Tuesday, May 5, 2015

The Best Music in 2015 So Far

The first quarter of 2015 has been a pretty decent one for me. I've listened to a lot of new music in these four months and enjoyed quite a bit. This entry will delve into the highlights of the quarter for me.


Release Date: January 4
Artist: Bambu
Genre: Rap

To start the beginning of the year, Filipino rapper Bambu dropped an EP titled 5AM in Manila. This project features 90's styled beats with heavy digital drum and cymbal instrumentation. Bambu delivers on the flow as usual. This ep is almost without any of his signature political subjects, but focuses on struggling, the highs in life, and just plain spitting. Out of the five tracks I find Charlie Brown Gnarly to be the best one. It has great instrumentation and sick flow from Bambu. The only track I happened to not care for was Cypher Up, which is what is basically sounds like. It was a recorded cypher between Bambu and his boys. The entire track is rapped in Spanish, so I can't really judge it on a lyrical level, but the flows were pretty sub par by the featured artists, Bambu held his own however. Overall this a pretty ok EP and I recommend to give it a listen at least.
6/10

Recommended Track: Charlie Brown Gnarly


Release Date: Jan 21
Artist: Various
Genre: Rock & Psychedelic
Tummy Touch Records bestowed upon the bandcamp community, the best in rock of 2014. The range of rock songs on here is pretty great. There is a little bit of soft, classical, and psychedelica. The guitars on nearly all the tracks do a nice job of creating a melodic tempo. The vocalists also provide a sufficient sound. They are on key, pitches are used appropriately, and they are just so soothing to listen to. The album is good from start to finish.
9/10

Recommended Tracks: All of them


Release Date: January 22
Artists: Sheisty Khrist x LoFidel
Genre: Rap
Cold Winter presents a beast of an album in the early part of 2015. I am new to LoFidel, but I am familiar with Shesity Khrist through Kentucky group CunninLynguists. I have to first say that this album has some of the best instrumentals I've heard among music period. The mix and quality are excellent, they provide great range and sounds, going from electronica, metal, and boom bap. LoFidel can't be recognized enough for his work on this album. Sheisty Khrist is just about as great as LoFidel on this album. His flow and energy are superb. His sound on this ep actually reminds me of Jay-Z, but better. Khrist's lyrics are sound, but the only qualm I might say is that his enunciation aren't always clear. All of the featured artists are top notch and two favorite being Natti, and spoken word poet Bianca Spriggs.  This is a fantastic project and a must buy for any fan of the genre.
9/10

Recommended Tracks: All of them


Release Date: February 4th
Artist: Kali Uchis
Genre: Pop
I came across the album on accident. I was looking up info about a certain neo-soul singer and found this name. I decided to give her a listen and I enjoy what I heard so I looked up this album and her previous. Por Vida is Kali Uchi's first official album, but second project. She is a pop artist that mixes the sounds of swing, 50's era pop, and modern pop. Kali's voice is pretty decent. She is good, but doesn't hit me with the great level. Sometimes she can get a bit too high in her pitches, but the highlight of this album is within the composition and melodies. Most of the songs are pretty catchy and fills you with romp or tranquil emotions. This project is an excellent introduction into the artist and I look forward to hearing more from her.
7.5/10

Recommended Tracks: Know What I Want, Call Me, & Loner


Release Date: February 10
Arists: Nobuo Uematsu & Arnie Roth
Genre: Classical
Square Enix provides us with the third installment in the Distant Worlds series. This time we get tracks from Final Fantasy's XIII and XIV. The tracks this time I feel are just all around better. The classical variations on some of the series most famous tracks sound superb and even a few tracks spark things up a bit and add some new compositions to the original songs like "Chocobo Medley". The quality of the music produced is excellent and it does a great job of instilling nostalgia and creating audio manifestations of peace, beauty, and tranquility. This is perhaps the best of the three Distant Worlds albums. If you're a fan of Final Fantasy it is without a doubt that you will love this.
9.5/10


Recommended Tracks: Not Alone, Chocobo Medley 2012, & Primal Judgment


Whatchu Like
Release Date: February 15
Artist: Dutch Rebelle
Genre: Rap
One of the few singles released that I constantly find myself listening to even after my review I did a while back. "Whatchu Like" is emcee Dutch Rebelle's latest track. Dutch Rebelle isn't a lyrical artist by any means, but what I find most appealing in this track is the beat and Dutch's ability to capture raw energy. Her flow and spirit in this track fills me with hype every time I listen to it.
 5.5/10


Release Date: February 17
Artists: Mega Ran & Storyville
Genre: Rap
Nerdcore artist Mega Ran dropped his latest collaboration album in February with Soul Veggies. Upon first listen I didn't like Soul Veggies, but on my second listen I found it really interesting. This album is almost entirely without any nerdy subject matter or aesthetic. This is a standard rap album. I feel that Storyville outshines Mega Ran in this album. His flow feels stronger and more varied, which poses my problem with Mega Ran most of the time. I feel that Random's flow most of the time is just ok and doesn't really compliment the beat all that well. I find that he does just an all around average job on most occasions. He also doesn't posses much in the lyrical wordplay department either, though this album is better in this regard as there are a few vegetable wordplay throughout. The featured artists don't really stand out for me, but Wise Intelligent is the best out of the ones featured. I find the production to be the most interesting on this album. They are mostly electric heavy,  but you have a trap beat in there and my favorite out the bunch is the boom bap sounds of "Turnip Them Beets". If you don't like this project upon a first listen I suggest giving it time and going back to it. It is not the best out there in the genre, but it's pretty decent.

6.5/10

Recommended Tracks: Turnip Them Beets, React, & Rappin' About Rappin'


Release Date: February 18
Artist: Moderator
Genre: Hip-Hop
I was really looking forward to Moderator's next project as his mixtape from last year, As The Lights Fade tied with Sweet Talk as the best production album of 2014. I found this one underwhelming. It wasn't just as enjoyable for me. It's not terrible or bad, it just seems run of the mill to me. Only one of the tracks felt memorable and the rest just seemed to be there. They didn't really instill any emotions in me like As the Lights Fade did. Most of the tracks I just tuned out while listening to. Their okay for background music, but don't hold an impression of any sort. It's just overall an ok album.
5.5/10

Recommended Tracks: Harlem River & Space Vandals



Release Date: February 20
Artist: Akua Naru
Genre: Rap & Jazz
Akua Naru brings The Miner's Canary after her first album The Journey Aflame in 2011 and its live variation Live & Aflame Sessions which dropped in the following year. The Miner's Canary is an album much like The Journey Aflame in that it's a very jazzy integrated album, but it is also an entity of its own. The jazz integration is more blues centric this time around and there is a more prominent usage of guitars. The productions on this sound more live vs digital which I felt Journey had, so the production on this is more akin to Live & Aflame Sessions, but at the same time it doesn't sound like a live album. Akua Naru delivers on the poetic front just as strong as The Journey Aflame. Her flow is on perfect blend with the production and her lyrics evoke emotion. In this album she spreads the messages of love, music, freedom and there's a tribute song to novelist Toni Morrison. The title of the album projects a metaphor in that she wants to relay messages to a community to prevent cancerous thoughts in comparison to the caged canaries miners used to take into mines to warn the miners of poisonous gases.
The featured artists on this album all do a stupendous job. R&B singer Cody ChesNuTT, provided some sensational vocals to "Canary Dreams", Ben L'Oncle Soul evokes a John Legend sound on “Fly”, and emcees Dynasty and Sa-Roc kill it on the microphone in "Boom Bap Back". I hope that the featured artists will gain notoriety in their own right down the road. The Miner's Canary is an excellent follow up to Akua Naru's previous works. I'm not quite sure if it's better than The Journey Aflame and Live & Aflame Sessions, but right now it's sitting right next to them. This album is a contender for album of the year for me with only possibly four other artists who could rival it.

9/10

Recommended Tracks: All of them





Release Date: February 25
Artist: Sa-Roc
Genre: Rap
On March 9, 2015 Sa-Roc dropped her anticipated mixtape, The Legend of Black Moses. Nebuchadnezzar was my album of the year of 2014, so I expected a lot. The mixtape consists various beats from popular emcees such as Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Jay Electronica while Sa-Roc lays over her original lyrics. There are two exceptions to that however, the lyrics on “Momma's “Black Magic and “Road to Perdition” are pulled from “Black Magic” and “Lyrical Manifesto” on Sa-Roc's last LP Nebuchadnezzar. For the new content, I'm divided. A few songs sound like she's coming off too strong too sound hard and I think a couple of the chosen beats don't fit with her style. “DC X ATLiens” I say is the best blend with her style. Her flow and lyrics on a technical point are up to par as usual. She enunciates her words perfectly so you can understand each word clearly unlike some rappers. The album I feel detracts from a little too much energy and questionable beat choices. If I initially known this album would've been constructed in this way, I would've dropped my expectations, but it's still serviceable. P.S. I also found it weird that the track "Black Moses" isn't on Legend of Black Moses. I just put it in with the album anyway.
7/10

P.S. I also found it weird that the track "Black Moses" isn't on Legend of Black Moses. I just put it in with the album anyway.

Recommended Tracks: Fallin (Remix), DC X ATLiens, Road to Perdition (Remix), & Momma's Black Magic


Release Date: March 3
Artist: DJ EFN
Genre: Rap
DJ EFN starts out the month with a crazy project. Another Time is a compilation album that is truly ambitious. DJ EFN puts together several rappers and producers of the 90's, early 2000s, and of upcoming underground for something special. You have the likes of Guilty Simpson, Scarface, Talib Kweli, Blu, Redman, Masta Ace and Sa-Roc all contributing their talents on this album. These guest features create an element that makes for something truly unique. I found myself in love with the few tracks ready to claim this album as a nine, but as it went on I didn't like it as much. The production on “Power” is disjointed, repetitive and feels out of place with the rest of the album. I was excited to hear Sa-Roc and Masta Ace's verses on that same track, but I came out disappointed. Sa-Roc didn't rhyme on beat while Masta Ace did, but his lyrics came out unfortunately sub-par. They lacked any depth, spark, or finesse. Sean Price’s flow at the start of his verse on “Crazy Dope” comes off a little awkward, but he manages to smooth it out for the rest of the verse. That concludes the flaws of the album. Those two tracks are really my only issues, the rest of the tracks deliver on flow, production, and lyrics. I usually don't favor trap, but Dead Prez and Trick Daddy gave me one of my exceptions with their verses on "Survival". Dead Prez presented thoughtful lyrics on achieving success and the endangerment of black youth in America. Trick Daddy on the other hand brings substantial flow and raw energy to the track. All in all Another Time is an album worth purchasing for any fan of rap.8/10
Notable Tracks: AnotherTime, Survival, and We Earned It 


Release Date: March 4
Artist: Nneka
Genre: World & Reggae
My Fairy Tales is Nneka's fifth musical project. This Nigerian artist has worked with the likes of Nas, Black Thought, and Blitz the Ambassador. This new ep is however devoid of any features, which I find a little disappointing, but what remains is all around okay. Upon my first listen I thought it was just ok, but on a second and third listen I grew to like it a lot more. The instrumentals have some range, "Surprise" is notable in this department because it switches tempo and tone throughout going from relaxing to upbeat, and dance centric. The writing on the songs are pretty good as well. Nneka also delivers on the vocal like usual. Her voice is exotic and relaxing. This is a pretty solid project all around, my only issue with it is that it's an EP and not a LP. My Fairy Tales is not her best project, but a worthy addition.
7/10

Recommended Tracks: My Love, My Love, & Surprise

 


To Pimp a Butterfly
Release Date: March 15
Artist: Kendrick Lamar
Genre: Rap & Funk
I was reluctant to listen to Kendrick Lamar for undisclosed reasons, but the hype surrounding it from the community here and a person close to me made me realize that I should listen to it despite my emotions. I found myself quite enjoying it a hell of a lot. The music has excellent production and Kendrick Lamar delivers all in flow, lyrics, and themes. The production ranges from soul to funk, and traditional hip-hop sounds. On the lyrical front I find Kendrick Lamar to be substantial in expressing political and social issues throughout the album whether it's colorism, black institutionalization, or human sympathy. These subjects hit hard for me and Lamar brings them to a face in a storytelling fashion which I always love. The album is almost entirely without emcee features with the only ones being a singing like rap from Snoop Dogg and NC representative Rapsody. This album comes together in a great way and I'm glad to have listened to it.
9/10

Recommended Tracks: King Kunta, How Much a Dollar Cost, & Compexion (A Zulu Nation) feat. Rapsody


Release Date: March 18
Artist: Yung Bae
Genre: Disco
I caught this when I logged onto bandcamp one day. The cover art caught my eye so I gave it a listen. This is actually a pretty solid album. Yung Bae takes a few Japanese disco songs and remixes them to something astounding. The production is pretty catchy, despite the vocals being a bit cheesy. This is a decent addition to my collection.
7/10

Recommended Tracks: Distant Love & Bae City Rollaz


Release Date: April 8
Artist: Pineapple
Genre: Pop
Earlier this year I came across a treat. As I scoured bandcamp I came across this album cover. The colors intrigued me and I gave it a listen. Pineapple is the self-titled album from artist Pineapple. This is a pop album akin to the style of the 80's. Their are ambient electric guitars and synths present throughout the whole project. The vocals laid down by the Lemon are fairly decent. The project definitely succeeds in making you feel like you're in the eighties. I can imagine being at Vice Point and cruisin to this along the beach. Shoot, this shit would fit right at home in the GTA Vice City Soundtrack. The songs are plenty catchy and range from upbeat dance music, to just chill and drink lemonade music. I highly recommend it to any fan of pop.
8.5/10

Recommended Tracks: Pineapple Anthem & Give It Up


Release Date: April 21
Artist: Mavis Staples
Genre: Soul
Veteran singer Mavis Staples brought about her latest project this year titled Your Good Fortune. This EP gives the sounds of soul, blues, and a little bit of Afro-spiritualism. Mavis Staples voice is full of strength and spirituality. The four tracks present all have a slightly different feel to them; one is somber, one is uplifting, one is dense, and another is heartwarming. This ep is a short, but sweet taste of a mix of soul, gospel, and spirituals. Your Good Fortune is a high recommendation.
8/10

Recommended Tracks: Your Good Fortune & Wish I Had Answered


Burn You Down
Release Date: April 25
Artist: Aaradhna
Genre: R&B
New Zealand singer Aaradhna gives fans a little taste of new music since her last album Treble & Reverb back in 2012. Burn You Down is a song written by the singer, but although she's releasing an album this year this song will not be on it. Burn You Down is more akin to the sound of 90's R&B to contrast her 60's soul driven album in 2012. This song has a very chill vibe to it. It's subject matter is love and relationship related like most R&B songs and it's also a slow jam so you know it's good for baby making. To be serious though, Aaradhna did an excellent job in this track in terms of singing and writing. It makes me eager to hear from her yet to be named album this year.
8/10

Best Album So Far


Distant Worlds III

2nd place

The Miner's Canary & Cold Winter



Best Blasts from the Past
(Records from previous years that I listened to the first time this year)



Release Date: March 8, 2013
Artists: aivi & surasshu
Genre: Jazz & Chiptune


Release Date: December 2014
Artist: Too $hort
Genre: Rap


Artist: Slime Girls
Release Date: December 9, 2014
Genre: Chiptune


Artist: Yugen Blakrok
Release Date: October 21, 2013
Genre: Rap


Artists: Keiichi Suzuki & Hirokazu Tanaka
Genre: Mixed

List of all music listened to up until May 1st
Bambu 5AM in Manila Jan. 4
Genre: Rap
Esbe Bloomsday Jan. 7
Genre: Hip-Hop
Ruby Ibarra Writer's Block
Genre: Rap
Nacho Picasso Stoned & Dethroned Jan. 13
Genre: Rap
Shayna Steele Rise Jan. 20
Genre: Blues
Tummy Touch: Best Of 2014 Jan. 21
Genre: Rock & Psychicdelica
Sheisty Khrist x LoFidel Cold Winter Jan. 22
Genre: Rap
Knxwledge Hexual Sealings Pt. 8 Jan. 27
Genre: Hip-Hop/R&B
Kali Uchis Por Vida Feb. 4
Genre: Pop
SkyBlew Jazz for Autumn Kizmet Feb. 6
Genre: Rap & Jazz
Nobuo Uematsu & Arnie Roth Distant Worlds II Feb. 10
Genre: Classical
Sa-Roc - Extra Terrestrial Feb. 10
Genre: Rap
Pharoahe Monch Lost in Translation Feb. 14
Genre: Rap
Rock & Roza's Rose Gold Feb 14
Genre: Mixed
Dutch Rebelle Whatchu Like Feb. 15
Genre: Rap
Mega Ran & Storyville Soul Veggies Feb. 17
Genre: Rap
Moderator The World Within Feb 18
Genre: Rap
Akua Naru The Miner's Canary Feb. 20
Genre: Rap & Jazz
Poetic Death The Purity of Love and War Feb. 20
Genre: Rap
Via Tania Via Tania and the Tomorrow Orchestra Feb. 24
Genre: Alternative
Sa-Roc The Legend of Black Moses Feb. 25
Genre: Rap
Clear Soul Forces Cheat Codes Feb. 27
Genre: Rap
Ducid Vistant Feb 28
Genre: Hip-Hop
Dead End Hip Hop x Salem Psalms The Joint Mar. 3
Genre: Rap
DJ EFN Another Time Mar. 3
Genre: Rap
Nneka My Fairy Tales Mar. 4
Genre: Afrobeat & Reggae
Jay Electronica Road to Perdition Mar. 6
Genre: Rap
Kendrick Lamar To Pimp a Butterfly Mar. 15
Genre: Rap & Funk
I Am Kawehi EVOLUTION Mar. 17
Genre: Pop
Yung Bae - Japanese Disco Edits Mar. 18
Genre: Disco/Pop
Action Bronson Mr. Wonderful Mar. 23
Genre: Rap
Rapper Big Pooh Words Paint Pictures Mar. 24
Genre: Rap
Brock Berrigan Chapter 10 Mar. 25
Genre: Hip-Hop
Papa J. Ruiz HR-1955
Genre: Rap
Chinese Man Sho-Bro Mar. 30
Genre: Rap
Beach Baby Ladybird Mar. 31
Genre: Rock
Sahtyre LSD Apr. 4
Genre: Rap
The Reminders Light It Up Apr. 7
Pineapple Apr. 8
Genre: Pop
Mavis Staples Your Good Fortune Apr. 21
Genre: Soul & Gospel
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