MC GQ’s label comes with a solid two-song effort, and it‘s the third release for the imprint from jazz-leaning Allied Force. The cover of Kool & The Gang’s silky “Summer Madness” is reverent without diluting the jungle format. B-side “Highly Strung” is my choice track; it’s built with strummed jazz guitar, filtered vocals and, as the title suggests, a surging string section. EF makes it sound effortless.
Doujah Raze Plastic World
DR’s self-titled debut album definitely raised more than just eyebrows, it raised his status as one of underground hip-hop’s top emerging emcees. The caucasian D.C./Virginia native definitely attracts a college/CMJ backpacker audience, but expertly produced and delivered tracks like “World” and “No Place” put him in the same league as dope lighter-skinned folks like Evidence and Aesop Rock, as opposed to Em.
Speedy Nueva Generacion
Though he’s spitting high-pitched Spanish like an auctioneer, rising reggaeton star Speedy isn’t merely repping for San Juan on Nueva Generacion. Leading off with a remix of his international hit “Sientelo,” featuring the sex-starved English lyrics of lady Lumidee, Speedy slays on 13 fist-pumping tracks with wide appeal. To compliment Speedy’s voice, which is stuck in the stratosphere, the music is a hyperactive mix of deep, grimy synths, rollicking drums and mariachi guitar lines. Daddy Yankee’s “Gasolina” has spread far and wide, and Speedy proves he’s one of a crop of reggaeton stars that may set it ablaze.
Skalpel Konfusion
Combining nationalism with their nascent crate digging, the Polish duo of Marcin Cichy and Igor Pudlo revisit the roots of their country’s jazz scene on their second full-length. Full of symphonics for dark, smoky rooms, this impeccably made disc doesn’t radically alter notions of downtempo music as much as it fits in comfortably with Ninja Tune’s more solid output. On tracks like “Deep Breath,” tweaks to a fluttering horn line are so subtle it‘s hard to tell if the original performance included a trumpet mute or if it was touched up on a computer. Konfusion contains examples of Cichy and Pudlo at their best, creating spacious arrangements, like “Test Drive,” that jack up the natural drama of each individual jazz sample.
Ramses Revolution Ramses Revolution
When your selling point is claiming to be the premiere Afrobeat band in Stockholm–a claim that probably isn’t heavily contested-the gimmick tag probably isn’t far off. Like Japanese consumer products labeled with awkward English phrases, Ramses Revolution could be just another cute but ultimately awkward cultural exchange, but these Swedes definitely kick out the jams. Reggae-influenced singer Samuel Lanciné Gustafsson throws down soul on the mic, and the rest of the nine-piece ensemble lays down typical, but ultimately tight, rhythms. Such a solid performance makes notions of geography irrelevant.
Junior Kelly Tough Life
You want to know how long I been trying to get more music from youth yah? The wait was worth it, as Tough Life is eloquently orchestrated with everything that makes modern reggae audibly digestible. Reminiscent of when singers like Leroy Gibbons and Tony Rebel used to tear down the place, Junior Kelly croons out lover’s rock with a unique gravelly tone that is now his signature style. His big tune, “Receive,” is just saturated with truth and righteous romance. Still, Kelly nuh just deh pon a pure singie-singie business–his DJing is also hot like flames and fire! As far as I am concerned, Sizzla and Capleton should take a rest, and let the new boss step ‘cross.
Greg Davis And Sebastien Roux Paquet Surprise
Vermont-based Greg Davis is no stranger to collaborations. Within the last year he has isolated and decimated samples-some of which sound like rutting kitchen appliances–with fellow laptop tone poet Keith Fullerton Whitman. Now he partners with Parisian Sebastien Roux for a cross-the-ocean crossed wires pollination of profusely pastoral electrocoustics. Aqueous melodies-culled from over a dozen instruments’ resonances plus field recordings-shimmer as if equally mica-and microprocessor-flecked, glossy and murmuring. And Beach Boys-like moments of sonorous harmonics swell with finesse (or is that Fennesz?). With hints of Dream Syndicate’s minimalism and Mego-maniacal smelting, this album’s mesmeric subtleties will satisfy both academic listeners and those who prefer sounds IDMinence.
Primes Primes
Bleeping chaos, danceable desecration, marching into the apocalypse. Primes is the confrontational and abrasively sexual militia that may just send The Faint back to their Nebraskan garage searching for a new sound. This band’s scratchy, distorted vocals, which screech against an all-too-powerful percussion force, are undeniably effective, regardless of anyone’s personal taste. Forged from the flames of post-punk band A Luna Red, Primes isn’t devoid of energy. Their black hymns will definitely destroy a mass of expensive haircuts, annihilate too tight blazers and bring any dancefloor to its knees.
Windy & Carl The Dream House/Dedications to Flea
It’s odd how beautiful songs rooted in death and loss can actually be. It’s been five years since Windy & Carl have released an album and it’s been well worth the wait. The duo’s blend of thick melodic drone over long space trails evokes a melancholic, serene radiance. Recorded in the privacy of their Michigan home, The Dream House disc magnifies spacious, processed guitar notes that stream into your very soul. Dedications to Flea is an ode to their late dog composed of actual samples of Flea himself. Lie down, turn up your stereo and rejoice in life.
Various Artists Grizzly Bear: Horn of Plenty-The Remixes
The Grizzly Bear remixes transform the band’s conventional take on indie folk into an eclectic horizon of genre-defying electronic compositions. Complete with retouches by Ariel Pink, Circlesquare, and Solex, this album sizzles, drones and pops its way into your head from beginning to end. The dopest track is Dntel’s interpretation of “Merge,” a patiently waving, bass-oriented dive into the depths of human emotion. Each track embodies a tonal consistency that’s engaging as hell. If a remix album could win an award for connecting a batch of electronic genres to the world of indie rock, we may have a winner.
