Vince Staples – FM

Vinnie doesn’t glamourise. He ain’t about to sell violence and crime to the masses like it’s all fun and games. Unlike the national anthem, his tunes slap… but death stands watching through the window unseen but understood, ready to strike. Don’t get chipped. FM is just 22 minutes long – with skits. It thumps until it doesn’t anymore. Even the bangers end too soon. Left side: who ‘bout that life? Right side: who ‘bout that life? Night time: who ‘bout to die?

boygenius – boygenius EP

Imagine, if you will, the combined talents of three of the finest female indie musicians. A supergroup, one may call it. Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers. Three musicians quite distinct in their own sounds yet often lumped together on the basis of genre and gender. They name the album boygenius in reference to that lazy typecasting. Consider the ways that album would bring out the best in each musician’s approach, from Baker’s harmonies to Dacus’ propellant song structures to Bridgers’ deceptively witty lyricism. Each a distinct ingredient of a greater production. Imagine it. Consider it.

Ty Segall – Fudge Sandwich

Is five albums in a single year too much? Well, too bad, because that’s how Ty Segall roll… he’s even got a sixth on the way. Here we have Fudge Sandwich, a delightfully horrible title with a delightfully horrible cover featuring nothin’ but cover of old 60s-70s rock tunes. Ravaging and relentless, loud and propellant, this is Ty Segall having fun and cutting loose on tune from the likes of Neil Young, Amon Düül II, Funkadelic, Grateful Dead & The Dils. There’s a John Lennon cover in there too. It’s bloody awesome.

Earl Sweatshirt – Some Rap Songs

Earl is a man of brevity. A man who understands how to do more with less. At just 25 minutes long and with a title so flippant as to almost be invisible, it’s a project that says what it wants to say and leaves the rest unsaid. The beats trend towards a bit of old soul beneath themes of grief and artistic burden, with a very personal influence on the record in the form of his parents – which if you know his backstory then you know the significance of that. Earl’s a heavy dude. A profound dude. You know what you’re getting and he delivers.

Larkin Poe – Venom & Faith

If you haven’t caught this bug yet then Larkin Poe are the best up and coming modern blues band on the scene. A pair of sisters from Atlanta who play screamingly good guitar and sing like their souls are on fire. A selection of stomping originals with a ghostly Skip James cover. Skip James, mate. That’s the real deal.

Anna St Louis – If Only There Was A River

Gentle and sweet, like the wind through the forest trees. Whispering upon the breeze. Proper folk music sounds timeless as if it were drawn from the well of deeper meaning, spawned from Mother Nature and Father Time… rather than creepy uncle humanity. This is an album to chuck on the headphones as you meditate upon the shaded grass among the bird song.

Cecile McLorin Salvant – The Window

Dumb People: “How come nobody sings like Billie Holiday or Sarah Vaughan these days?”

You, In Perpetuity: “Erm… excuse me? Cecile McLorin Salvant?”

Anderson .Paak – Oxnard

Look, was it the super smash hit that it felt like Anderson .Paak was preparing us for? Nah, not at all. It’s not as good as Malibu and it drags a bit at 56 minutes… but it’s an Anderson .Paak record, dude. It’s fun and it’s funky. Tints is still a monster jam. The album was only disappointing by the high standards he’s set himself and Andy .Paak remains a joyful titan. Give it a listen, skip the filler.

J.I.D - DiCaprio 2

There aren’t too many fresh artists who have accumulated buzz like J.I.D has over the past 12 months since he dropped ‘The Never Story’ and the Atlanta native has embraced the buzz to drop his second album ‘DiCaprio 2’. Signed to J.Cole’s Dreamville collective, J.I.D combines supreme writing ability with an overall creative perspective that satisfies any need for thumping bangers, with plenty of substance.

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