The Alchemist and Conway The Machine - Lulu

Two Album Jukebox things for 2020 and two excellent projects from The Alchemist, the second of which comes in collaboration with Griselda's Conway The Machine. Coming in at just seven songs, including the kind of 'Intro' that seems synonymous with Griselda projects, Lulu has Conway showcasing his skills for those who weren't aware. The gritty street tales combined with immense finesse of a better life are there as one would expect, although there is also an abundance of craft; let alone the nifty flow from Conway on 'Calvin'. The Alchemist is the perfect producer to offer an grimy atmosphere, tension that is cut by Conway's slicing bars.

Yumi Zouma – Truth Or Consequence

You know what you’re getting with a Yumi Zouma record. The kiwi dreamy synth pop crew are gonna serve up some smooth and easy tunes, built on drum machine loops, glistening keys, and subtle vocal harmonies. This is the band’s third full length album to go with a few EPs and by this point they're dependable masters of sound and form, as tunes like Lonely After, Southwark, and Truer Than Ever prove once again. These aren’t bombastic tunes, that’s not really what Yumi Zouma do. And they hardly mess with the formula at all on Truth Or Consequence. Some may choose to see that as a negative, others will take the more accurate opinion that here is an album best vibed to alone... which is kinda ideal right about now.

Curren$y & Fendi P - Smokin Potnas

Jet Life comrades Curren$y and Fendi P team up for this nine track project and deliver a delightful collection of jams to bop your head to whilst cruising. Curren$y is among the busiest, if not the single busiest artist that I know and makes regular appearances throughout the Niche Cache’s 27fm channel, a recipe that doesn’t work for everyone as Spitta can always find a fresh pocket to explore. That’s exactly what Smokin Potnas is about with Fendi offering a southern twang to his bars that compliments Curren$y perfectly, on top of some thumping production from a cast of low key excellence; Harry Fraud and Sledgren lead the way. ‘Swang’ hits me the hardest and should be played loud, yet the whole project blends together for a tight, uplifting vibe.

Knxwledge - 1988

To be honest, writing about albums that are largely instrumental is a bit weird. Weird, or challenging to write about sounds without the standard juxtaposition of production and vocals. Producer and music maker Knxwledge always delivers a delightful collection of sounds and his latest offering ‘1988’ is perfectly timed to come when folks are trapped in their houses. Set a mood, chuck on 1988 and let the vibes take you on that wave.

The Third Mind – The Third Mind

There were four revelatory moments that came with listening to this new project fronted by rockabilly/roots/americana iconoclast Dave Alvin. One was the guitar tone/playing on the track Claudia Cardinale... so damn good. Then was the first chorus of an excellent cover of Fred Neil’s The Dolphins (all but one of the songs are covers here). Next was when Jesse Sykes popped up to sing/play on a version of Morning Dew that breaks off into jammy territory - reminiscent of the Grateful Dead who always loved that tune. Then there’s the psychedelic inversion of Paul Butterfield’s East-West at the end there, specifically when it almost turns into the Rolling Stones’ Can’t You Hear Me Knocking but not quite. Oh and the band’s named after a William Burroughs book. Suffice to say that The Third Mind hits the spot.

Nadia Reid – Out Of My Province

Nadia Reid, kiwi folkstress outta Southland, has this particular way of half-throwing her voice which is immediately distinctive and eternally effective. Out Of My Province is a travelling album full of road songs, in her own words. Typically subtle but evocative tunes about growth and personal evolution... the title comes from a Janet Frame quote too, Aotearoa artistry lineage. This is an album that requires you to lean in for it to fully reveal itself, like holding a gemstone to the sunlight, and if you do then you’re in for a treat. High & Lonely and Oh Canada are particular treats. Best Thing as well. “All of the travelling I have done, I don’t know what I’m looking for”.

Terry Allen & the Panhandle Mystery Band – Just Like Moby Dick

As far as underground legends go, Terry Allen has gotta be right up there. He’s been making brilliantly humorous folk-concept albums for decades now, with a heavy emphasis on the concepts, a sort of Texas Randy Newman you could say. Even in his 70s he’s still out there chipping away with tunes that’ll make you laugh and cry in equal measures. Actually, a little more emphasis on the crying, to be fair. Not really sure what Moby Dick has to do with this collection other than perhaps some deeper thematic parallels but between Harry Houdini, Spiritualists, Pirates, Strippers, Vampires, Anti-War Sentiments and more there’s plenty of poignant weirdness through which Terry Allen (whose creative talents go way beyond music, he’s an even more renowned visual artist) can tug at the heartstrings. And when you’re done here, go back to his masterpiece Lubbock (On Everything) and in particular the tune The Beautiful Waitress. Horses or sausages, it’s all in the eye of the beholder.

King Krule - Man Alive

Conveniently enough, King Krule's 'Man Alive' serves as an enticing soundtrack to the world's current predicament. The industrious sound of this 14-jam album is often slow and dreary, yet brilliant in capturing emotions and letting them breathe as Krule's words slice through a variety of instruments and tones. Maybe best to lock yourself away and been zapped into a wandering journey down an empty English lane let a track like Comet Face get your intensity up, while the rest of the project drifts with thee.

Jay Electronica - A Written Testimony

If you like your musical projects sans baggage, Jay Electronica's debut album is exactly that. Whether it's the baggage of expectation and anticipation considering Electronica's mystique or patience, or the baggage of all sort of religious and hierarchical commentary, 'A Written Testimony' is understandably heavy. With so much lyrical weight and symbolism, one could get dragged into these depths and feel all sorts of emotive responses, which is great if that's what you're into. There is also joy to be found in hearing Electronica go back and forth with Jay-Z (uncredited so it's consistently surprising in a first listen) on nearly every track, with varied and vibrant production. There is production from Electronica himself, The Alchemist, Swizz Beatz, HitBoy, No I.D. and Khruangbin, all of which feels like it would be lovely without lyrics. Let alone two of the most intricate wordsmiths and hip-hop minds, which is ultimately what was most enjoyable with this album - an album that serves up immense depth if that's your buzz, otherwise vibe out to a collaborative effort involving Jay Electronica, Jay-Z and hip-hop's best producers.

Black Lips - Sing in a World That's Falling Apart

There have been so many lineup changes in Black Lips over the last few years that we had to expect a departure from their usual dirty garage punk yarns... but for them to do a country album actually isn’t as much of a departure as you’d think. They’ve always had a bit of this in them... plus of course this isn’t tacky pop country of the lame variety, it’s ragged-ass whiskey-soaked country of the Stones’ Dead Flowers variety. Deliberately shambolic... which is basically what this band’s been doing from the start anyway. Crucially the new songs stack up smoothly with the new sounds. Holding Me Holding You. Odelia. Locust. Rumbler. Hooker Jon’s got all that old Black Lips naughty humour too. The country blend may just prove to be a breath of life.

CJ Fly - Rudebwoy

Grabbing Statik Selektah to lay production for an entire project, let alone a debut album is always going to a nifty move that's exactly what CJ Fly did for 'Rudebwoy'. Fly also sat in his story-telling pocket, diving into an abundance of different flows to take the listener into New York where there is an undertone of the Caribbean immigrant. There are plenty of Pro Era features, even Conway The Machine appears on 'City We From' and Fly low key shines in the grizzlier moments of Rudebwoy - whether that's a DMX vibe on 'Jooks' or that slower Conway style. This feels like modern underground hip-hop at it's finest and if anyone's telling you that NYC doesn't tap into that sound anymore, chuck up CJ Fly.

Mosses – T.V. Sun

There are a lot of noises going on here. Sometimes they’re almost in competition with each other, like a jammy guitar going up against an old dial-up modem. But as you get deeper into the album the melodies begin to rise from the swamp of aural trippiness and those toes, they will begin a-tappin’. Some of the spaced-out synth tweakies are reminiscent of the electronic moments on Jerry Garcia’s first album while the more typically structured tunes walk a line between krautrock and Lewis Carroll with a few added worldly influences. There is no time. It’s in your mind. See what you find. Eternal kind. Every time.

Thick – 5 Years Behind

A furious chunk of righteous, uppity-up-tempo, super focussed pop punk promise right here. Thick are a trio out of Brooklyn, ready to rip it all up with their debut album 5 Years Behind. The drums hit hard and the guitars sound fierce. The first few tracks give you the millenial punk intro, Mansplain breaks it up with a pretty hilarious political jab, then the mid-album double punch of WHUB/Won’t Back Down/Can’t Be Friends knock ya to the canvas... the only bummer is that in true punk fashion it’s only 27 minutes long.

Deap Lips – Deap Lips

Deap Lips is Deap Vally and The Flaming Lips combined, geddit? And this is a pretty funky collaboration too, with the former’s chunky Californian hard rock stylings combining with the latter’s more electro-tinged Southern psych rock freakness... yeah dunno, describing the sound of The Flaming Lips is a tricky one. But for the most part here, the Lips provide the instrumentations and the Deaps offer up vocals, lyrics, and adornments. Their usual riffage is buried in the mix which is a bit of a shame and the album definitely has an air of spontaneity which is both a plus and a minus, plus in terms of energy, minus in terms of a few of these songs coudla used more time in the oven. But the high moments more than justify Deap Lips’ existence... including a menacing cover of Steppenwolf’s The Pusher.

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