I had so much going on with my winter concert (I’m a middle school music teacher), holidays, AND website technical difficulties (revamping in progress) that I didn’t even have time to post about any December releases yet, let alone any year end lists, which I have been gradually working on in moments of free time. So some of this recap of the last batch of notable releases of 2019 will be briefer than usual [ha! Yeah right], but there’s still some great stuff that deserves mentioning.
12/6/19
Metal
Fen – The Dead Light England’s Fen has been releasing well received albums of atmospheric black metal since 2009. I’ve given them a try in the past, but nothing stuck immediately. The first real song (track 1 is not just an intro, but not quite a full song) quickly made me think of my favorite Enslaved album, Vertebrae, so that got me more interested. As I got further in, the similarities remained, both in the riffs and vocals. I haven’t listened to the whole thing yet, so I’m not going to give a score, but, though it’s not making my year-end list, it is quite enjoyable.
Indie
North Downs – Dad’s Old Tapes EP Laid back, indie, psychedelic rock. Some creative arrangements and feel-good grooves. Looks like they’ve only released a couple singles before this. Maybe a full length coming in 2020? I’d look forward to hearing it if there is. — 7.5/10
Will Samson – Paralanguage This album started out sounding really nice, though by the end I was a bit bored with the lack of my change in dynamics. I’d still put it on as good, chill background music, and would pay closer attention for part of it. Lots of soft, falsetto male vocals; spacious, glitch-lite beats; pianos and soft keyboards playing whole note chord progressions; shimmery synths; some strings and clean electric guitar for textural depth. You get the idea. — 6/10
Soul/RnB
Kwaku Asante – honeycomb EP I listen to a lot more female than male artists in the Soul/RnB world, but this guy made the cut. He’s got a much lower register, and a dryer tone than most young male crooners, so that helps Kwaku Asante stick out from the crowd. The production style is also more vintage than the current norm. He’s released a bunch of singles since 2018, but this is his longest release so far, at 6 songs in 26 minutes. Sounds promising if he continues in this direction with a full length and doesn’t give in to the commercial appeal of trap beats. — 7.5/10
12/13/19
Metal
NEDXXX – Nedxxx WILD, avant-garde black metal. Deathspell Omega and Dodheimsgard (DHG) come immediately to mind. The album has taken the metal community by surprise, with lots of, “Whoa, where did this come from!?” kinds of reactions. One other band being referenced a lot (that I was not previously familiar with) is Abigor. There’s also no info about the band’s line-up, so that adds to the mystique. Some speculate it’s a supergroup. Whatever it is, it’s unhinged and vicious.
Indie
Dirty Projectors – Sing the Melody The current, touring line-up of the band, playing 8 songs live in the studio. Though I won’t give it as much time as a new album, this is an enjoyable listen, and worth it for their “different than the album version” arrangements. Additional appeal comes with “Knotty Pine,” the band’s collaboration with David Byrne for the Dark Was the Night compilation, and a portion of the Rhianna, Kanye, Paul McCartney song “FourFiveSeconds,” of which Dirty Projectors leader, David Longstreth, wrote the bridge.
RnB/Hip-Hop/Soul/Electronic/Jazz
KAYTRANADA – BUBBA This electronic/hip-hop/RnB producer put out a great debut album in 2016. His new, continuous-mix album, (featuring vocal contributions from Pharrell, Sir, and Tinashe, among many) is a worthy follow-up.
Free Nationals – Free Nationals Anderson .Paak’s backing band has an album of their own now, so after the excellent Ventura, we get a bonus album of that signature sound snuck into the end of 2019. Guests include Daniel Caesar, Syd (of The Internet), T.I., and Paak himself.
Please Wait, Ta-ku & matt mcwaters – Black & White EP A three-way collaboration, with additional featured guests, and no names that I recognize. RnB with a somewhat modern sound, but still some jazzy and vintage elements.
Elusive – Ambient Void I loved this electronic/jazz producer’s album from earlier this year, and this more glitchy, less jazzy follow-up is great too.
Sofie Birch – Island Alchemy Chill, ambient-ish electronic music. No beats, and the synths are sometimes soft and warm, sometimes bright and sparkly.