MIKE - Weight of the World

Mike may be your new underground rapper if you give 'Weight Of The World' a few spins, especially if you vibe with Earl Sweatshirt. Earl gave Mike a tour experience in 2019 and makes an appearance on the final track of WOTW ('allstar'), while it's a different wrinkle in the only other feature as I was introduced to Jadasea who pops up on the penultimate track 'da screets'. There is an blatant aesthetic to Mike's sound that aligns with Earl Sweatshirt as it's all rather slow and low-fi, gritty and witty. WOTW will hit folks differently depending on your taste or situation, if you're a fan of avant-garde-ish hip hop then say haere mai to Mike and let it play.

Larkin Poe – Self Made Man

Righteous blues rock from the Lovell Sisters of outta Georgia. Larkin Poe’s been on a surge for the last three or four years dishing up their fiery modern take on the old styles with passionate vocals and some searing electric slide guitar too. Larkin Poe has this great way of sticking to the traditions but avoiding the cliches of the music they play. They’ve no dramas with a big chorus but they shred it up on guitar as well. After Peach (2017) and Venom & Faith (2018), Self Made Man just continues their hot streak and the only real problem is that they could easily have done another killer cover or two just to flesh it out even further. But then all three of those albums have been sub-35 mins, that’s kinda the plan. The sisters’ own songwriting deservedly gets more of an emphasis here but it’s their self-production in the studio which really stands out, so good. No bad tunes, not even close, though special mention to their cover of Blind Willie Johnson’s God Moves On Water... like the Stones before them Larkin Poe are masters of the selective blues cover.

Raiza Biza - Grand Opening, Grand Closing

A local Aotearoa project here as Hamilton's Raiza Biza delivers a narrative journey through the various stages and feelings of love. Biza is one of Aotearoa's low key hip-hop soldiers and his ability on Grand Opening, Grand Closing to tell a story, portraying a range of emotions and the ebs/flows is high class. Auckland's NXVA features on two tracks and GOGC can obviously touch a heart string or two, so be warned if you're in an emotional pickle, otherwise listen to this front to back (mandatory) and enjoy some storytelling.

Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher

Phoebe Bridgers is basically Millennial Elliot Smith. That comparison was there for her first album but it’s right on the surface of this latest one. Which is cool because we need an Elliot Smith for 2020... these weird times demand one. That’s not to be dismissive of Bridgers either, whose sharp tunes and gorgeous voice had already set her above a long list of interesting female singer-songwriters out there trying to get a foothold - it feels like at least 75% of the most urgent, important rock/rock-adjacent music is being made by women these days, which is long overdue. Thus Punisher was one of the most anticipated albums of the year and... no worries there, mate. Lives up to the hype and then some. She’s just got this way of wringing the emotion out of everyday life, all the subtle setbacks and the anxiousness and soft sadness, and making it beautiful in song. Also in case you’re worried it’s too much of a heart-wrencher, there’s a line about Eric Clapton’s Tears In Heaven at one point which is laugh out loud hilarious. Shout out to the horn section too.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Sideways To New Italy

Here’s an Aussie band doing the serving up bangers on the barbecue. Stompy power pop with propulsive energy and strong hooks. This new one is reliably breezy, sticking to the formula that’s made RBCF what they are. They do mix it up sweetly with Sunglasses At The Wedding near the end, shedding a few layers, but for the most part it’s catchy up-tempo guitar goodness all the way through with particular standout tunes including Cameo and The Cool Change. Not quite as necessary as their 2018 debut Hope Downs although it does consolidate the dudes as a Band To Know. Special shout out to the bass playing on STNI, which slaps.

Run The Jewels - Run The Jewels 4

Less said the better when it comes to Run The Jewels. Right when the world needs to hear from Killer Mike and El-P, Run The Jewels are steaming in with their high paced social commentary and hectic sound. 11 songs and features from Pharrell, Zach de la Rocha, Josh Homme and this banger featuring 2 Chainz. Another fabulous piece of musical art from RTJ.

Nick Hakim – WILL THIS MAKE ME GOOD

When you’re feeling like you need something sexy and soulful to listen to but you’re also torn up about the violence and systemic corruption in the world... Nick Hakim’s got ya covered. His voice sounds so good, so smooth, with that layered vocal production. You can tell Hakim’s worn through a few copies of What’s Goin’ On in his day, probably a bit of Sign ‘O’ The Times and definitely some Blonde and Brown Sugar too. With some bravely trippy instrumentation and languidly groovy beats you can’t listen to these gorgeous (but conscientious) tunes and not wanna beg for a collaboration with Thundercat, their powers would be so perfectly entwined. But that’s not to sleep on what Hakim achieves here which is some top notch neo-neo soul, sung beautifully, impressively produced, cleverly written, and generally worth cranking up the volume and letting it take you into the next dimension.

Perfume Genius – Set My Heart On Fire Immediately

Mike Hadreas’ voice is special. It has a sort of tension, a way of compressing the complicated emotions of a song into this diamond glimmer of a sound, gorgeous and piercing and utterly incredible all at once. But this is also a very physical album, even if that feels kinda oxymoronic to say. Inspired by dance and performative movement as well as physical desire... this is one of those albums that you know the first time you listen to it properly that you’re hearing something remarkable. Describe, On The Floor, Your Body Changes Everything, Nothing At All... each of those songs are complete and unarguable jams. It’s a more expansive sound than his previous album (2017’s No Shape, also produced by Blake Mills) and also more intimate in subject matter. A rather stunning album.

Los Retros - Everlasting

Stones Throw Records are a go to option for anyone looking for a fresh source of funky music. Rooted in history and with their stripes earned, Stones Throw deliver Los Retros who is a dude from Oxnard, California - same place as Anderson .Paak. Los Retros himself, delivers 'Everlasting' and if you're eager to drift away on a cloud, definitely jam this compact five-track project. 'Funk' is a loosely used term at the Niche Cache, yet Everlasting genuinely is rather funky and hits a unique pocket with a slow tempo to that funk, especially on 'Sweet Honey' and 'The Messiah'. Perfect Sunday morning tunes from Los Retros and while it comes in under 17 minutes, it can easily be chucked on loop.

Meyhem Lauren - Glass 2.0

You may have seen or heard Meyhem Lauren alongside Action Bronson and crew, whether on musical projects or on Bronson's Munchies shows and if that's the pedigree, I'm listening. Lauren serves up a similar witty style of rap, combining the grittiness of New York with a level of extravagance and with Harry Fraud handling the production on this nine-piece meal and for those new to Fraud's work, Glass 2.0 also serves as a lovely introduction to Fraud's laid back style. This project feels like second half of 2020 motivation, rooted in the hustle and aiming for a higher level of existence.

Bob Dylan – Rough And Rowdy Ways

Ah Bobby, you shouldn’t have. First record of originals in eight years after a bunch of torch-ballad standard albums (which are better than they have any right to be)... it seems like longer to be honest. Rough And Rowdy Ways doesn’t exactly feel like Bob Dylan reinvigorated, it’s elegantly written with typically entangled lyrics, musically sparse and bluesy, but it’s also self-aware as an album written and performed by a dude in his late-70s who has long since dedicated his remaining years to the road (pandemic aside he’s basically been touring non-stop since 1988). That’s not exactly typical of Dylan but, as he says on the opener, he contains multitudes. At times he seems to be reflecting on his whole career, at times he’s reflecting on the entirety of the twentieth century, at times he’s simply reflecting on the next moment. Fella didn’t win a Nobel Prize for nothing.

Flatbush Zombies - Now, More Than Ever

Cheeky six song offering from Flatbush Zombies with their latest drop ‘Now, More Than Ever’. Tightly packed and lacking the over-arching narratives of their albums, NMTE serves as a easy to digest introduction for new listeners of the Zombies while also providing the sound, bars and delivery that has lured fans into the Zombies world. ‘Dirty Elevator Music’ stood out as a highlight and NMTE is a nice capsule of Flatbush Zombies for all needs.

Caleb Landry Jones – The Mother Stone

Noooot entirely sure what to make of this album. Is it good? Hard to say. It’s definitely interesting throughout. CLJ is better known as an actor, you may recognise him as the brother from Get Out, or as a dropkick boyfriend in Twin Peaks: The Return, or plenty others. He’s very good. Turns out he’s also a delightful weirdo musician and this collection of tracks, curiously reminiscent of the oddball moments on the Beatles’ White Album with a dose of Syd Barrett crossed with that scene in Dumbo where he gets drunk and starts hallucinating, elevates him into that relentlessly creative tier. The Mother Stone is a carousel of off-kilter orchestration with unusually affected vocals and it feels destined to piss off at least twice as many people as love it but those who love it will really love it. There’s definitely no reason it needed to be 65 minutes long and it’s not quite Captain Beefheart but for sheer creative ambition and execution it’s a funky old listen with plenty of quality tunes to return back for.

Modern Nature – Annual

Apparently this is a “mini-album”. Not sure what that means exactly but it’s twenty minutes of jazzy folk tunes, really reflective and peaceful sounds but with a bit of depth to them too. Their Bandcamp page mentions Pharoah Sanders and Nick Drake and yeah mix those two together and you’re somewhere close. Which makes Annual a bit of an evolution from their 2019 debut How To Live... it’s always exciting when a band busts it open by going in a fresh direction with that second project. Annual has a sort of seasonal theme to it. The four longer songs represent the seasons and the three shorter ones are like transitional phases in between. Really dig how the saxophone lends a contrasting feel to the sluggish rhythms and the swirly picked guitars too, it’s a decent little listen.

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