Mutants - Mutants Vol. 4: LOVE
I want to start off this roundup with something uplifting, and that’s this collection of music. The Mutants are members of experimental electronic artist Arca’s Discord server. After the death of George Floyd, they decided they should do something to help raise money for charity. What they came up with was to collect exclusive music from artists on the Discord into a compilation solely for the purpose of raising money. This is now the fourth collection they’ve made and it’s got the biggest lineup of artists yet. Dorian Electra, Folie, Galen Tipton, BABii, Full Tac, and more are a part of the 40-song tracklist. Arca herself has also given an exclusive song to each of the four collections. It’s clear that a lot of effort went into organizing this project, as the songs are kind of categorized into different places in the tracklist. There’s some crazy electronic bangers at the front, beautiful ambient pieces in the middle, more aggressive songs towards the end, and even a jazz-drumming track in there. All the money raised is going to Fundusz dla Odmiany, a LGBTQ+ organization in Poland, as Poland is ranked as the worst place for a queer individual to live in the entire EU. They also have a vinyl record coming out next month to help raise money, and hopefully they continue to raise more and more money.
Listen: Bandcamp
Iglooghost - Lei Line Eon
It’s been a few years since an official Iglooghost album and this project shows him refining and maturing his sound. Instead of the frantic electronic bangers that sound like the music equivalent of a monster energy drink, Lei Line Eon shows Iglooghost creating worlds with these songs. For example, the intro track has this beautiful violin that feels like a movie score before finally doing a cinematic drop for the last third of the track. The entire project is full of those wild violins and crazy electronics. “Sylph Fossil” is the trap influenced single that devolves perfectly over the five and a half minute runtime. The two song run of “UI Birth” and “Zones U Can’t See” show how Iglooghost can be experimental in this sound while still making some truly mythical music. There are still a couple songs that haven’t fully connected with me yet, as they feel a bit too ambient or plain to be enjoyed on the same level, but the vast majority of this project is easily the best electronic music I’ve heard in 2021.
Trigaida - Elate
Trigaida is a Bulgarian folktronica trio consisting of electronic producer Ivan Shopov, vocalist Asya Pincheva, and multi-instrumentalist Georgi Marinov. Georgi plays both the didgeridoo and the kaba gaida, which is similar to a Bulgarian bagpipe. It’s a fascinating combination of sounds that’s an audacious undertaking. Luckily, they came through with flying colors, and how could they not with an amazing cover art like that! The first single, “Sluntseto Trepti”, kicks off the album with an otherworldly combination of sounds that’s easily one of the best electronic songs this year! There’s some heavy, almost-dubstep tracks on here, as shown in the track “Verba”, which also has some of the kaba gaida playing in it. “Yano” adds in some extra instruments and sounds like a beautiful film score. The project can start to sound a bit similar, especially with the language barrier, but it’s still a really impressive project overall that will stand out among any company it gets put in.
Listen: Bandcamp
Basside - Fuck It Up [Prod. SOPHIE]
I’ve never heard of Basside before and only listened to this project because the entire thing is produced by SOPHIE. Everything she was a part of was always a must listen, but now that she’s deceased, there’s always a chance that this is the last project her name will be a part of. Knowing who SOPHIE was, I can see how she was drawn to this duo, but you really have to be in a certain mood to enjoy the full project. If you thought “WAP” was too explicit, then you should steer clear from this one. SOPHIE is the star of the show on here, especially with some of the harder beats on here. “Swipe” in particular shows how minimalistic SOPHIE could be while still creating a futuristic landscape. Songs like the “NYC2MIA” Remix and the title track have been a part of SOPHIE’s DJ sets since they were created in 2016, so hearing CDQ versions is a nice surprise. For fans of SOPHIE, it’s worth at least one listen for the new beats and remembering the person that SOPHIE was.
Listen: Bandcamp
Shante - Protection
Shante is someone I actually found scrolling through Twitter when her cover of Etta James’s classic, “I’d Rather Go Blind,” was starting to go viral. The way she was able to emulate the style so lackadaisically is what makes it incredibly impressive, and it’s more impressive considering she’s only 18 years old. There’s even one point where she even checks her phone during the song. This EP came out only a few days after that post and it’s about what one would expect. She’s not a fully realized artist yet, but the potential of her as an artist is clearly there. Her voice somehow manages to be really great while still sounding like she’s barely putting any effort into hitting the notes. A song like “EmEyeAye” shows her little lyrical quips and the extreme soothing parts of her voice. There are two features from LaRussell on the final two tracks that don’t really add much, but the entire project is still a cohesive vibe. Hopefully Shante just continues to get better and better from here.
Serpentwithfeet - Deacon
Serpentwithfeet is someone I’ve been really wanting to like for a while. His voice is really unique and helps create these mystical soundscapes that not many artists can touch. Unfortunately, this project feels a bit too abstract for my personal ear. Don’t get me wrong, this project clearly took a lot of hard work to make all of these songs come together, it’s just not clicking with me. There are some highlights though. “Fellowship” with Sampha is a beautiful closer to the album, and the opening two tracks help demonstrate the soundscapes that he’s capable of. The middle portion of the album is where a lot of it just seems to wash in and out of each other. Even after multiple listens, there’s nothing in this album that hits my emotions the way someone like Moses Sumney or Sampha would. I’ll likely still keep checking out for his project just because of his pure talent, and Deacon is worth a listen for fans of unique R&B and pop music.
Izy - Irene
This is the debut album of Australian funk-soul band Izy, and it’s a solid collection of tracks. It doesn’t reinvent any genres, but they prove that they’re competent at jazz-influenced soul music. Irene starts out with three upbeat, soulful grooves that introduce them to the world. The ballads are pretty solid too, especially the fourth track “Out The Door”. “Not So Tall” is another highlight with a similar groove. The outro leaves the project on one of the best songs here, which is always a nice thing to have. Izy’s sound is very straightforward, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but a lot of music that sticks out in this sound is somewhat off the beaten path. That will probably leave this project in the wayside for my personal listening, but this is a project where almost every song would fit perfectly into a playlist of other artists with this sound.
Mello Music Group - Bushido
Mello Music Group is one of the largest and most unproblematic underground hip hop labels of the past decade. Each artist on their label has their own style of hip hop and soul. This project features every artist on the label, except for the neo soul group Seba Kaapstad. It’s definitely a showcase for their label and to provide a good introduction to some of their artists. Personally, this compilation did more for reaffirming the artists that I do like than it did for introducing me to the new artists on there. Oddisee has three songs to himself and the live instruments in the production helped his songs stand out. “No Trouble” especially is my favorite song not only from him, but on the entire project. Open Mike Eagle makes two noteworthy appearances in the collection. Some of the other highlights on here include Marlowe on “One of the Last”, Homeboy Sandman on “Yours Truly”, and the trap inspired posse cut “Black Rock”. For people who want to get into this label, this project is here for your introductions.
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, & The London Philharmonic - Promises
This is an interesting one right here. It’s a collaboration project from a 34-year old British electronic producer, an 80-year old spiritual jazz pioneer, and one of the most famous classical collectives in the world. Bringing together those three artists is something that rarely happens, and the project does tend to live up to what the expectations sound like. I will say, most of this project works best as ambient music, especially with Floating Points’s contribution. There’s a little harp loop that plays throughout almost the entire project that makes it wash together. Even with a project that works best in background music and flows together, there is still a clear highlight. “Movement 6” utilizes The London Symphony Orchestra to its full potential and makes a nine minute long track feel like three. So while I don’t love this project as much as all the official music reviewers, I can see this having some high replay value in certain moods and definitely worthy of a listen if you want to find some beautiful background music.
Folie - 123!
Folie is one of the newest members on Dog Show Records, which is the record label run by 100 gecs member Dylan Brady. Knowing that history, I was fairly certain the sound I would get going into this project, and I was not let down. In many tracks on this album, it’s almost harsher and more experimental than 100 gecs music, but most of the songs here just lack those sticky hooks the gecs have. Putting that aside, she made a pretty good debut hyperpop project with 123! “Lost the project file” is a personal favorite, especially how it was able to transition clearly and concisely from one part of the track to another. “4am insomnia, crying” is a great way to finish off this project that gets almost emotional with how sludgy the instrumental feels for the first half of the track. There are still some more highlights, but I’ll leave those for the listener to discover. Folie proves why she’s on the record label with these other great artists.
Norman Sianne - As the Sun Goes Down
I’m a bit late to this project, but Norman is an up-and-coming rapper from Boston who I came across randomly. He does a really unique thing here, which is making hip hop sound DIY. With all the technology of the current day, it’s pretty easy to make hip hop that sounds like it has somewhat of a budget. Norman, on the other hand, sounds like your longtime friend made a mixtape, but it’s actually pretty solid. The only song I don’t vibe with is “Radio”, but everything else is easily enjoyable. “Roll The Dice” is an accessible, autotuned banger with an instantly catchy chorus. “What I Want” is a more traditional banger that sounds like a DIY version of a Drake song, but in a good way. “Twist My Words” almost has a KYLE vibe, but that could just be the tambor in his voice. Either way, this song is better than most of KYLE’s songs I’ve ever heard. For people that want to support smaller artists and want to find new hip hop artists, this project is a good listen.
2 Eleven - Mastermind
I’ve Never heard of 2 Eleven before this project, but he somehow managed to get Freddie Gibbs on six of these eight tracks. It’s almost a collaborative project at this point. Now, it’s probably best that it wasn’t billed as a collaborative project, because it would be Freddie’s worst project in a while, but it’s still an easily enjoyable project. The production is some west coast trap music that would sound great riding around in a car. “Another Play” is the single for a reason. The laid back vibe fits perfectly with verses from 2 Eleven, Freddie, and Quincy White. Freddie shows why he’s this acclaimed with his amazing verse on the next song, “Rich & Gangsta”. “Top Down” continues his reign over an aggressive trap song that even gives Freddie the chorus as well. 2 Eleven’s solo tracks aren’t bad though, “24 Summers,” in particular closes the album nicely, but Freddie is just on a different level than most rappers. If you’re a Freddie fan, you’ll find something enjoyable about a lot of these songs, but his solo material is better for people that don’t know him.
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