One of the most polarizing, controversial & popular artists in hip hop today Sexyy Red coming straight outta St. Louis, Missouri ringing in Memorial Day Weekend by releasing her 3rd mixtape following her appearance on the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE’s developmental brand NXT. Getting her footing in penning a diss track towards an ex-boyfriend who cheated on her, she subsequently dropped her debut single “1,000 Jugs” in 2018 & eventually her debut mixtape Ghetto Superstar on Christmas Eve 2021 to subpar reception. Last summer however was when she went viral as a result of her gamma.-backed sophomore tape Hood Hottest Princess, which received more mixed responses in the public eye including from myself on the contrary to Anthony Fantano giving it an 8. My interest peaked after learning couple months back that Tay Keith was fully producing her upcoming debut album since he & Sexyy Red have always brought the best out of one another much like Future & Metro Boomin’ since Tay laced some of her biggest hits such as “SkeeYee”, but is preluding it in the form of In Sexyy We Trust.
After the “Tim Talking” intro, the first song “She’s Back” is this admittedly obnoxious trunk-rattling opener about her return whereas “Boss Me Up” produced by Tay Keith really gets the tape started from the piano-driven instrumental to Sexyy’s boisterous lyrics. “U My Everything” featuring Drake uses the exact same sample Metro Boomin’ used for “BBL DRIZZY BPM 150.mp3” earlier this month further validating Kendrick Lamar’s line on “euphoria” where he said “When I see you stand by Sexyy Red, I believe you see 2 bad bitches” leading into the synth-laced strip club anthem “Ova Bad”.
“Get It Sexyy” was a fun single mixing trap, crunk, Memphis rap & snap together so she can energetically do her dance while “Fake Jammin’” has a rubbery quality to the beat calling out everyone who ain’t jammin’ shit like they say they are. “Outside” hooks up some vibraphones & hi-hats courtesy of Mike WiLL Made-It not shying away from making it clear that she stays out here, but then VonOff1700’s verse on “Sexyy Love Money” is almost as laughable as Drake’s despite the ominous piano chords throughout & the lyrics breaking down everything that Sexyy Red herself loves.
Meanwhile on “Sport”, we have Sexyy talking about killing these hoes over one of the weaker instrumentals on the entire tape even with the weak reference to former NXT North American Champion Bronson Reed that is until “TTG (Go)” bounces back eerily dropping braggadocio. The song “Lick Me” featuring Lil Baby richly talks about cunnilingus while the penultimate track “Awesome Jawsome” turns the bass up a bit more encouraging to shake your dreads between her legs. Funny enough, “It’s My Birthday” ends In Sexyy We Trust with what “Ratchet Happy Birthday” by Drake off Scorpion should’ve been.
People online tend to clown on Fantano for giving Hood Hottest Princess an 8 all these months later & even I myself would tell you that it’s a strong 5 to a light 6 on it’s best day, but I also find it ironic that literally every single redeemable quality he saw in that previous tape is EXACTLY what I see in this new one right here. If you wanna get into Sexyy Red, In Sexyy We Trust completely outshines her earlier work. Once you get past a few underwhelming guest performances, rhetorical production mostly handled by Tay Keith is a lot more detailed than what she’s done before & she can be humorous at times.
New Jersey rapper & singer Coi Leray teaming with Mike WiLL Made-It for her 5th EP & Island Records debut. Growing up as the younger brother of Sosshouse Records signee Chavo & the daughter of Benzino, she began to carve a path of her own with her debut mixtape Everythingcoz along with her first 2 EPs Everythingcoz 2 & Now or Never even though they were mediocre to me personally. She then signed to Uptown Records last spring after being relaunched by Republic Records & put out her major label debut Trendsetter not too long after which had a few of her strongest tracks yet, but the bad mostly outweighed the good & the same applied to Coi considering “Self Love” off the Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse soundtrack could be my favorite song of hers yet. Lemon Cars on the other hand was destined to wipe both her LPs in terms of quality after announcing Mike WiLL’s heavy involvement.
The title track starts with a full fledged synthwave beat & Coi fucking around showing you what’s in store whereas “Can’t Come Back” is a futuristic pop rap jam talking about kicking her ex to the curb. “We Time” has an atmospheric trap flare to it expressing her need to spend more time with her new man while “Wanna Come Thru” goes into a bit of a psychedelic direction telling a guy who thinks he’s a psychic to put his pride to the side. “Coke Bottle Body” featuring Skilla Baby works in organs & hi-hats for a dedication to the slim baddies, but then “Poster Girl” kinda has this trippy rock edge to it talking about being the one her mans sees in his dreams
Coi most certainly has talent as proven by “Self Love” or her feature on Busta Rhymes’ latest album Blockbusta even though it was step down from E.L.E. 2 (Extinction Level Event 2): The Wrath of God, but she really took me by surprise here much like the new Sexyy Red tape In Sexyy We Trust did earlier on in the weekend. Mike WiLL Made-It’s production is exactly what she needed since the overabundance of samples on Coi or the tackiness of Trendsetter’s & her performances are notably better too.
Niko B is a 23 year old recording artist from Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom emerging at the very beginning of this current decade off the strength of his debut single “Marry Berry”. His popularity began to grow exponentially a few months later after putting out his next track “Who’s That What’s That”, now finally ready to unveil his full-length debut album only 3 years & 7 more loosely released songs later building up anticipation for this very moment to come.
“Trespass Coat” is this EDM-driven opener talking about learning a couple steps despite not really liking to dance that much whereas “I’ve Smoked Weed 9 Times & Have Had 1 Good Experience” playfully breaks down why weed simply isn’t for him. “ur a bundle of joy!” takes the groovier route instrumentally calling Milton Keynes the city of roundabouts, but then “boarded the plane” bringing a quirkier vibe talking about sitting in row 9 of a flight.
Moving on from there, “tom did” mellowly asks if anyone wants it prior to “miniclip” featuring KIRBS mixing cloud rap & UK drill so both of them can talk about winning any game they play. “it’s not litter if you bin it” delves further into smoother sounds saying that he’s fighting too many fights pondering if they would make him lose by filming him fighting while the pillowy “i’m just a pretty face” talks about being too hardcore.
“dagenham to barking” kinda has this deconstructed club quality to the beat referencing former 3-time WWE world champion, 5-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, 3-time TNA World Champion, ΩCW Heavyweight Champion, 9-time WWE Tag Team Champion, 3-time WWE Hardcore Champion, ROH World Tag Team Champion, HoG Tag Team Champion, 2-time ΩCW Tag Team Champion, 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion & The Crash Mundial Parejas Campeon Jeff Hardy while the rythmic “what counts as fine?” talks about not doing things because he dislikes it. The delicately produced “14 days” nears the conclusion of Niko’s debut explaining how hard these past couple weeks have been without seeing an unnamed person in his life & the melodic “who’s in designer” closes the LP addressing someone he doesn’t recognize anymore.
Stemming from being in awe of everyone around him, the UK hip hop scene’s newest face makes his introduction to a wider audience enjoying his dog food because he likes it as opposed to everyone else around arguing & in competition. The versatility ranges from UK drill to indie pop & his storytelling is reminiscent to The Streets’ first couple albums, yet he very much meshes it all into his own approach & style.
Compton, California rapper, singer/songwriter & actor Vince Staples is back with his 5th LP. Emerging as a close affiliate of the now defunct Odd Future collective, he would go on to release 4 mixtapes before signing a joint deal with Blacksmith Records & even No I.D.’s very own Def Jam Recordings imprint ARTium Recordings. My personal favorite of which being Stolen Youth, which was entirely produced by the late Mac Miller. His first major label outing Hell Can Wait was a dope little EP preluding the full-length debut Summertime ‘06, which became one of the best double disc albums of the previous decade. Vince later detailed the pitfalls that came with his success on the next EP Prima Donna & the dude’s sophomore effort Big Fish Theory was unquestionably his most experimental work yet. He later teamed up with Kenny Beats for his 3rd EP FM! & his eponymous 3rd album but coming off Ramona Park Broke My Heart from a couple years ago, Vince is fulfilling his Def James contract on Dark Times.
After the “Close Your Eyes & Swing” intro, the first song “Black&Blue” is this vigorous kickstarter talking about still being on some n***a shit whereas the boom bap driven “Government Cheese” encourages the listeners to smile & not to lose their inner child. “Children’s Song” goes for a twangier trap vibe instrumentally telling y’all to stop playing with his crib & play with your kids instead ahead of “Shame on the Devil” going for a conscious west coast hip hop vibe talking about God making him special.
Jay Versace‘s production on “Étouffée” takes the atmospheric route & Vince paying homage to the New Orleans hip hop scene during the hook & after the “Liars” skit, “Justin” returns to the boom bap telling the story of a woman who’s already in a relationship. “Radio” gives off a solemn trap flare to the beat from Cardo so he can turn up his hustle while “Nothing Matters” brings back the kicks & snares asking why she told him that she loves him when she doesn’t.
“Little Homies” begins the encore of Dark Times by hopping over a funky instrumental telling all his lil homies out there listening to be blessed & keep their heads on a swivel when they stop while the last song “Freeman” prior to the “Why Won’t the Sun Come Out?” outro fulfills Vince’s contract with Def Jam talks about everything being all good.
Even I thought that Vince had already left Def Jam since he’s been releasing his last couple projects through Motown Records, but at least he officially went out by finding the clarity that he was looking for when he initially signed his first major label deal over a decade ago. It has a prominently conscious west coast hip hop sound to it with additional neo-soul, neo-psychedelia, jazz rap & experimental hip hop undertones sprinkled in & you can truly hear his growth after all this time.
Varg Vikernes or professionally known as Burzum is a 51 year old musician, author & convict from Bergen, Norway whose 3rd album Hvis lyset tar oss & more specifically it’s follow-up Filosofem are regarded as some of the most essential black metal in the subgenre’s history even now. Dauði Baldrs & Hliðskjálf went for more of a dungeon synth direction since both of them were recorded while he was in prison for arson & the murder of founding Mayhem guitarist Euronymous. Over a decade later, Belus marked a return to Burzum’s black metal roots & Fallen personally is the last LP of Varg’s that I personally found myself enjoying especially as a result of beginning to incorporate his nationalist far-right beliefs onto the 4 full-lengths he’s released since. Ye formerly known as Kanye West cited him as an inspiration for ¥$’ ongoing Vultures trilogy to the point where Burzum’s coming out of his 4-year retirement to put out his 13th & final album.
Varg Vikernes eller profesjonelt kjent som Burzum er en 51 år gammel musiker, forfatter og straffedømt fra Bergen, Norge hvis tredje album Hvis lyset tar oss og mer spesifikt dets oppfølging Filosofem blir sett på som noe av det mest essensielle black metal i undersjangerens historie. selv nå. Dauði Baldrs & Hliðskjálf gikk for mer en dungeon-synth-retning siden begge ble spilt inn mens han satt i fengsel for brannstiftelse og drapet på grunnleggeren av Mayhem-gitaristen Euronymous. Over et tiår senere markerte Belus en retur til Burzums black metal-røtter og Fallen personlig er den siste LP-en av Varg’s som jeg personlig fant meg selv glede av, spesielt som et resultat av at han begynte å inkorporere hans nasjonalistiske ytre-høyre-tro i de 4 fullengdere han er utgitt siden. Ye eller tidigare känd som Kanye West citerade honom som en inspiration för ¥$’ pågående Vultures trilogi till den punkt där Burzum kommer ut efter sin fyraåriga pensionering för att ge ut sitt 13:e och sista album.
“The Magic of the Grave” is a nonstarter intro because while I appreciate the fact that Varg gives a calmer delivery, the atmospherically depressive black metal/dungeon synth instrumentation with post-punk undertones is on some cutrate GarageBand shit. “The Hidden Name” decently works in more atmo-black influences although the vocals get drowned out whereas “The Nature of the Gods” pointlessly goes spoken-word for 3 minutes over a piano. “The Call of the Kraken” has to be my favorite track here so far feeling like a throwback to the Belus/Fallen days of my early adolescence, but then “Beyond the Gate” comes off as cheaply composed as the opener.
«The Magic of the Grave» er en ikke-starter-intro, for selv om jeg setter pris på det faktum at Varg gir en roligere levering, er den atmosfærisk depressive black metal-/dungeon-synth-instrumenteringen med post-punk-undertoner på noe kurant GarageBand-dritt. «The Hidden Name» fungerer anstendig i mer atmosorte påvirkninger, selv om vokalen overdøves, mens «The Nature of the Gods» meningsløst går i tale i 3 minutter over et piano. «The Call of the Kraken» må være favorittsporet mitt her så langt, og føles som et tilbakeblikk til Belus/Fallen dagene i min tidlige ungdomstid, men så blir «Beyond the Gate» like billig komponert som åpningen.
Burzum does an ok job of evoking epic soundscapes commonly associated with fantasy & medieval settings through the usage of synthesizers, keyboards & drum machines on the 15 minute “Winds of the Vanished Realm” that is until “Memories in the Mist” microwaves a longwinded post-minimalism leftover from the Thulêan Mysteries sessions, Varg’s previous full-length prominently centered around dungeon synth alongside dark folk & ritual ambient music.
Burzum gjør en ok jobb med å fremkalle episke lydlandskap som vanligvis er assosiert med fantasi- og middelalderinnstillinger gjennom bruk av synthesizere, keyboard og trommemaskiner på den 15 minutter lange «Winds of the Vanished Realm» det er til «Memories in the Mist» mikrobølger en langvarig post-minimalisme-rest fra Thulêan Mysteries -øktene, Vargs forrige fullengder sentrert fremtredende rundt dungeon-synth sammen med mørk folkemusikk og rituell ambient-musikk.
“What Will Come” makes up for the mediocrity of “Memories in the Mist” which an atmospheric black metal/funeral doom metal hybrid that I enjoy except for Varg delivering what could possibly be the absolute worst vocal performances on the entire thing while “Elfland” surprisingly is my favorite so far putting a post-punk spin on atmospheric black metal. Can’t say the same for “Beneath the Barrow” or “The Mound of Fire”, both replacing the secondary post-punk elements with spoken word for uninspired atmospheric black metal while the bonus cut “The Reincarnation of Ódinn” has to be right behind “The Call of the Kraken” & I’ll even say amongst the best dungeon synth/spoken word tracks that Burzum ever put out as someone who isn’t a big fan of Dauði Badlrs or Hliðskjálf personally.
«What Will Come» gjør opp for middelmådigheten i «Memories in the Mist» som er en atmosfærisk black metal/funeral doom metal-hybrid som jeg liker, bortsett fra at Varg leverer det som muligens er den absolutt dårligste vokalprestasjonen på hele skiva, mens «Elfland» er overraskende nok min favoritt så langt, og setter en post-punk vri på atmosfærisk black metal. Kan ikke si det samme om «Beneath the Barrow» eller «The Mound of Fire», som begge erstatter de sekundære post-punk elementene med spoken word for uinspirert atmosfærisk black metal, mens bonuskuttet «The Reincarnation of Ódinn» må være rett bak «The Call of the Kraken» og jeg vil til og med si at det er blant de beste dungeon synth/spoken word sporene Burzum noensinne har gitt ut, som en som ikke er en stor fan av Dauði Badlrs eller Hliðskjálf personlig.
Umskiptar up until this point was my least favorite black metal album in the Burzum canon & fast forward a dozen years, The Land of Thulê has now sadly taken over Umskiptar’s spot since he usually thrives the most there. I’ll always defend Burzum’s first 4 albums including Belus & Fallen for being enjoyable black metal, but does that mean I agree with & support Varg’s views? In absolutely no way shape or form! My issues with this LP are the cheap GarageBand production & his take on the same style of extreme metal that would literally go on to influence countless other acts simply isn’t as innovative as it was when he first emerged in the Norwegian black metal scene during the late 80s/early 90s.
Umskiptar frem til dette tidspunktet var mitt minst favoritt-black metal-album i Burzum-kanonen og spol frem et dusin år, The Land of Thulê har nå dessverre overtatt Umskiptars plass siden han vanligvis trives best der. Jeg vil alltid forsvare Burzums første 4 album, inkludert Belus og Fallen for å være morsom black metal, men betyr det at jeg er enig med og støtter Vargs synspunkter? På absolutt ingen måte form eller form! Problemene mine med denne LP-en er den billige GarageBand-produksjonen og hans oppfatning av den samme stilen av ekstrem metal som bokstavelig talt ville fortsette å påvirke utallige andre handlinger, er rett og slett ikke så nyskapende som det var da han først dukket opp i den norske black metal-scenen under slutten av 80-tallet/begynnelsen av 90-tallet.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada instrumental band & production team BADBADNOTGOOD consisting of drummer/vibraphonist Alex Sowinski, bassist/keyboardist Chester Hansen & multi-instrumentalist Leland Whitty following up Mid Spiral: Chaos from last Wednesday by releasing their 3rd EP. Forming in 2010 over their shared appreciation for the late MF DOOM & of course Odd Future, their first 2 full-lengths BBNG & BBNG2 further gained traction for blending original material & covers until III fully won me over near the end of my junior year of high school after Tyler, The Creator introduced me to them through shouting the band out on “Lone” off his sophomore effort Wolf. They also produced what I consider to be Ghostface Killah’s most underrated album Sour Soul approximately 9 months later & Leland was promoted from touring member to official member the next summer on IV. Matthew Tavares departed in 2019 & their XL Recordings debut Talk Memory subsequently came out couple years later. However, the odd trio are looking to continue the Mid Spiral trilogy on Order.
To get us started, “Playgroup” is this warm 7-minute composition crossing over jazz & funk from the EP they gave us only the previous week whereas “Juan’s World” experiments with samba jazz in a way I find to be as essential as Stan Getz & João Gilberto’s eponymous collaborative album Getz/Gilberto that turned 60 earlier this spring. “Taco Taco” speaks about walking around Los Angeles stoned on top of a Latin jazz instrumental prior to “Sétima Regra” showing more of a Arthur Verocaiinfluence bringing an MPM flare to the table. “Sunday Afternoon’s Dream” is a vibe perfect for the concluding weekend with it’s horns & saxophones, but then “Rewind Your Mind” concludes Mid Spiral 2: Order with a meditative 5-minute piece.
I have to be honest with myself & admit I was the impression that Mid Spiral: Chaos being a teaser to BADBADNOTGOOD’s upcoming 6th album only 7 days ago when we first got it. Now it’s been made clear as day Mid Spiral will span out as a whole trilogy of EPs similarly to how the EARTHGANG is splitting EARTHGANG vs. the Algorithm into 3 separate EPs beginning with R.I.P. Human Art last fall & Robophobia few months ago, it’s certainly matches the bar set by the predecessor last week. The jazz fusion & jazz-funk sounds very much so carry themselves over except they’re replacing the jazz-rock undertones with samba-jazz as well as Latin jazz.
This is the 7th full-length solo LP from Memphis rapper, songwriter, producer & record executive Juicy J. Rising to stardom in the 90s as the co-founder of the seminal Three 6 Mafia alongside his Tear Da Club Up Thugs cohorts DJ Paul & the late Lord Infamous, he’s also had the most successful solo career out of everyone in the Mafia whether it be the Taylor Gang Entertainment/Columbia Records-backed Stay Trippy & Rubba Band Business: The Album or more recently Crypto Business & Mental Trillness. The latter noticeably taking on a more serious tone than some of Juicy’s latest material, taking a good chunk of it’s time coping with Gangsta Boo’s untimely passing & was wondering if the sequel here would address personal themes once more.
“Serenity” starts with a drumless loop Cosh helped put together saying goodbye to Hollywood whereas the self-produced “Bury My Problems” continues by banging out a Memphis tinged 2-parter talking about his pain running deep. “Overseas” works in more minimalistic half-time drum machine programming & droning bass to flex his European guap just before “Desperate Measures” eerily asks why you think he scrapes the bowl tryna get all the extras out.
Hi-hats get mixed with chopped & screwed vocals throughout “4 Life” so Da Juice Man can represent his city until he can’t anymore, but then the decent single “Sukihana” featuring Sukihana herself has more of a cloudier trap flare talking about needing a freaky hoe. “My Hood” throws it back to the classic Three 6 sound advising the newer Memphis artists who been pimpin’ leading into the ominous “He Did” discussing those online claimin’ sets getting checked by goons.
“Fired Up” starts the 2nd leg of the album in the form of a 2-minute smoke break for everyone listening that’s working a 9-5 while “Dig” serves as a playful dedication to hard working bitches. “Cut Back” brings back the signature Memphis sound instrumentally talking about trying to get his life together while “Money Flippa” featuring Project Pat taking a soulful turn to the beat telling everyone to get their grind & shine right.
Nearing the LP’s final quarter, “Switched Up” chops up soul samples once again airing out those who turned on him while “On the Way” featuring both IDontKnowJeffery & Xavier Wulf of the East Memphis Boyz brings 2 generations of the Memphis scene together fondly. Xavier sticks around for the penultimate track “All It Takes” smoothly talking about your girl running to dudes like them & lastly, “Suffering from Realness” concludes Mental Trillness 2 morbidly boasting that he’s too real.
The predecessor last spring was a bit of a breath of fresh air that Juicy’s solo output needed since it was starting to feel repetitive lyrically & the Mental Trillnesssequel plays to the strengths from the album that we got from him over 13 months ago already. He tones down the amount of guests only by a couple notches, it’s mostly self-produced in comparison to producing a little over half last time & addresses further personal issues on the mic.
Here we have the surprise 9th EP from Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer tana. Beginning in 2018 as a member of the plu2o9 collective under the original moniker BabySantana, he would go on to drop his first 2 EPs Recreation! & Planet Sosa alongside his debut mixtape Quan before signining to Lil Tecca’s very own Republic Records imprint Galactic Records the next fall. tana then preluded his full-length debut album bana by putting out Gaultier as well as London & Dale. Only a month following the main course, Santanaromani has decided to upload Friends Forever on SoundCloud only 24 hours after producing the standout track “Chauncey” off the new Ian EP Valedictorian.
In a surprising turn of events, “Les Fleurs de Belle” kicks off the EP by taking a complete 180° stylistically departing from the trap/pop rap/rage/pluggnb sounds that he became known for in favor of psychedelic rock production from n9ck & robotically sung vocals. Yes, you heard me correctly. “Meisje” continues to delver further down the psych rock rabbit hole to sing about heartbreak while “Charlie” comes through with my favorite vocal performances on the entire EP letting Charlie know what he’s caused continuing the mid-60s style of rock emulating or enhancing the effects of psychedelic drugs. “Let’s Run Far Away” concludes Friends Forever by rejectingly singing about escapism over solemn guitars passages.
Friends Forever isn’t really any different from the new Ouija Macc tape Corruptus or Lil Yachty’s last album Let’s Start Here., of course IGOR and 808s & Heartbreak too. The latter of which he definitely pulls influence from with the amount of heavy auto-tune on his voice during a few points on the EP. But my point is: What you’re gonna get on here is something COMPLETELY & ENTIRELY different from anything that he’s put out previously. When an artist goes into a completely different direction like this, it could go like Rebirth & Supermarket or like those other projects I mentioned. And Friends Forever‘s rock sound makes tana the most versatile signing on Galactic much like maintaining Destroy Lonely happening to be the most versatile signing on Opium.
This is the 3rd full-length LP from Glastonbury, Somerset, England, United Kingdom emcee BVA. Coming up as a member of The 4 Owls as well as Brothers of the Stone & the 3 Amigos, he’s also given us a couple albums & EPs of his own over the course of this past decade with the 2021 sophomore effort Lex Neville under his own label Real Life Drama Records & his first EP BVA MC standing out the most of the few solo efforts under his belt. However after learning that Leaf Dog was fully producing The Dam Builder after dropping When Sleeping Giants Wake a month ago, I went into it expecting to surpass everything BVA had done previously & only 48 hours away from Néon becoming the new RPW British Cruiserweight Champion.
After the intro, the first song “Charge It to the Game” officially begins the album with a soulful boom bap instrumental talking about being heartless in the face yet the calmest in his lane whereas “New Days” featuring Verb T takes the jazzier route explaining that it ain’t ever same as older days. “Out Here” featuring Benny the Butcher & Leaf Dog returns to the boom bap so they can talk about being raised outside leading into Leaf sticking around on the mic for “8 Bit Tales” dustily telling freaky tales like Too $hort.
“Desire” brings a whimsical boom bap vibe to the beat talking about there still a fire even when it’s cold ahead of Leaf Dog returning inside the booth once again for the orchestral “Take It Easy” likening the instrumental hitting like a wake & bake. “Nice n Crispy” works in more kicks, snares & orchestra elements to say shit like this is what makes them say these type of days be some of the best just before “1 in the Ashtray” talking about getting stoned during the day pretty much as soon as he wakes up.
Meanwhile on “Flying Daggers”, we have BVA over more classical flavored boom bap production refusing to allow anyone to burst his bubble while the solemnly “Dreamer” talking about how it don’t cost shit to be nice & people having their heads up in the clouds rather than in their vices. “Lost” has a soulful boom bap flare instrumentally explaining that every one of us is lost looking for a way out while “Over the Edge” takes a second checking what he knows in his head over more kicks & snares.
“Couple Clues” luxuriously observes the humor in these kids being told they were special & reality cutting them like sharp metal as they grew up while the organ-laced “Curse of the Liquor” insightfully breaking down the cons of alcoholism. “Still Rowing” soulfully talks about your respect owing while “Mightier Than the Sword” mixed a crooning sample with kicks & snares likening himself to a beast in his lair calling the feeling home sweet home.
Ramson Badbonez joins BVA on “Hiding in Plain Sight” continuing the sampling of soul music cautioning not to trust the government, the lawmakers or pharmaceuticals while the track “The Medecine” featuring Leaf Dog brings back the strings throwing kicks & snares on top of them explaining that it was never about anything else. And prior to the outro, the final song “Always Something” featuring Leaf Dog ends the LP brushing bad things off like nothing over organs.
His last couple albums have been a tad bit overloaded with the guests, but BVA really tones it down for The Dam Builder resulting in living up to my expectations outdoing B.V.A. (Be Very Aware) under High Focus Records & Lex Neville in becoming my new favorite solo effort in his discography a couple months after the Grizzled Young Veterans became the new RPW British Tag Team Champions. Leaf Dog’s production fuses the raw drum patterns of the traditional boom bap sound with samples along with strings & organs so BVA provides some of his most focused performances.
Scott & Seth Avett aka The Avett Brothers are back for an eponymous 11th full-length studio album of material. Not only is it their first new music in 5 years since Closer Than Together, but it’s also their 6th under American Recordings & to be fully produced by the label’s founder Rick Rubin. Their 6th LP albeit major label debut I & Love & You turning 15 this fall is their crowning achievement in my opinion. The Carpenter as well as Magpie & the Dandelion also got some rotation during half of my high school years. And nevertheless of True Sadness & Closer Than Tougher being the weakest efforts that Seth & Scott have done with Rick, I was still interested in hearing what they’ve been up to after all this time.
“Never Apart” is a folk rock opener talking about not having to miss one another because nothing can separate them whereas “Lover of a Girl” kinda gives of a funk rock vibe finding meaning in the every day struggles of their life being over the romantic attraction they have to women. “Cheap Coffee” stands out as the best on the album working in some pianos & electric guitars singing about feel the warmth of their partners’ love light shining on them prior to the blissful “Forever Now” asking how long is now & expresses their desire to live forever now within.
Meanwhile on “Country Kid”, we have The Avett Brothers taking on the contemporary country sound as they discuss growing up in North Carolina leading into “Orion’s Belt” starring the 2nd half with a boring take on country pop. “2020 Regret” sings over pianos about never regretting any time they had with their previous romantic interests. “Same Broken Bones” has a delicate sound to it altogether as they discuss someone waiting for them & “We Are Loved” acoustically finishes by reminding that everyone is loved even when they’re lonely.
It would be amazing if Rick encouraged them step out of their comfort zone stylistically a little, but I’ll still take The Avett Brothers’ self-titled effort over their last couple albums. They respond to those saying they don’t know when to hold back by sticking to their signature sound giving the audience a glimpse of independently studied spirituality; questions & considerations in the interest of the divine unknowable seek the sacred in the commonplace reveling in the fun & surrender of what we cannot understand.
