illuminati hotties – Free IH

File this one away in the age-old tradition of quickie albums designed to get out of a record contract. illuminati hotties’ first album (Kiss Yr Frenemies) was a softpunk banger so the second album from Sarah Tudzin’s project was always gonna be a biggie. Except then label dramas and blah blah and as the subtitle says ‘this is not the one you’ve been waiting for’. Be that as it may... this placeholder album still kicks arse. Branded as a mixtape, it plays like a sporadic bunch of ideas but those ideas are impassioned and inspired like a cup overflowing. Heaps of punky anti-establishment anti-corporate jokes and jabs plus tunes like freequent letdown and free dumb and reasons 2 live stack up as legit singles. It’s funny and ferocious. Not the one we were waiting for but it might as well have been.

Joey Bada$$ - The Light Pack

Very much a light pack here from the Badmon, who chucked three songs out for the world to peep and it’s whatever you want it to be. I found it three songs of heavy inspiration from a young leader who combines spiritual themes and ideals, with intricate musical details. ‘The Light Pack’ doesn’t reside in the world’s current predicament and Bada$$ doesn’t really detour too much from previous themes, while the three songs have more than enough to chuck on repeat a few times. Pusha T is the only guest feature, popping up on ‘No Explanation’ and I’m moving forward with the third track ‘Shine’ on my mind.

The Beths – Jump Rope Gazers

At first listen you may feel like the second album from The Beths plays a bit too gentle, a few too many slow songs and not quite enough bangers. The first two tracks (I’m Not Getting Excited & Dying To Believe) are as rowdy as anything the Auckland band has ever done yet after that it gets breezy... but that’s only a trick of perception. The more times you listen, the more those slower tunes reveal themselves. For sure The Beths have pivoted into more melodic territory here but that’s what you do with a second record: you expand the sound. Jump Rope Gazers, Don’t Go Away, Out Of Sight, You Are A Beam Of Light... if there’s one overwhelming gift this group has it’s the ability to serve up these undeniable earworms that pop up days later out of nowhere and there are no shortages of those here even if the tempo stays a bit slower. This is their Led Zeppelin III.

Margo Price – That’s How Rumors Get Started

Margo Price has never made anything less than an excellent album so you know that this is going to slide straight into that territory again. Price has emerged as a modern queen of the outlaws with her supreme lyricism, unfiltered vision, and that powerful voice... not to mention the wonderful tunes. It’s probably not a coincidence that the title track here has the word ‘rumors’ in it because there’s a definite Stevie Nicks vibe to this new one, with the ghost of Tom Petty making a few appearances too. A little more of that backbeat and a little less twang but it’s a coat that fits her well. There’s always been elements of this in her music. Plus Sturgill Simpson gets another co-production credit here so, like, what did you expect other than the unexpected? Standout tracks: Letting Me Down, Stone Me, Hey Child & Prisoner of the Highway.

Protomartyr – Ultimate Success Today

When the world’s a bit of a mess, sometimes what you need is to pour some gasoline on that fire and scream into the night’s sky... metaphorically speaking, of course. Protomartyr are one of those bands that make the soundtrack to that cathartic vision so while Ultimate Success Today (in case you didn’t realise the title is sarcastic, the cover art is of a donkey) was actually recorded last year, it feels eerily timely amidst a global pandemic and mass civil uprisings. It’s snarling and scathing, heavy and churning... but not without redeeming heart, specifically from the beautiful closer track Worm In Heaven (which has some mean Parquet Courts vibes). Also if you’re a fan of saxophones in rock music there are a couple beaut examples here. Detroit Rock City, baby.

Curren$y & Harry Fraud - The Outrunners

Another month, another slick selection of hip hop tunes from Curren$y. This time Spitta teams up with Harry Fraud and I won’t pretend like this is anything out of the box from these frequent collaborators, although that doesn’t diminish how much I enjoyed whacking ‘The Outrunners’ on to lay down a vibe. Fraud has steadily emerged as a low key producer, perfecting the art of such collabos and working with many of hip hop’s underground stars via his light, airy production that has equal amounts of head-bopping and drifting keys, synths or strings. Curren$y is at his best as he delivers his usual goodness, while Conway The Machine, Wiz Khalifa, Rick Ross and Jim Jones pop on the guest features. Those guest features offer a splash of variety, doosras in an over of off-spin and ‘In The Coupe’ is a lovely example of the varied production, partnered with different styles of vocal delivery.

Quin Kirchner - The Shadows and The Light

Mate if you’re on that modern jazz buzz then you’re in a good place. Makaya McCraven, Kamasi Washington, Jeff Parker, the Chicago Underground Quartet... they’ve all put out great albums so far this year. Now there’s this absolute stunner from drummer Quin Kirchner, whose brilliant last album (The Other Side of Time) slipped under the radar a bit in 2018. 15 tracks mixing covers and originals, drawing from global (and even interstellar) influences, challenging in places yet overall just a joyful listen. Get on the groove, amigo.

Lianne La Havas – Lianne La Havas

Self-titled albums often have an extra purpose to them. They’re usually statement records, debuts to announce a new creative presence on the scene or perhaps a grand reflection of a personal vision. For Lianne La Havas, this is the British songstress’ third album but it’s poised to be her big breakthrough. These tunes are sharp and soulful and they never feel forced, offering a purity that cuts to the point. So smooth and so pretty and so profound. Like a breezy Sunday morning cuppa except with extra emotional vulnerability instead of sugar... and also one of the best Radiohead covers you’ll ever hear.

Logic - No Pressure

Logic’s hip hop career appears to be over as he announced his retirement along with the delivery of ‘No Pressure’ and having caught the wave from his 2014 release ‘Under Pressure’, his final album perfectly wraps everything up. Part of that is the presence of No I.D. (who has teamed up with Jay-Z, Common plenty), who oversaw Under Pressure and swings back around to take care of No Pressure alongside Logic’s go to producer 6ix. There is far more comfort in who Logic is as a person in No Pressure compared to his last few albums, less angst and when combined with the sample-heavy, boom-bappy style shared by his first and last albums, this album takes one back while also rolling through Logic’s new angles. No Pressure is designed for multiple listens, like all good albums it requires attention and if you give yourself time to dwell on No Pressure you will be rewarded.

Neil Young – Homegrown

It took about 45 years but Neil Young’s mythical lost album Homegrown is finally here. Incredible. This was meant to be a return to the sunny Harvest sound but by the time the album was due to be released he was in a dark place and not really feeling it. A couple songs ended up on other albums, some were reworked, others disappeared into the vault. But despite the upbeat country-ish sound, this album (recorded as his marriage deteriorated) still has plenty of suffering under the surface... although not like the soul-ravaged Tonight’s The Night which was released instead... with the intimacy and honesty of Homegrown ensuring this is more than just another cash-grab from the vault like many of his contemporaries. It’s impossible to fully place this album in the context of his golden era, we can only wonder how it would have been perceived in its original time, but the fact that there was this complete prime Neil Young album out there, a lost classic, just shows what an unstoppable force he was in the 70s. Keep on rocking in the free world.

Hum – Inlet

Hum are what it would sound like if My Bloody Valentine and Pavement had a baby... although after 22 years since their previous record you’d be forgiven for not knowing what Hum sound like any more at all. An entire generation of bands has come and gone with Hum’s influence to thank in that time so it’s kinda crazy that they’ve made an album that fits so easily within their discography. Inlet goes even deeper into the shoegaze zone with its eight songs dragging out to almost an hour as the guitar tones drone and swell, and the drums thump laconically, heavy yet melodic in that wondrous shoegazey way. Good jams.

Strange Magic – Melatonin Doomsday Blues

Ten tracks, 31 minutes of pure independently-released power pop. This is one of those Bandcamp discoveries that reminds you how much quality music there is beneath what finds its way into the rips and churns of the great washing machine that is music media. Strange Magic is the project of Javier Romero who plays pretty much everything and has a voice that at times sounds like Tom Petty (no shortage of folks going down that road these days) and at times Elvis Costello. These songs are warm and simple with heaps to say about the state of the human race and hooks with which to say it all. A decent reminder that you don’t actually need the musical gatekeepers.

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