths sound like they camouflage nicely on the OMORI or DELTARUNE soundtrack. If these beats aren’t your cup of tea, it may be hard for you to enjoy the fun flows and song structures underneath. I succeeded at this plenty of times, but I was a tad annoyed by the second track, which has one of the tackiest instrumentals. I noticed the album was better when the instrumentation did not overpower Blu’s steady tone.
Though, a track like “Hours” is mostly a refrain the eclectic production held my attention the entire time. There is no doubt this album was an earnest attempt at mixing genres. The sound was overall consistent and the regularity of the hazy synths is honestly quite comforting. How the beat breaks down the last minute of “SLNGBNGrs” is incredible and the background vocals on the track add a depth of character. I certainly like when the songs here have an airy and spacious feel. “Above Crenshaw” and “Soupa” are great examples of this.
It should be said that Blu’s rapping is up to his standard. Witty, slick, and picturesque is how describes his rhyme style. Commonly he raps about being a good rapper, which is a tad trite nowadays. He’s fundamentally sound and can branch over several topics. I truly believe that being the attention-grabber wasn’t the true purpose of this project. It felt like he wanted to challenge himself and prove that he can rap on any damn thing he wants. Aside from a few, I found most of the features on here forgettable. I have to say “Annie Hall” had the best features this whole with female rappers Chop and Brooker stealing the show using their double-time flows.
This album is weird to listen to because I cannot tell whether this was truly ahead of its time. What was “ground-breaking” in the early 2010s feels so regular now. That’s how it’s supposed to work. It’s important to appreciate not only how hip-hop has changed but how the listeners have adapted since back when. I wouldn’t call him a pioneer but something is to be said about how he took the initiative. I’m certain other underground rappers heard this and followed suit.
I’m sure there’s a whole bunch of people rapping over laid-back techno beats still today. I know that rapping over more abrasive electronic music is more popular and exciting these days. Blu doesn’t do much to add another layer to the album. He approached most of these songs like he would on his other projects.
Listen: Apple Music, Spotify
Monday: R.E.M. — Life’s Rich Pageant — Rock
R.E.M. are respected alt-rock legends that I never pressed play. I’m happy I landed on one of the there more well-received albums. They know how to keep things interesting. Each track has a different enough approach featuring terrific guitar and drum work throughout. The vocal patterns are really what makes this feel like alt-rock to me. The different instruments give a different feel as well (shoutout to the bongos on “Underneath the Bunker.”)
The lead vocalist, Michael Stipe, really has a good voice. It’s full and steady and enhances the bright yet somber mood of this album. I don’t think he’s as varied as the backing instrumentation, but it does feel at home.
The album’s lyrics are politically charged. It was a nice surprise to hear outcries about environmental ruin from this time. I admire the song “Cuyahoga” and its genuine commentary on how Native American people and land have been treated historically in the United States. This album’s central theme seems to be hope for the future. I did a bit of research on this album and came to see that this album was R.E.M.’s first foray into the commercial spotlight. Maybe the theme of hope also speaks to their career trajectory.
Stipe shines on “Fall on Me,” which has the best hook on this thing. Sometimes he can get a bit goofy. I really could have gone without the impromptu howling on “Just A Touch.” Though, the vocals keep me intrigued.
I doubt that I come back to this. I would like a bit more edge if I’m being frank. I don’t feel a bit of shame in saying that.
Listen on Apple Music; Spotify
Tuesday: Bee Gees — Spirits Having Flown — Pop
FINALLY, an album that is fun and easy to listen to. This pop music is not daring and very inoffensive, but I believe the execution is at certain points. The album is nicely varied. Nearly every genre created by black people is on here and their imitations hold up well enough. This LP has a disco, soul, RnB, and even a smidge of funk. Fortunately for these Caucasians, I feel a lot of the genuineness here. It feels like they had fun making this.
At first, I was taken aback by Barry Gibbs’s falsetto, but it truly does act as a guiding, comforting force throughout. The instrumentation is colorful and warm. Nearly every track is danceable. The first three songs amazingly showcase a good amount of sounds to let you know what you’re getting into. They’re also the best tracks on here.
“Tragedy” doesn’t feel like your standard carefree disco song. “Too Much Heaven” is a colorful and heartfelt RnB anthem. The hit “Love You Inside Out” has exciting progressions with classic and stellar pop elements. It was hard for me to get past the third track because it was so damn good.
The group is built well for ballads as well. The harmonies in “Reaching Out” are paramount and palpable. I like when songs fill the atmosphere like this one. I certainly am not too crazy about the title track, however. Aside from the instrumentation at the fade-out, it honestly felt drab. This album is best when there’s energy. “Search, Find” has the problem of sounding so cliche. It’s still engaging, but I can tell it will not stick with me at all.
“Stop (Think Again)” is another ballad containing a gorgeous sax solo as a buildup. I was a bit let down when the vocals arrived. The horns come again at the latter. The horns are the true star of the show on this track. The good head-nodding groove is back on the song, “Living Together.” They finally detach from the falsetto on the hook. I would’ve liked more of that throughout. The bass guitar at the end is something special.
The constant falsetto does become tiring to me. I feel like it is too much for me if it’s not involved with solid song structure. “I’m Satisfied” is an unfortunate example of this.
My impression of this album would be lower if it were more than ten songs. It’s easy to tell which songs took longer to cook up than others. I expected there to be a ballad for the last song. It was and it’s the most distinct song of the album. The falsetto is gone again thankfully. It’s the shortest track on the album which is a great shame. I would love it if there were more tracks like this. It proved to me that Barry Gibb’s voice can be ethereal over the right soundtrack.
Overall it’s an entertaining LP. The worst I can at about it is that it has some lackluster moments. Listen to this for some good fun.
Listen on Apple Music; Spotify
Wednesday: Junior — Ji — Soul
Junior isn’t the most recognizable name and is not SEO friendly, but you may have heard his sole hit solo record, “Mama Used to Say.” It is a punchy dance track that would make plenty of people jump out there chairs. I think it’s kind of sad that many people don’t bring this guy up more. He spent his early career as a background singer for the band Linx and rocketed to stardom in the early 80s.
He put soul music from Britain on the map and was the first Black British singer to perform on Soul Train. According to his interview with Classic Pop Magazine, he feels like he was bringing joyful soul music back at the time. He was happy his hit record reached the because he didn’t like how the rise of hip-hop was affecting the musical landscape. It was just the early 80s, I doubt rough and gritty rap had a smidge of mainstream pop.
Weirdly enough, his debut album sounds more manufactured pop than The Bee Gees records. His debut album, JI, has a big hit on it, but no other song blew up in the U.S. I feel like it was hard to blow in his era because needing a label was much more crucial. Without the staying power of the internet, artists must have been pretty easy to forget. His other albums aren’t on streaming apps. The version of JI I listened to was the 2012 remastered version.
Most of the album didn’t move me enough to talk about it track by track as I did earlier. I found his story more interesting that the standard pop that’s on here. Junior suffered from not being so different from his contemporaries. He doesn’t have signature characteristics and the backing synth-heavy instrumentation is boring at points.
One of the highlights is “Too Late,” an enjoyable story-driven record with plenty of claps. He tells the story of a woman needing to escape an abusive relationship. The lyrics and the backing soundtrack could not be more different. I mean, it’s not “Nobody” by Mitski but was probably a daring record to make back then. The hook on “Let Me Know” is super catchy, and the harmonica is a nice touch.
None of the tracks have the same energy as “Mama Used to Say.” It came out a year before the album was released and maybe he wanted to take a different approach. It’s full of middling synth-pop. It feels like he was just trying to fill out the boxes for what an 80s pop album is supposed to sound like. This stuff is average at best, to be honest. I will not be going back to most of these album cuts. I would not doubt that album anticipators were disappointed. Aside from the crossover hit, nothing else makes me want to get up and dance. To close this out, I’d just like to say I feel sad that his other albums are not accessible in the streaming era.
Listen on Apple Music; Spotify
Thursday: Angel Bat Dawid — The Oracle — Jazz
I’m not a Jazz guy at all. I intentionally avoided pressing play on anything without lyrics. Then, my ADHD-afflicted ass started reading manga and needed some good “background noise.” With that, I fell in love with “Intelligent Dance Music.” I always thought that genre title was corny so I just say ambient.
The Oracle by Angel Bat Dawid is a fantastic piece of music released in 2019. She’s an educator and musician who has created the Blackest album I’ve listened to in quite a while. This album would make white people feel more Black than Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly did. If there’s any album on this list I want you to listen to, it’s this one for sure.
I felt the love and care it took to craft this beautiful album. Every track presents a new idea. It’s an appreciation and retrospection of what it means to be Black. Dawid lets the music speak for itself most of the time, but the music always benefits when she and different vocalists chime in. Jazz is free and spiritual. Listening to this amplified my mood for today.
I love the second track “Black Family.” The bass is dynamic and fills so so much space. The woodwind in the track which I assume is the clarinet is mystifying and entrancing. The repetition of “the Black family is the strongest institution in the world” is simple and striking.
In America, it feels like we have to have each other’s backs. We have been historically challenged by outside forces undeservingly. I don’t think you need a history over obvious matters. In the next song, Dawid has questions for the listeners. She asks, “what shall I tell my children who are Black, of what it means to be captive in this dark skin?”
I adore the absolute rawness of “Capetown.” This track did not feel like fifteen minutes long. I felt the air and space inside the room. The percussions are the driving force. The energy is magnificently palpable.
This is truly the only piece of work this week so far that I enjoyed all the way through. The messaging and love behind the album did it for me. I’m excited to check out more jazz this year.
Listen on Apple Music; Spotify
Friday: Hawthonn — Red Goddess — Folk
They call this stuff drone folk. I’m glad it has a name because I had no idea what to call this. Hawthonn is a producer duo from Leeds, United Kingdom. The music is strange and eerie. It would seem unsettling in the right setting. If my Christian mother walked in on me listening to this when I lived with her, she would have made my life more miserable than she ever did before.
There are plenty of times in the album where not much is happening or developing. The first song on here is an eleven-minute slog. To set the tone, the track starts with steady breathing over an instrument I fail to name. It imitates a wailing creature. It sounds like a seance as the minimal and constant synth goes on, especially when the vocals arrive. This is on purpose, of course, and the music is weirdly pretty at times. I would probably put this on in the background while reading something.
The breathing continues on the next song, “Misandrist.” This time it’s accompanied by a piano. This could have a placement in the next Halloween movie. I understand the appeal. We return to the atmospheric feel of “Lady of the Flood.” The howls of the female vocalist, Layla Legard, sound like they may induce levitation. I like the strong guitar chords at the end that drive the long track home.
“Eden” is the most haunting song on here. It just feels like straight-up doom. The percussion that arrives in the middle does an efficient job of filling space. The fifth and last track, “Dream Fugue”, is fifteen damn minutes. This is only frustrating because it barely develops. It’s a simple two-parter that features nature sounds in the first half and harsh keys in the second.
I’m not saying that it is not worth your time, but this album is challenging to listen to actively.
Listen on Apple Music; Bandcamp
Saturday: For Those Of You Who Have Never (And Also Those Who Have) — Huerco S.
I didn’t know anything at all about Huerco S. going into this. I know now that he is a very talented individual. This shit is warm and fuzzy. Way more comforting than the album I listen to yesterday. It is minimalist ambient music that does not fail to be enthralling.
The intro is a static love affair. I enjoyed the hazy and comforting sound throughout. The next track, “Lifeblood,” is a bit more uneasy. The endless repeating synths are chaotic and make me feel a bit nervous. It’s rare for a song to make me feel like this.
“Kraanvogel” is a serious highlight for me. Good music to fill the room for multitasking. Side note, ambient music should take over the logo beats to study movement. It doesn’t take long to be entranced by this track.
Most of the tracks on here don’t develop that much, but I think that’s fine. This stuff is intentionally designed to listen to while doing other things. This album is fun for passive listening.
Listen on Apple Music; Spotify.
