Vince Staples - Ramona Park Broke My Heart

Observing Vince Staples' output has been a funky experience as the Long Beach artist rolls though phases, now leading to the simple depiction of life on the streets. 'Summertime 06' was dark and rooted in woes, then came a more experimental pocket with 'Big Fish Theory' and 'FM!'. Last year Staples dropped 'Vince Staples' which delivered gritty tales juxtaposed against lovely production from Kenny Beats. 'Ramona Park Broke My Heart' is most similar to the VS project and while Staples calls upon a wide variety of producers, Staples is again serving up grim reality on top of funky production.

The first four tracks of RPBMH are west coast bangers and set the tone with Staples dropping concise bars, sharing specific gang-banging tales. The stripped back production of Mustard on 'Magic' epitomises this, coming after 'DJ Quik' which serves as a musical nod to a previous era. The following tracks make it easier to feel the low key dark undertones as Staples ventures deeper into the realities of this life. The beauty of RPBMH is how Staples tells his stories. The details found in simplicity. The way Staples can flow over production as only he can, balancing light and dark.

RPBMH has a bunch of tracks that can be played loud, demanding steady head-nodding. Don't be seduced though as Staples explores emotions, reflections and learnings. Staples shines in this space and it leaves one curious about Staples' next pocket of music.

Wet Leg – Wet Leg

Another one in that Dry Cleaning mould, where British irreverence meets swarming guitar-chunk. That Dry Cleaning album was superb. This Wet Leg album is... also superb. Arguably even better thanks to the catchiness of tunes like Being in Love, Chaise Longue, and Ur Mum. Formed a couple years back in the Isle of Wight (adding to the irreverent stakes), there’s a definite lineage to the Britpop prowess of a group like Elastica here though channelled very much through modern life. It’s rare that you find a debut album this deliciously fully formed. Wet Leg aren’t afraid to stray from the bubbly bombast of their singles yet every variation seems to hit just as accurately. Straight up one of the best albums of the year to date.

Ian Noe – River Fools & Mountain Saints

Ian Noe toured as an opening act for John Prine before he passed away and you get the feeling he picked up a trick or two from the old master. Noe even sings a bit like a young John Prine, in a couple of places the resemblance is uncanny. But we do have to separate master from apprentice because Ian Noe is very much his own talent as his second full length release proves. Hailing from Kentucky, this is real deal Americana. Balancing that natural wonderment with societal tragedy. Outstanding tunes balancing that country/folk line with a bit of rock and blues chucked in for good measure (this is a bloke who shouts out Credence Clearwater Revival on one track so you get the idea). The 12 songs and 42 minutes of RF&MS is going to take you places, that’s for sure. Sonically and emotionally. Surely there’s nobody with a beating heart can listen to One More Night without noticing some dust in the air, if there’s a better album in this style in 2022 then it’s going to have to be something special coz this one is remarkably good.

Girl Talk, Big K.R.I.T, Smoke DZA & Wiz Khalifa - Full Court Press

Never heard of Girl Talk? All good, just roll with the fact that Girl Talk is the producer who whipped together Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T and Smoke DZA for a wavy collabo project. These three artists share lovely chemistry which stems from their rise in hip-hop early in the last decade and having them together for studio sessions takes the listener back in time. Don't expect anything too extravagant, just light and breezy tunes with enough variety to be played from start to finish. Otherwise you'll find a banger that you can jam on repeat as the sun shines this winter.

Ex-Vöid – Bigger Than Ever

Oh mate just outstanding pop-rock areas here. Ex-Vöid is born out of the embers of Welsh punky noise-pop group Joanna Gruesome, formed in 2018 with the distinct purpose of delivering rampant power pop tunes with chunky guitars and just a little bit of edge. Like The Lemonheads but after listening to too much Black Sabbath (jokes there’s no such thing as ‘too much Black Sabbath’). Mission accomplished on that front. There are hints of Richard & Linda Thompson in the vocal harmonies, a delicious touch, and good lord the tunes are so good. Haven’t heard anything in this style that pumps so hard since that first album by The Beths. If you dig that lot then you’ll dig this lot. Chemical Reaction. Boyfriend. So Neurotic. No Other Way. All these short sharp perfect bangers. What a record.

Yumi Zouma - Present Tense

Probably Aotearoa’s most reliably great pop band right now. If you don’t know then you should. Yumi Zouma just churn out excellent indie bangers after excellent indie bangers with great hooks and funky electronic instrumentals and don’t really get enough credit for how consistently enjoyable their music is. Present Tense delivers on their standard sunny daze lens flare aesthetic with just a little bit of tasteful refinement. Occasional saxophones. Live drumming. Some fuzzy guitar. Plus, like, you know, a collection of beautifully written tunes. Particular standouts: In The Eyes of Our Love, Mona Lisa, Razorblade & Astral Projection.

Father John Misty – Chloe and the Next 20th Century

The fifth FJM record is pretty buzzy because other than that distinctive voice of Josh Tillman’s... in many ways it doesn’t sound much like FJM at all. Or, rather, it sounds like what FJM would sound like if Tillman locked himself in a hotel barroom in the 1950s listening to Chet Baker perform for roughly three months straight. Some kind of funky timeloop. But Tillman has always thrived with a gentle heartfelt ballad despite his overt persona dominating all four of his previous records, a persona that he slides to the side here with an album of story songs, vignettes, and character studies. He hasn’t even done any promo interviews – his own personal voice is silenced in favour of some subtle and beautiful songwriting. It takes a while to get he hang of it but roughly by the fifth track, Buddy’s Rendezvous, he’s got you by the heartstrings and the ears. Lana Del Rey has already released a killer cover of that song by the way – a perfect alliance given how much crossover there is between this album and LDR’s whole vibe. Plus a bit of 70s Tom Waits with a much much much smoother voice. Leonard Cohen’s Death of a Ladies’ Man feels like a touchstone record too.

Nicholas Craven - Craven N 3

Thou was not familiar with Nicholas Craven prior to this project popping up on my radar and 'Craven N 3' was actuall released in February, all in good timing. Craven's Bandcamp page has a strong catalogue of underground hip-hoppy projects that feature collaborations with Griselda, Planet Asia and Roc Marciano. CN3 has the Montreal producer working with Stove God Cook$, Boldy James, Evidence, Navy Blue, Elucid, Pink Siifu, Your Old Droog and Connaisseur Ticaso for their own tracks before the final track is all Craven himself. Each artist flexes over Craven's slowed down, avant-gardey production that has been a staple of these Album Jukeboxes. Each artists brings their own flavour to the track and with a warmth that stretches throughout the project. Wholesome production with artists delivering the bars that hip-hoppers love. This might be too funky to share with the homies in the garage, but is perfect for the headphones or laying a vibe for some mahi. CN3 is also a nice entry point into this style of music with a different artists providing ample rabbit-holes to explore.

Jack White – Fear Of The Dawn

It’s hard to know what to want when it comes to Jack White. One of the 21st Century’s premier guitar slingers, he could easily be making White Stripes knock-offs the rest of his recording life but where’s the fun in that when he’s already done it? Instead his solo efforts have been a grab bag of wild experiments (all with a blue colour palette) which range from the excellent (Blunderbuss) to the baffling (Boarding House Reach). It feels like this new record settles somewhere nicely in between. On the one hand he’s still absolutely all over the place from track to track. Q-Tip raps on Hi-De-Ho. Into The Twilight has a late-80s Prince feel to it. Eosophobia is practically a dub tune. Not all of those experiments sound comfortable or successful... but the important thing is that throughout the whole album Jack absolutely shreds on his electric guitar in a way that only he possibly can, keeping the weird songs funky and the ensuring the straight ones fiercely rip. Ultimately that’s all we really want from Mr White, right?

Guerilla Toss - Famously Alive

The long term pivot of Guerilla Toss from wildly unpredictable art rock funk to disco rock jam band status has been a deceptive one (made possible by a through-line of psychedelia lol) and it’s kept a great band consistently fresh and interesting. Famously Alive is potentially their most accessible album yet, also their first since signing with Sub Pop, but even though the no-wave noise yarns have been stripped away The Toss remain so delightfully weird and incredibly smart that there’s never any question of them copping out – it’s all just natural progression. Plus it comes with an undeniably joyous vibe to it. Great album. Give it a listen.

claire rousay - everything perfect is already here

This one’s a little out of left field. Claire Rousay (stylised as claire rousay) makes ambient music built around audio collages that utilise field recordings and all sorts. Gentle violin or piano might weave its way in and out of soft rustles and bumps. There are occasional electronic elements. Sometimes you hear voices. This particular album consists of two 15-minute tracks that take their time in dishing out what they have to offer, the experience of listening to it being a patient and meditative one, which is so unfamiliar compared to the majority of attention-grabbing cultural products out there that it feels like a public service to recommend this album. And despite its minimalism there are passages which manage to stir a pretty intense emotional response supposing that you give it the time and space it requires.

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