Albeit a bit twee, Gemini Rights is a rich-bassed reminder of Steve Lacy’s inescapable charm.
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Tag: soul
SZA is her bubbly, vindictive self on “I Hate U”
Billie Eilish: “Happier Than Ever”
Artists don’t get much bigger than Billie Eilish. And like most pop music titans, it’s the whole “package” that Eilish has going for her – a distinct ethereal attractiveness; unattainable cool. All that makes it even more surprising how fascinating this album is. Gorgeous, warped production and sniping lyrics, all with Eilish snaking her way through the tracks in odd ways. For a 19 year-old who spends most of this album circling her insecurities, Eilish’s sound is as confident and elusive as any artist going around.
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The O’My’s: “Tomorrow” (Review)
The O’My’s Tomorrow is a low-stakes neo-soul album rife with tracks that don’t snap or pop, but instead warmly simmer and swirl around your brain. It’s the mark of a duo that have a crystal-clear idea of the music they want to make. This is ear-pleasing music – the soundtrack to a rainy Chicago day.
Blood Orange: “Negro Swan” (Review)
Blood Orange treads the same scattered, misty, non-linear paths as To Pimp A Butterfly-era Kendrick Lamar or latter-day D’Angelo on Negro Swan. Tracks lean and dart at weird angles. Sometimes it feels vexing and distant and you wish the focus narrowed. But most of the time, it’s beautiful kaleidoscopic chaos. It’s an album that feels refreshingly ambitious and unrestrained.
Blood Orange’s “Jewelry” Is Kaleidoscopic, Cryptic, And The Best Thing You’ll Hear Today [Click to Listen]
Chicagoans The O’My’s and Saba Combine For A Psych-Soul Gem With “Puddles” [Click To Listen]
Mac Miller: “Swimming” (Review)
Only 26 years old, it’s already felt like Mac Miller has been around for two lifetimes. On Swimming, you can tell he feels the same way. Where he was once a giddy faux- prodigy who made college frat-boys jizz in their pants, these days he sounds like a burnt-out child actor – think Robert Pattinson after his eighth Twilight film. Swimming sounds like his attempt to admit that it’s OK that he’s not OK. To anyone who’s ever felt like they don’t have a grip on life, they’ll be able to relate. In these moments, he creates an album that’s weirdly poignant and oddly beautiful.
The Internet: “Hive Mind” (Review)
After their surprising 2015 breakthrough album Ego Death, The Internet are suddenly the darlings of the indie music world. Their lead singer, Sydney “Syd” Bennett, has become a genuine star. Their bass player is about to follow suit. The follow-up in the wake of this success is Hive Mind, an album that tries to capture that same creamy fusion of jazz, hip-hop and R&B from their breakthrough. The result shows a band perfecting its craft while offering some true daringly artistic promise. It will make you want them to unshackle the chains on their next one.
THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL 