Kacy + Clayton & Marlon Williams – Plastic Bouquet

It’s the boy Marlon getting back on the horse again, this time in a collaborative effort with Canadian folk cousins Kacy + Clayton. The shared creativity is a throwback for MW to those Sad But True records with Delaney Davidson (which are super underrated btw) though if you’re hoping for a Marlon showcase then this isn’t the one. He does finally lay down a studio version of Arahura here but it’s only really that song and the shuffling I Wonder Why where he dominates the show. It’s more of a Kacy + Clayton record than a Marlon Williams record... but once that idea settles it’s a lovely listen. Smartly written, old-timey tunes with a warm country edge to them, immensely tasteful (including Clayton’s smooth guitar offerings), and with some truly glistening harmonies. As Marlon summarises in some injury time studio chatter: “Nice”.

Boldy James - Real Bad Boldy

Regular readers and musical creatures will know that Boldy James dominated 2020. It started with ‘The Price Of Tea In China’ which saw Boldy collaborate with The Alchemist and there was the low key delight of ‘The Versace Tape’ with Jay Versace. Late in 2020, Boldy delivered ‘Real Bad Boldy’ in another collaborative effort with the relatively unknown Real Bad Man who appear to be deep in clothing/design while also providing exquisite production. Not knowing too much about the latest Boldy comrade was lovely as you enter the 10 track offering with an open mind to what sound Boldy James will dish up his gritty tales on. There are uplifting head-bop moments in tracks like ‘Light Bill’ with Mayhem Lauren as well as James taking you into the darkness of ‘Failed Attempt’ or ‘Street Shit’ - the latter is light and fluffy in production but grizzly in the storytelling.

Boldy James is the best thing in hip-hop right now.

Madlib - Sound Ancestors

When pondering the albums that hit a #27fm Jukebox standard, there is a general need for multiple plays over a week or so … let alone outside of the monthly jukebox cycle. Lyrics and rhymes that require another listen to comprehend or be exposed to a different meaning and how those words relate to different pockets of production. Madlib’s ‘Sound Ancestors’ is a collection of music from someone who lives in a state of sonic discovery, always searching for old music that creates new music and the funk sits in how Madlib’s homie Four Tet puts it all together for the album. Four Tet is credited as editing, arranging and mastering the album which after multiple listens and time spent dwelling in Madlib’s world can basically be wrapped up as translating a portion of Madlib’s work.

For those acquainted with Madlib, you’ll be graced with fresh sounds from deep in the crates. Others may be tuning into Madlib via his recent collaborations with Freddie Gibbs, or you’ve been flipped on to Madlib after MF DOOM’s passing. Either way, this is Madlib at his explorative best as boom-baps blend with sounds from a distant land.

Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou – May Our Chambers Be Full

Gotta love an unexpected combo record. Here we’ve got gothic songstress of darkness Emma Ruth Rundle (whose 2018 album On Dark Horses is a modern classic) linking with sludge metallers Thou. Which ain’t an awkward combo at all, ERR has always had that hint of heaviness to her music and so what we get here is Rundle’s resonant vocals backed by screaming echoes (via Thou’s Brian Funck, master of the art) with the instrumental heaviness ramped up a couple notches. It’s also not a fully successful combo, like you wouldn’t say MOCBF lives up to the best moments of the respective solo outings, but the mix of dark fury with melodic gasps for air is thrilling when it works. Killing Floor, Monolith & The Valley are the standouts from an exhausting 36 minutes.

Doctor Destruction - Planetory Destruction

Throughout my time enjoying Logic’s music, I’ve always found his albums to be fun. Whether it was ‘Under Pressure’ and the exploration of his earlier life or ‘The Incredible True Story’ which took listeners on an outer space hip hop excursion, Logic’s ability to put together a compelling collection of songs that intertwine with a wider story arc is fun. Having recently retired, Logic calls on Bobby Boy Records signing Doctor Destruction to deliver an album that combines funky rhymes with a greater theme and I think the word fun pops up when these greater themes are based in fictional stories than hard-hitting themes.

Well, that’s how it all seems. Doctor Destruction may be Logic himself and this is a sneaky narrative that comes with ‘Planetory Destruction’, amplified by the fact that this album features discussion around altering voice pitch and villainous characters. With that in mind, there are nods to Madlib’s alter ego Quasimoto and the different characters portrayed by MF DOOM (RIP) that only add more layers of funk to this album. 17 tracks of varied production, skits and some high class features from TDE’s Punch, Del the Funky Homosapian and Ghostface Killah as well as Bobby Boy Records’ Ben Lenbo.

Take a trip.

Steve Earle & The Dukes – J.T.

Justin Townes Earle left behind an incredible body of work with untimely passing last year. Harlem River Blues is a modern classic, Midnight At The Movies isn’t too far behind... even his final album Saint Of Lost Causes was a real return to form. Well, his old man Steve has already served up two really fantastic tribute albums for fallen heroes in the past (Townes & Guy), now tragically he’s delivered one for his son. Ten faithful and tender renditions of some of JTE’s finest work... plus an original final track that addresses his grief head on. It’s a brutal listen under the circumstances but also a poignant celebration of a great artist in his own right. As well an invitation to dive deep into the well of Justin Townes Earle’s remarkable songbook.

Jyoti – Mama, You Can Bet!

Alter-ego of Los Angeles free jazz intrepid explorer Georgia Anne Muldrow, an acolyte of Thundercat and Kamasi Washington and that whole scene, and you’d better believe this album (released late last year) takes you places. The most enthralling jazz exponents these days are the folks who have a near-encyclopaedic understanding of the genre’s heritage but still wanna push things into the next millennia and that’s what you get here through a range of instrumentation and sounds – which incredibly were almost all played by Mudrow herself. Sun Ra would dig it. A couple Charles Mingus tracks get the treatment. And apparently the Jyoti name was gifted her by Alice Coltrane herself so there you go. Full steam ahead aboard the Arkestra.

Pete Rock - Petestrumentals 3

After the legendary producer’s first ‘Petestrumentals’ drop in 2001, Pete Rock teams up with his band The Soul Brothers for the third installment of his instrumental series. Instead of finding ancient loops of groove to work with, Rock deals in the jazz funk served up by the Soul Brothers for 12 tracks of noise that is impossible not to bop your head to. While rooted in hip hop, Petestrumentals 3 is perfect to chuck on in the background this summer as the hip hop vibe is light and the instrumentation on offer can be enjoyed by everyone who seeks a mellow, upbeat vibe.

Osees – Panther Rotate

John Dwyer does not sleep so fresh from releasing 40 minutes worth of android grooves on Protean Threat in September, he was back three months later with 40 more minutes worth of tunes from those sessions, remixed into slower, weirder territory. Oh yeah and he also released another album plus a live record in between these two but that’s just the pace at which the man works. Irrepressible. Panther Rotate includes clips of field recordings, eerie electronic overdubs, and Mad Scientist experiments along with the German euro-grooves and it’s actually way more interesting than the original mixes. Vastly different too. Probably requires a certain mindset to cope with it all though.

Gunn-Truscinski Duo – Soundkeeper

Guitarist Steve Gunn. Drummer John Truscinski. 72 minutes of exploratory and atmospheric musical fusion. This is the fourth album released by these two and probably the best of them too. Thanks to the timing as much as anything, these expressionist improvisations which seems to whisper upon the wind as it whips and glides across the vast empty landscape... full of creative daring but devoid of any commercial pressure... that’s what gives Soundkeeper an easy-going edge in an age of global pandemic even when these tunes can be kinda challenging. Just picture those vast empty landscapes as you listen though. Mountains and plains, rivers and oceans. Humans all stuck inside as nature heals itself. It’s almost cinematic... except it’s something more primal.

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