Hiatus Kaiyote – “Mood Valiant” review

Melbourne, Australia neo-soul band Hiatus Kaiyote consisting of lead singer/guitarist Nai Palm, bassist Paul Bender, keyboardist Simon Mavin & drummer Clever Austin are back with their 3rd studio LP. Their debut album Tawk Tomahawk was impressive although my sophomore effort Choose Your Weapon the month I graduated high school in 2015 was my introduction to them & I loved how they fused it with soul jazz, acid jazz, funk music, nu jazz, progressive pop & neo-psychedelia. Flying Lotus’ has since signed them to Brainfeeder Records distributed by Ninja Tune & are prepping their comeback with Mood Valiant.

After the “Flight of the Tiger Lily” intro, the opener “Sip Into Something Soft” gets things going by channeling some heavy D’Angelo vibes for an 104 seconds warmup whereas “Chivalry Isn’t Dead”fuses alternative R&B, glitch pop, nu jazz, breakbeats & neo-soul sings about gallantry being alive & well. DJ Khalil’s remix of “And We Go Gentle” is a lot stronger than the original even if the first couple verses are incredibly repetitive & I also loved Georgia Annie Muldrow’s remix of “Get Sun” equally.

“All the Words We Don’t Say” reaches the halfway point with what could be the most complex song they’ve ever conceived due to it’s countless rhythm & time changes but after “Rose Water” succeeding the “Hush Rattle” interlude comes through with a love letter to the Middle Eastern culture Nai was exposed to through the people she loves, “Red Room” continues with a psychedelic neo-soul vibe with a trip hop twist to it celebrating the gratitude of having a roof over your head .

The song “Sparkle Tape Breakup” chains a MiniMoog Model D, a Mellotron Micro, a Roland JX-3P & another polysynth to suggest maybe she’d still be with this guy if she was more harder than emotional while “Stone or Lavender” hooks up some strings & pianos to passionately sing about her breast cancer diagnosis which resulted in the mastectomy that saved her life. “Blood & Marrow” sends it all off remembering her late ring-neck parrot Charlie who passed away in 2019 & although I’ve always considered it to be a suiting outro, Stro Elliot’s remix of it is better personally.

I consider Choose Your Weapon to be one of the greatest neo-soul albums of the 2010s, so Mood Valiant’s been a long time coming & it’s more exciting to see the Brainfeeder deal propelling Hiatus Kaiyote further considering that it’s right behind the predecessor in becoming the 2nd best of their discography & further proves they were meant to be on the label. Their production complexly incorporates elements of psychedelic soul, progressive soul, nu jazz, jazz fusion, samba soul, jazz-funk, trip hop, glitch pop & breakbeats with their neo-soul style & Nai returns by giving us a glimpse of the new perspective she’s had overcoming all of her health complications.

Score: 4.5/5

Thundercat – “It Is What It Is” review

This is the 4th full-length album from Los Angeles, California musician, singer/songwriter & producer Thundercat. Emerging in the 2000s as the bassist for Suicidal Tendencies, he would subsequently sign to Brainfeeder Records & make his full-length debut The Golden Age of Apocalypse nearly a week before I started high school. He would follow it up with the sophomore effort Apocalypsea couple summers later & his debut extended play The Beyond / Where the Giants Grow a month succeeding my graduation became popular due to the inclusion of his most lauded single “Them Changes”. It would eventually be included on his previous LP Drunk, which is his most cohesive musical statement & an essential within the Brainfeeder discography. 3 years later, he’s accepting that It Is What It Is.

The 5th & final single “Interstellar Love” co-produced by Flying Lotus after the “Lost in Space / Great Scott / 22-26” intro embraces a heavy nu jazz fusion sound with elements of psychedelic neo-soul singing about us decaying over time whereas “I Love Louis Cole” featuring the real Louis Cole himself finds the 2 describing their friendship. The 2nd single “Black Qualls” featuring Childish Gambino & Steve Arrington goes for a funky psychedelic soul vibe singing about the state of no longer living in fear leading into “Miguel’s Happy Dance” going synth-funk offering a tune to dance your pain away too.

After the “How Sway?” interlude, “Funny Thing” takes it back to the Drunk era conceptually describing himself at a part that’s on the verge of reaching it’s peak just before the funky “Overseas” reaches the halfway point singing about a chick who blows his mind. The 3rd single “Dragonball Durag” ranks amongst his greatest blending neo-soul, psychedelic soul, nu jazz, funk, alternative R&B & acid jazz looking to be accepted by a woman no matter what it takes while the lead single “King of the Hill” after the “How I Feel” interlude samples “Girl Dinner.” by THABANG! thanks to BADBADNOTGOOD wondering how different things would be if they focused on the more important things.

“Unrequited Love” details the actual experience of romance from what some would call “the one that got away” to different shades of what people would think love is while the 4th single “Fair Chance” lets Lil B & Ty$ handle the verses over a funky alternative R&B/psychedelic neo-soul instrumental Sounwave helped cooked up remembering the late Mac Miller. After the 51 second “Existential Dread” interlude, the title track written after learning of Mac’s passing spans the last 5 minutes saying goodbye to their late friend while “Bye for Now” featuring Michael McDonald technically ends with the pair singing about the struggles of moving on.

Mac Miller was a very close friend & collaborator of Thundercat’s, so it was a guarantee that It Is What It Is was going to be dedicated to his memory & I wouldn’t say it’s better than Drunkalthough it lands close to The Beyond / Where the Giants Grow amongst his top 3 projects. The production between him & Flying Lotus feels like a continuation of sorts to the neo-soul & psychedelic soul sounds that made Drunk additionally taking inspiration from jazz fusion, nu jazz, alternative R&B & synth-funk to lesser extents & he retains his signature sense of humor in the midst of grieving Mac’s death.

Score: 4/5

Salami Rose Joe Louis – “Zdenka 2080” review

San Diego, California singer/songwriter & producer Salami Rose Joe Louis making her Brainfeeder Records debut with her 3rd studio LP. Introducing herself in 2016 off her full-length debut Son of a Sauce!, the subsequent sophomore effort Zlaty Sauce Nephew a year later was more positively received & interested Flying Lotus enough to the point where he signed her to Brainfeeder distributed by Ninja Tune. And being a FlyLo fan since my teens, I wanted to give Zdenka 2080 a fair chance.

“Suddenly” opens up with this futuristically hypnotic 105 second intro singing about finding life challenging out of nowhere leading into “Octagonal Room” kicking off with a spoken word piece until hitting us with a chorus & post-chorus entering a new dimension. After the “She Wakes Up (1st Dimension)” composition, “Love the Sun” goes for a heavy Stereolab vibe for 2 & a half minutes while the ethereal “Cumulous Potion (For the Clouds to Sing)” after the “Cirrus Floccus (2nd Dimension)” intermission describes a kind of concoction created by a starship from another galaxy.

Dream pop, singer/songwriter & hypnagogic pop all collide on the single “Nostalgic Montage” singing about traveling to see her friends if she were a bird just before “Meet Z in 3D (3rd Dimension)” atmospherically confesses that she doesn’t like sing much these days & making life busy so he can’t face her soul. “Confessions of a Metropolis Spaceship” moves on from there asking where he breath went & after “A Brief Intermission”, she spends a couple minutes during “Sitting with Thoughts” singing about someone who makes her feel alone.

“Earth Creature” gets the 2nd half going with Lindsay pleading for those listening to not lose hope over a Herbie Hancock-influenced beat while “Peculiar Machine (4th Dimension)” sings about discovering something mysteriously radiant. After the “Drifting” instrumental piece, “You Get Blue” has to be one of the weaker moments on the album considering it’s so short that there’s literally no point of it being on here while “Diatoms & Dinoflagellates (5th Dimension)” has a cavernous spoken word flare to it.

After the ambient “Transformation of a Molecule (6th Dimension)” beat, “The Artist (7th Dimension)” rounds out 3rd taking a more rustic approach while “Collision, Gravity, Time” sings about something else in the sky coming closer. “Heads Turn to Paintings” neo-psychedelically realizes the time has come while the final song “Cosmic Dawn (8th Dimension)” preceding the “To Be Continued…” outro majestically finishes singing about knowing your fear how she wants one to do so.

Most people would have Zlaty Sauce Nephew above Zdenka 2080 & understandably so, but I’d make the argument that Salami Rose Joe Louis’ debut for Brainfeeder begins this next phase of her career with the strongest collection of music she’s conceived. Her production’s more neo-psychedelic than earlier output additionally pulling from dream pop, ambient pop, nu jazz, wonky, hypnagogic pop & indietronica to cohesively describe a future dystopian Earth in the year 2080 that’s been mismanaged by unethical governments & corporations.

Score: 4/5

Iglooghost – “Clear Tamei / Steel Mogu” review

Shaftesbury, Dorset, England, United Kingdom electronic music producer Iglooghost fulfilling his Brainfeeder Records contract with a double extended play & his 6th overall. Dropping his debut mixtape Comet_Camping (Brkfstttt) in 2013, he would go on to follow it up with his debut extended play Twenteen & its successor Treetunnels preceding Flying Lotus signing him to Brainfeeder. His debut for the label Chinese Nü Yr on Devil’s Night 2015 became some of the most creative wonky music of that year, looking to further the critically acclaim of full-length debut Neō Wax Bloom by compiling Clear Tamei & Steel Mogu.

After the “Påleo Mamu” intro, “New Vectors” gets things going with this genius 3 & a half minute opener working in some xylophone-like synthesizers & strings whereas the Disc 1 title track combines drill & bass, wonky, experimental hip hop, glitch hop, bubblegum bass, grime, liquid drum & bass, deconstructed club, neurofunk, halftime & hardcore breaks for a chaotic single. “Namā” might be the only track on Clear Tameisince it feels like he’s playing things safer leading into “Shrine Hacker” featuring BABii reaches the halfway point on an orchestrally bass-heavy note.

Disc 2’s titular song succeeding the “1st Vōids” intro wasn’t as strong as the latter’s & starts the other portion of the EP on a bit sourly just before “Black Light Ultra” makes up for it by sampling “Ain’t It Funny” off Danny Brown’s masterpiece Atrocity Exhibition. “Mei Mode” whips up a futuristically energetic wonky, bubblegum bass, hybrid trap, deconstructed club, brostep & grime single that can be rhythmically quirky at times “Niteracer” wraps it up with this wonky, hybrid trap, UK bass, drill & bass, glitch hop, EDM trap, grime & bubblegum bass outro.

When it comes to Iglooghost’s EPs, I’ve always had Chinese Nü Yr as my favorite but I’m gonna have to put Clear Tamei / Steel Mogu above it considering we get some backstory behind the English producer’s full-length debut out of it. Both sides contain similar production styles including wonky, UK bass, hybrid trap, drill & bass, glitch hop, deconstructed club, hybrid trap, bubblegum bass & glitch hop except Steel Mogu’s significantly darker than Clear Tamei & we’re conceptually being introduced to young God in-training named Tamei who winds up in combat against a group of mysterious beings 3 millenniums preceding the events of Neō Wax Bloom.

Score: 4.5/5

Georgia Anne Muldrow – “Overload” review

This is the 9th studio LP from Los Angeles, California singer/songwriter, rapper & producer Georgia Anne Muldrow. Self-producing her 2006 debut album Olesi: Fragments of an Earth under Stones Throw Records, the sophomore effort Umsindo was as positively received although Early alongside King’s Ballad & Owed to Mama Rickie’s reception were generally lukewarm. Seeds produced by Madlib however would become the most revered entry in her whole discography, coming off Oligarchy Sucks! & A Thoughtiverse Unmarred to make her Brainfeeder Records debut with Overload.

After the “I.O.T.A. (Instrument Of The Ancestors)” intro, the first song “Play It Up” advises the star that guides & leads her through not to worry about the haters whereas the title track blends contemporary R&B with hip hop & trap thanks to Mike & Keys and DJ Khalil confessing that she’s been overwhelmed by work lately. “Blam” goes for a neo-soul vibe singing about picking up a gun & pulling the trigger out of self defense leading into the “Williehook” skit.

“Aerosol” embraces a psychedelic soul sound describing finding beauty within your average urban neighborhood while “Vital Transformation” sings about all of us being meant to evolve. “You Can Always Count on Me” kicks off the 2nd half uniquely covering a song off The Gap Band’s eponymous 3rd album just before “These Are the Things I Really Like About You” featuring Declaime finds the 2 joining forces so they can tell each other what they enjoy the most regarding one another.

The track “Canadian Hillbilly” pushes towards Overload’s conclusion singing about her husband always being by her side no matter what life throws at her while the jazz-infused “Conmigo” pleads for those listening to cherish everyone that we keep close to our hearts. And prior to the “Ciao” outro, “Bobbie’s Dittie” spends the last 4 & a half minutes experimenting with jazz fusion singing about how fake the bruise we take from love is once we’ve awoken.

Seeds remains my favorite album of Georgia Anne Muldrow’s with Olesi: Fragments of an Earth, but Overload comfortably places itself behind the latter amongst her most celebrated material & vindicates every reason why Flying Lotus signed her to Brainfeeder. The production’s more on the neo-soul, alternative R&B, synth-funk & psychedelic soul side of things rather than continuing to emphasize the predecessor’s heavy boom bap/conscious hip hop influences & she’s thematically healing from the pain society has caused.

Score: 4/5

Iglooghost – “Neō Wax Bloom” review

This is the full-length studio debut from Shaftesbury, Dorset, England, United Kingdom electronic music producer Iglooghost. Dropping his debut mixtape Comet_Camping (Brkfstttt) in 2013, he would go on to follow it up with his debut extended play Twenteen & its successor Treetunnels preceding Flying Lotus signing him to Brainfeeder Records. His debut for the label Chinese Nü Yr on Devil’s Night 2015 became some of the most creative wonky music of that year, coming off Little Grids to make bigger waves with Neō Wax Bloom.

“Pale Eyes” embarks on our trip by embracing a prominently ambient composition up until the final minute of it whereas the Brazilian folk-inspired “Super Ink Burst” works in a crazy saxophone sample that I can’t get enough of. “Bug Thief” blends glitch hop, wonky, footwork jungle, IDM, halftime, bubblegum bass, UK bass, footwork, future bass, grime, EDM glitch hop & nu jazz for a complexly playful lead single just before “Sōlar Blade” culminates in the styles wonky, glitch hop, UK bass, IDM, bubblegum bass, grime, footwork, drill & bass, kawaii future bass, hybrid trap, brostep, dariacore, footwork jungle, jazz fusion, halftime & digital fusion.

Glitch hop, bubblegum bass, UK bass, grime, wonky, hardcore breaks, drill & bass, deconstructed club, hybrid trap and future bass all collide on the single “White Gum” to end the 1st leg until “Purity Shards” kicks off the opening 99 second of the 2nd half incorporating some heavy vibraphones for this whimsical intermission. “Zen Champ” continues by going for a varied direction by hooking up some of the craziest percussion on the entire LP & samples a bird laughing while “Infinite Mint” featuring Cuushe marks one of many moments where “Gold Tea” gets flipped.

“Teal Yomi / Olivine” featuring Mr. Yote rounds out 3rd with a 2-parter where I prefer “Olivine” over “Teal Yomi” mostly because of the way he counters the latter’s hyperactivity by shifting towards a hip hop while Little Grids’ intro “Peanut Choker” reappears with it’s dense fusion of wonky, footwork, bubblegum bass, hybrid trap, dubstep & adding a guitar near the final moments of it. “Göd Grid” finally sends off with an outro that took him 3 months to complete because of it’s fast tempo & trimming it in half after being displeased with the 64 bars he removed from the final version.

I’m not sure if anything can dethrone Kamasi Washington’s 3rd album The Epic’s spot as Brainfeeder’s greatest musical statement, but Neō Wax Bloom would have to be a close 2nd. His production’s more maximalist than Chinese Nü Yr’s & eclectically explores UK bass, wonky, halftime, bubblegum bass, glitch hop, drill & bass, footwork, future bass, grime, hybrid trap, glitch pop, halftime, deconstructed club, footwork jungle, footwork jungle, IDM, EDM glitch hop, nu jazz, kawaii future bass, brostep, dariacore, jazz fusion, digital fusion & hardcore breaks depicting primally religious themes.

Score: 4.5/5

Thundercat – “Drunk” review

Thundercat is a 32 year old musician, singer/songwriter & producer from Los Angeles, California who emerged in the 2000s as the bassist for Suicidal Tendencies. He would subsequently sign to Brainfeeder Records & make his full-length debut The Golden Age of Apocalypse nearly a week before I started high school. He would follow it up with the sophomore effort Apocalypse a couple summers later & his debut extended play The Beyond / Where the Giants Grow a month succeeding my graduation due to the inclusion of his most lauded single “Them Changes”. His 3rd album however has been shaping up to be the most special entry in his entire catalog & some of the names involved further proved my point.

“Rabbit Ho” properly kicks things off singing about being bored & wanting to getting drunk out of boredom over a gloomy bassline as well as some somber keys whereas “Captain Stupido” co-produced by Flying Lotus describes monotony. “Uh Uh” comes through with a compositionally high-tempo jazz-funk interlude that seems taken from a Mario Kart game soundtrack while the lead single “Bus in These Streets” sings about technology in a very intriguing way fusing neo-soul, psychedelic soul & hypnagogic pop.

A sequel to “Tron Song” off Apocalypse called “A Fan’s Mail (Tron Song II)” & although the songwriting is just as repetitive as it was on the predecessor, I’d say the instrumental on this one’s a lot more funky. The next couple tracks “Lava Lamp” & “Jethro” both explore the concept death, except the latter has more lively beat in contrast to “Lava Lamp”‘ having a dreamier instrumental courtesy of Sounwave, but then “Show You the Way” featuring Kenny Loggins & Michael McDonald after the “Day & Night” interlude combines neo-soul, smooth soul funktronica & yacht rock to sing about making the most out of life.

“Walk on By” featuring Kendrick Lamar finds the 2 individually addressing the topic of loneliness & trying to right one’s wrongs while “Blackkk” tropically sings about walking into the light & the instrumental on here sounds pretty tropical. “Tokyo” reaches the halfway point with a fast-paced ode to the capital of Japan while “Jameel’s Space Ride” talks about being free over an uplifting beat gets the 2nd leg going by comparing his younger brother to 大江錦太郎 from the comedic ゴールデンボーイanime series.

“Friend Zone” depicts himself as a gamer who doesn’t get laid making numerous reference blending neo-soul, syth-funk & funktronica for the 3rd & final single while “Them Changes” reappears with no complaints since it’s easily the best song he’s ever made. “Where I’m Going” embraces the funktronica influences a bit heavier singing about doing fine even if he’s getting weak while “Drink Dat” lets Wiz Khalifa handle the verses, spaciously rapping about this party girl.

As for “Inferno”, we have Thundercat over a funky psychedelic soul beat singing about going insane while “3AM” after the 26 second “I’m Crazy” intermission ends the trilogy split into it’s own individual portions by singing about the streets calling him. The title track intoxicatingly describes getting wasted while “The Turn Down” featuring Pharrell takes a more conscious approach lyrically. “DUI” reprises the same melody “Rabbit Ho” used starting his drinking anew while “Hi” by Mac Miller talks about several events possibly occurring in our lifetime.

The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam was said to be a prelude to Drunk & considering how much he artistically stepped up throughout that EP, it had me hoping he’d surpass both The Golden Age of Apocalypse & Apocalypse as much as I enjoyed those LPs during my adolescence. Lo & behold: He gives us the most cohesive offering in his career & an essential within the Brainfeeder catalog. FlyLo helps him expand the neo-soul direction it’s predecessor went for sprinkling elements of psychedelic soul, progressive soul, funk, funktronica, acid jazz, jazz fusion, neo-psychedelia, alternative R&B & yacht rock along the way for a trip inside of the former Suicidal Tendencies bassist’s humorous yet dark mind.

Score: 4.5/5